What’s common to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, American comedian Jay Leno and McDonald’s Corporation CEO Jim Skinner?
They all started their careers working at a McDonald’s restaurant! And they are just a few of the several successful, rich and famous folks who flipped burgers at McDonald’s outlets. If you are a young individual about to start work, you might learn some valuable lessons from the people whose first job was at McDonald’s. Lessons which could help you succeed in any career you choose to pursue.
1. No job is too small. Many young people keep waiting for the ‘right job’ to come along. The jobs they get are, in their opinion, either too lowly or not well paid enough. So they continue to wait in vain. Several successful people chose to take on the rather ordinary job at a Mac outlet. It worked wonders for their careers. Don’t wait. Take the work you get—and get to work!
2. Boring is normal. Working in a burger restaurant can be boring and monotonous. This is probably true of many workplaces out there. Young people get bored easily and seek change almost too soon. Long-term success requires the ability to stay disciplined, and to keep performing a task day in and day out. Jeff Bezos recalls having to crack three hundred eggs a day at McDonald’s. Doing that right probably helped him ensure that Amazon.com gets it right across millions of transactions every day! The ability to stick it out and persevere is priceless.
3. The customer is always right. Never mind what role you play—and how high you rise in the hierarchy, you will find that you need to serve customers and look after them well. The customer could be internal—within your organization—or external. Many people allow their egos to come in the way of their serving other people. Starting off in a sales role—or in a fast food joint—is a good way to put your ego in its place. And once you learn to do that, you will find that you enjoy serving, nay delighting, your customers for the rest of your life.
4. Success does not come in an instant. The road to the top is long. It takes hard work, increasing levels of responsibility and consistent performance to progress in your career. Don’t expect to be rewarded for flashes of brilliance. But as it happened to Jim Skinner, three decades of doing it right and doing it well saw him rise from just another guy behind the counter to that guy in the corner room.
5. Roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Great corporate leaders never fight shy of doing the ‘small tasks’. Even today, the CEO of India’s largest FMCG company will happily dust a shampoo pack lying in a store. Most heads of automotive companies enjoy getting under the car and getting some grease on their hands. These are habits that you imbibe early in your career. Jay Leno recalls a time when someone spilled a huge can of tomato ketchup on the floor of the McDonald’s restaurant he was working at—and he had to help clean up the mess. If he could do it, you should too!
6. The magic of teamwork. In a fast food outlet, you quickly learn that you are only a small part of a larger team. Someone does the burgers, someone else the fries and yet another person takes the orders and the payment. Each person has a role to play in ensuring that the customer has a great experience! And they all share the pride of being on the same team. See how proudly they sport the McDonald’s logo—right on their hearts!
No matter where you choose to work, remember the lessons the people learn when they start out at McDonald’s.
So in case you are looking for a first job, be willing to do all that they do at a burger place. Remember, the pay may be small. But the leadership lessons you learn early in life will have a huge impact on your future career!
The ability to stick it out and persevere is priceless.
The road to the top is long. It takes hard work, increasing levels of responsibility and consistent performance to progress in your career. Don’t expect to be rewarded for flashes of brilliance.