Take your children to McDonald’s—there’s so much to learn    060

Most people know that the McDonald brothers, Maurice and Richard, known as Mac and Dick, started McDonald’s in southern California, way back in about 1948. What most people do not know is that the McDonald brothers only ever owned two McDonald’s restaurants—just two. So where did the present McDonald’s global empire come from?

The answer consists of just two words, Ray Kroc. This American businessman, from 1954, as a franchise agent, began opening more McDonald’s restaurants. In 1961 he purchased outright the McDonald’s business name and company and the expansion right across America continued. Kroc considered a McDonald’s restaurant as “a prime example of American small business in action… [using] the husband-wife team” (Ray Kroc, Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald’s, New York: St Martins, 1977, p. 104).

Ray Kroc’s entrepreneurialism was at the time, and still is, striking. At the age 52 this man became a success overnight. But in his own words he points out that he had spent many years selling paper cups and drink mixing machines, and in dealing with both suppliers and retailers at all levels. He points out that a lot of show business personalities work away at their craft and then, suddenly, make it big (p. 101). The lesson for your children is that overnight success doesn’t happen overnight.

There are many examples happening right now in high schools across the country. Students suddenly become school captain, or suddenly win an important competition, or unexpectedly obtain a university traineeship program with one of the big four accounting companies. Some students seem to have no trouble obtaining holiday jobs, and are able to take on more or less continuous casual employment, with surprising levels of responsibility. Now how does all this happen?

It happens through day to day, week by week, month by month, and year by year persistence. Persistently working hard, staying on track, and getting ready for things to happen. So in Year 9 your child should have learning experiences and involvements appropriate, for example, for someone who wants to be on track to be school captain, or a success in another area. Being the best your child is capable of is the goal, and it remains the goal every single hour of the day.

Listen to what Ray Kroc has to say: We have thousands of success stories in McDonald’s… I mean that literally… The key element in these individual success stories and at McDonald’s itself… is determination. This is expressed very well in my favourite homily. ‘Press On: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence… Talent will not… Genius will not… Education will not… Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’ That’s the spirit that built 4000 McDonald’s hamburger restaurants (p. 201).

Well today Ray Kroc has gone but worldwide there are approximately 40,000 outlets across about 120 countries. No doubt there is a McDonald’s near you. Why not take your children down there for a visit? Choose a time when you know the restaurant will be busy. This is because standing in the queue is the most valuable part of the experience.

Almost everything that you see is an innovation first developed by McDonald’s. The use of frozen beef patties and the frozen fries are early examples. I’m sure you can see that this process of innovation has continued right to the present time. Notice how the restaurant is set out—you are looking at a magnificent application of industrial principles to fast food production. Study how the human resources are used—help your children understand why girls mostly work at the front counter taking the orders, and boys mostly work at the back, pretending to cook when it is the system producing the perfect burgers every time. Collect some statistics—how many burgers are being produced in what time, what sort of money is flowing through those cash registers and compare the information with standard averages. You have come to learn.

McDonald’s then is a global innovation produced mainly by a man who spent years of preparation so that he was ready to recognise and fully take advantage of an unprecedented opportunity. He then acted with determination, and inspired others to do likewise. McDonald’s, for thousands of people, is the small business dream come true. They are in business ‘for themselves but not by themselves’, which is how McDonald’s puts it.

After you and your children have eaten your McDonald’s meal presumably you have the rest of the day so what will they do? Whatever is done becomes part of the preparation of long term success in whatever vocational area is chosen. Perhaps work experience is necessary on the journey. Well take steps to day to start preparing or applying. Amazingly, the majority of Year 10 students, for example, do not have a resume, and have never given any type of work experience a second thought. Well, get to it.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services