“Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Decline… and the Rise of a New Economy” by Daniel Gross (Free Press, $26).
Gross argues that the economic recovery, as anemic as it is, “has happened in spite of politics, not because of them.” While the failures make the headlines, American business always finds a way to clean things up and move on. Rather than throw in the towel, many American businesses remembered the words of John Paul Jones: “We have not yet begun to fight.” Gross cites numerous examples of working smarter; here are two:
Ford Motor Co. bet everything, including its iconic logo, on Alan Mulally’s “financial engineering” turnaround plan. Ford remodeled everything — starting with its management thinking. While GM and Chrysler went bankrupt and became beholding to the government, Ford’s stock rose in the eyes of investors and car buyers because “Ford produced and earned its way out of trouble.”
In recent years, Walmart hit the financial wall. Its lower-end customer base was badly hurt by the recession; the markets it dominated were saturated. Its forays into urban markets met with little success. So where was its profit lever? Always focused on costs, Walmart examined its aging vehicle fleet; it was averaging 5.9 miles per gallon. It set a new goal of 13 mpg by 2013; it will reach that goal. Next, it examined its industry-leading logistics system and found ways to improve its effectiveness — especially when it came to routes. It eliminated 149 million miles of driving and shipped more goods.
When it comes to our future, he sees foreign investment as a vote of confidence for American business. People and countries don’t invest with the expectation that their investment will go south. They believe “we can.” And our global investment clout isn’t all about manufacturing. We produce more agricultural product than China; the U.S. has a trade surplus in food.
Business should remember a Chinese proverb: “Don’t curse the darkness — light a candle.”
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“Golden Opportunity — Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald’s” by Cody Teets (Cider Mill Press, $18.95).
Since 1955, over 20 million Americans launched their careers at McDonald’s as teenagers. Teets, a McDonald’s executive, got a number of alumni to talk about their McDonald’s stories. Some names you’ll recognize; most you won’t. But their stories show how what they learned at McDonald’s helped them in their careers. Here are a few examples:
Lester Stein, Jr. (1955) — Hired into the first McDonald’s, Stein saw Ray Kroc, the founder, sweeping parking lots and picking up trash. It showed him that the #1 guy was invested in the dirt-under-the-fingernails work. Kroc became more than an owner/leader to the crews; he was a role model of hard work and attention to detail.
Jay Leno (1966) — As a dyslexic 16-year old with so-so-grades, Leno started as a crew member and eventually moved up to the order counter where his personality engaged customers. His boss encouraged him to enter a local talent show; he and a friend did a comedy routine. They won — and Leno got his start in show business. The McDonald’s promoting-from-within policy carried over to his TV career where many of his staff started as interns.
Andrew Dornenburg (1974) — This noted chef and best-selling author (Becoming a Chef) decided cooking was his calling while flipping burgers and making fries. As his career progressed to high-end restaurants, he reminded his team of a takeaway from his days at McDonald’s: “I worked with a team that pulled for each other — the manager and the crew always wanted each person on the team to succeed.”
Think about it — Generations of teenagers learned their first lessons in business at McDonald’s.
Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer.
