Page 51 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Honesty and Integrity

our control, and some not, but that was the risk of any poten-
tial investment. And, of course, there was no guarantee. But they
also had the knowledge that if sales were off, adjustments could
be made, but they had to demonstrate an ability to run an effi-
cient operation. There was a clear quid pro quo. Through hon-
est and open discussion, both sides could understand the other’s
point of view and make the decisions based on facts and edu-
cated assumptions.
Jim Lewis recalled the perspective of his uncle, Dick Lewis,
one of the early franchisees in the development of McDonald’s
in Manhattan. Dick had a lot of experience in negotiating these
rents, receiving one of the first “special rent” stores, and at the
time, having the highest-rent store in the nation. “He would tell
me to always remember that both sides are guided by the busi-
ness,” Jim noted recently. “And it’s a business deal first; and
what makes it work is each side taking care of their own busi-
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ness needs and it automatically builds balance.” Knowing that
both the operator and company come to the table with integrity
helped achieve that balance.

Trust Bank
Al Golin, chairman of Golin Harris, the public relations team
that has served McDonald’s since 1957, developed a philosophy
called “Trust Bank” that has served the company well. Al
described it in a 2005 interview with Advertising Age as “build-
ing up deposits of goodwill in this bank of trust and to call on
it if you ever need it in terms of a crisis. And that was something
that McDonald’s believed in very thoroughly. McDonald’s really
set the tone for an industry that [at the time] had a very dubi-
ous reputation.”
In my tenure at McDonald’s, I saw the Trust Bank’s influence
throughout the corporation, whether it was in philanthropy,