Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I found the book to be outstanding, easy to read, simple, and right on the money. I have not eaten in McDonald's in over ten years and I am not an advocate of the products that they sell(I am too much of a health guy).
That said, they have been incredibly successful as a business and the book explains what the author thinks are the key reasons for their business success.
7 reasons:
1 - honesty and integrity, all in a handshake.
It is not what you do, it is the way you do it -- Ray Crock.
I have often said that having a legal agreement is much less important than doing business with people of high integrity and I have long been an advocate of the handshake over anything else.
2 - the rule is relationships, he speaks glowingly of the great relationships amongst the MacDonald's staff and talks about the three legged stool. This refers to the relationship among the three partners as operators/owners, suppliers, and corporate staff. Each is dependant on each other to support the group as a whole.
3 - standards will never be satisfied.
The quality of the leader is reflected in the standards that they set for themselves -- Ray Crock.
MacDonald's is the ultimate e-myth company. They set process and standards and expect everyone to religiously follow them. They have done a great job of communicating what those standards are and I love the never be satisfied philosophy.
One of the great lines that is totally simple is if you have time to lean, you have time to clean.
4 - Lead by example: clearly this one is obvious and many people try to do this; however, actions speak louder than words. Never underestimate ones actions.
One of the things that I particularly liked in this chapter was in the lessons learned -- "achievers never stop learning" (this is one of the things that I always ascribed to).
5 - Courage -- telling it like it is. The gist of the message is, regardless of what the message is, positive or negative, people need to know what it is and the larger the organization, the tougher it is to get the get the truth. People tend to avoid the risk in telling people the truth.
6 - Communications: It is not how often you communicate, it is how well -- Ray Crock.
There is an entire section on decentralization -- try to get the decision making as close to the customer as possible, of course all within a frame work and a philosophy. I am a big believer in decentralization as I believe this is the way to be the most efficient. It is also the way to get the little things to matter.
7 - Recognition: there is no better way to inspire a team then with recognition. Deep down we create that recognition. I think I could use a little work on this one.
Its a good book. Good words of wisdom.
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Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald's: The 7 Leadership Principles that Drive Break Out SuccessWhat is it about McDonald's that has enabled it to produce more millionaires from within its ranks than any company in history?
What earns the undying respect and loyalty of its franchisees, vendors, and 47 million customers served daily, from Moscow to Evansville to Rio de Janeiro?
And how does it continue to expand its products, retool its image, and become more popular with each passing year?
Few authors are as qualified to answer those questions as company insider Paul Facella. Beginning behind the counter at age 16, Paul literally grew up at McDonald's. From counter, to grill, to Regional Vice President, he has, over the course of his distinguished 34-year career, developed an intimate knowledge of the fast-food giant's management practices and culture. He's also forged personal ties to its legendary leaders, including founder Ray Kroc and CEOs Fred Turner, Mike Quinlan, Jack Greenberg, former President Ed Rensi, and current CEO Jim Skinner.
Everything I Know Ab out Business I Learned at McDonald's delivers an up-close-and-personal look at a company where talent is cultivated and encouraged to thrive, from the individual restaurant to the corner office. With the help of in-depth interviews and "in their own words" commentaries from company executives, franchisees, and vendors, he explores McDonald's result-driven culture, and reveals the core principles, first laid down by founder Ray Kroc in 1955, that have successfully guided the company for more than five decades.
Finally, Paul distills all that knowledge and experience into powerful lessons on teamwork, leadership, integrity, communication, and relationship building that you'll use to achieve stellar results in your company-whether your goal is to build an international business empire of your own, or just the best darned shop in town.
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