Page 52 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

supporting a colleague who hit on hard times, or standing by a
supplier. I saw it even in many a McDonald’s feel-good ad,
which, for example, might show an older teenage brother shar-
ing his fries with his preteen sister, much to the delight of her
girlfriends. These ads spoke volumes about McDonald’s as a
trusted friend and a place where families could gather in the
community. And, as I explore in much further depth in the
remaining chapters, you will see that the Trust Bank, the hon-
esty and integrity of McDonald’s, was not just lip service.

In Summary
Honesty and integrity have been the keystone to McDonald’s
growth. Without it, the organization never would have inspired
the trust and confidence that its partners—the vendors and fran-
chisees—put into the company. These traits have spilled over to
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the customer, who expects a certain experience when she or he
walks into any McDonald’s unit. And they have spilled over into
the community, which expects nothing short of a good corpo-
rate citizen from McDonald’s. Organizations that do right by
their stakeholders can anticipate the same in return. And that’s
a definite plus when navigating today’s challenging business cli-
mate—it’s always better to have partners that help you put your
best foot forward.

Key Learnings
✔ Build an organization where stakeholders know they will be
treated fairly and respectfully.
✔ Choose honesty and integrity over quick profit opportunities
to build lasting partnerships that enable key players to grow
strong together. Giving trust elicits trust.