Back in September I asked the shareholders if I should just apply to McDonald’s. After a lot of discussion, the vote passed with 72% approval. I applied and I got hired.
I was surprised by two things:
- how hard the job is
- how hard my coworkers worked
I took being at the bottom of one of the largest and most successful companies in the world as an opportunity. We produced an amazing season 2 of Hamburger Business Review and I gained an appreciation of the amount of effort it takes to make a job so simple it can be run by high school kids. You do not understand the power of process until you understand McDonald’s!
After six months I’m now very comfortable working with the public, I understand menu, the POS system, and how to multitask within my little drive thru corner of the restaurant.
I have developed my own checklists for when I start a shift, to check the commonly missing items, which items are blocked (and if there are new items), stocking up the printer tape, and prepping Happy Meal boxes for assembly during my shift.
During my shift I take responsibility for keeping the fries stocked. While I can’t run the fry station from the drive thru, there are enough small breaks that I can keep the hopper loaded and the small freezer stocked to ensure what the fries keep coming.
None of the process and prep and additional duties were assigned. I developed them as I started to understand the larger system I was operating in and how to best support my team mates. It reminds me so much of the Army.
The process and systems thinking has even been integrated into my regular life. I created a weekly household inventory checklist, started to be more specific about where things go, and of course, keeping surfaces clean.
And I’ve found I’m a morning person. I always suspected this, but with a 7am start time to my shift I kept getting up earlier and earlier so I’d have some time to myself, eventually setting my alarm to 5am. It’s still dark out, and it’s quiet, and I get to start my day off by myself and it’s wonderful.
But for all the positives there are three big down sides.
- I am not enthusiastic about the product, and other than my burger explorations videos I am off fast food. I skip my free meals and don’t use my discount opportunity.
- The compensation is low.
- Related to the money is the time. Looking at the bi-weekly timesheets there is a real sense of loss.
I do now actually enjoy most of my time working there. I love my co-workers. They are some of the most dedicated and hardworking people I’ve ever met. I love the range of folks I get to work with and it’s been fun to get to know, and be known, by the regulars.
I just got paid more for a speaking event that I’ve made the entire time I’ve been working. which made me think I could spend six months working on getting another chance like this vs. working seven hour shifts at the drive thru… I also have some really, really big opportunities in the works and I want to start putting more time into my own projects.
It’s clear to me that working at McDonald’s has more than accomplished the goals I set out to achieve. A renewed confidence, establishing some structure, and giving me a clear sense of my own value.
With that in mind I ask my shareholders, should I quit McDonald’s?
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