Page 76 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s

Still, I hated the thought that had been festering for some time,
and I could have corrected myself much earlier. I made a com-
mitment to cultivate a better network of feedback from people
in whom I could confide, people with whom I could raise ques-
tions, discuss issues, and seek advice. One group that I nurtured
over the years was my administrative assistants, all of them very
capable and valuable. Their influence, advice, and counsel were
incredibly helpful. They helped me to look far better than I was.
Good relationships will allow others not only to approach
you with insights but also to challenge your thinking. Fred
Turner had specific thoughts on this: “People that go along with
what I want, all of the time, I become suspicious of them. . . . It
isn’t always fun to have your boat rocked, but when people
would say ‘it’s a mistake,’ there’s a positive way to say it. It was
a way to make a point.”

46
People to Lean On
As Dave Natysin, retired corporate vice president in charge of
company operations for the East, put in a memo to “The McFam-
ily” in 2007: “At McDonald’s it’s always been about being up
close and personal. That’s the secret sauce in people development
that others just can’t seem to grasp when they research McDon-
ald’s.” And as I can attest, people development springs from all
sides—your superiors, your peers, and even your own direct
reports. It’s how we get better, or as Dave, in his memo, expressed,
McDonald’s leadership has the “willingness and ability to listen
to everyone, from the newest Crew person to the Chairperson,
from our customers to our critics, from those that complement
our restaurants to those that criticize our restaurants.”
In listening and learning, we found people to lean on, a trait
that is inherent within the system. Ray Kroc had Fred Turner as
his backup. And Fred turned to Mike Quinlan and Jim Can-
talupo, both of whom would later serve as chairman and CEO.