Leadership Decisions – A Lesson From McDonalds

In this week’s guest post teambuilding coach Sean Glaze shares his expertise and knowledge.

Leadership Decisions – A Lesson From McDonalds

by Sean Glaze

Can you close your eyes and see the menu board from your local McDonald’s?

Most of us who have visited often with our kids can effortlessly envision their value meal options and can order things from the “dollar menu” without even looking up.

I thought of this after my son’s basketball game when our family chose to stop in for a late lunch, too far from home to get away with making them settle for chips and a turkey sandwich.

royalty free mcdonalds

We all entered the restaurant, walked to the back of the short line, and then were greeted by the cashier who asked what we would like to have. Of course, my son was very clear before we had arrived. He wanted a Big Mac, fries, and a chocolate shake. When I told him it didn’t come with a chocolate shake, he even offered to pay the difference, saying “I’ve got money at home, dad- I just really want a shake!”

I gave him a parental “We’ll see…,” but was pretty sure he could survive without the shake.

My wife and our two daughters were not ready to decide as quickly, though.

They have been to McDonald’s restaurants on numerous occasions before, but still struggled to choose what it was they wanted, and grew even more uncomfortable when they saw a group of incoming customers. Feeling rushed and exasperated, they responded in three very different ways.

I thought of a quote from Seth Godin – “You don’t need more time. You just need to decide”

My wife said to me, “Oh, goodness – just get me something. You know what I like.” My oldest daughter said to me, “Whatever is cheap dad- I don’t really care.” And my youngest daughter followed that with, “I’ll just get whatever she does, okay?”

At first I was a bit shocked, but I hurriedly ordered, and then waited at the counter while I considered what had just happened while our food was prepared.

My family was a microcosm of decision making styles!

Leaders must make decisions – and the higher you climb, the more important your decision become. But it occurred to me that there were four very distinct examples of decision making in our family – at least in this illustration…

  1. Some people refuse to make a decision and let others choose for them – that isn’t very healthy, and usually results in dissatisfaction of some kind – usually regret by the decision maker for their hesitancy.
  1. Some people want to take the easiest route, wanting only to invest the smallest amount to get by with whatever is cheapest in terms of effort or resources. This “penny wise – pound foolish” approach is dangerous, because it fails to consider the long term effects that their short sighted decisions might have.
  1. Some people just follow the crowd and do what their friends or acquaintances will deem as acceptable. But what is popular isn’t always best, and what is best isn’t always popular… and strong leaders must be willing to make decisions that are unique to their situation and organizational needs.
  1. And some people want more than is offered to the masses on a menu. They want more and are willing to pay the price to enjoy it. They push their people to perform at a higher level and demand extraordinary results – and they recognize that it is often rewarding to invest more than others think is necessary.

I stood there thinking to myself that the McDonalds menu in front of me was what we all look at as leaders of any organization. We all have a menu of opportunities and goals– whether it is a principal setting teacher expectations of performance or a coach setting goals for the season, we all make decisions that impact the people we work with.

Joel, a prophet in ancient Israel, wrote “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!” (Joel 3:14). I can only imagine how that looked; people milling around confused and wondering which way to go. Things haven’t changed much over the past 2,800 years.

The question of how to approach your decisions as a leader then becomes at least as clear as how to approach what we’re having for lunch. Be sure to order what you want, and consider what it will cost, whether up front or in the future.

Everyone has a menu in front of them. Everyone is responsible for their choices, and must stomach it – even if it was a choice they tried to evade having to make for themselves.

And everyone is capable of asking for and getting more than the ordinary meal.

Yes, I got my son the chocolate shake. Because he asked for it… Because he was willing to give more to enjoy something he really wanted… But mostly because I wanted a taste!

So, the next time you go into a McDonalds – look up at the menu and smile. Know that making decisions is a skill you can develop – both in yourself, and in those on your team.

And encouraging them to participate in team decisions is important, even when sometimes they make mistakes. Mistakes are less common, though, when people take ownership.

If you want your people to invest in team decisions, consider the impact that a full or half day of fun Atlanta teambuilding and leadership training could have on your organization.

With improved morale, communication and leadership skills they will be far more willing to collaborate and contribute to the team’s success – and as a leader, that is ultimately what your decisions are supposed to produce.

About the author

sean blue picAs a speaker, author, and team-building coach, Sean Glaze entertains and influences groups with a unique blend of dynamic content, interactive activities, and practical action steps. His team-building website, www.GreatResultsTeambuilding.net, provides more information on the team-building events, speaking engagements, and training workshops he offers.

If you are part of a business, school, or athletic team that needs to improve communication, inspire accountability, energize morale, contact him and transform your group into a more productive team!

 

 

 

 

What has Shakespeare got to do with coaching?

This was originally published as a bonus article in the Coaching Confidence weekly email during June 2011. To start getting your very own copy each week enter your details under “Don’t miss a thing!” to the right of this page.

What has Shakespeare got to do with coaching?

The catalyst for last weeks post was observing a workshop that the Royal Shakespeare Company “Head of Voice” Cicely Berry ran. It was a piece based around what we can learn about best practice in other fields and including a few coaching questions. If you missed it you can read it here.

This weeks message will continue with that theme as I also observed a second workshop ran by two top directors working with a group of actors on a particular speech.

You’ll notice that there are coaching questions to consider throughout the piece. Feel free to play with those questions and I invite you to notice which one makes the most difference for you.

Greg Doran is currently Chief Associate Director with the RSC and has been described as “one of the great Shakespearians of his generation.”

John Barton co-founded the RSC 50 years ago and possesses an encyclopaedic knowledge of Shakespeare and is known to be able to identify one of his plays from a single line of text. With such a background of experience and knowledge he shared his perspective about how things have changed.

One of the things he mentioned is that “Now what I do is different to what I did then …Then the basic needs were different.”

The experience of actors and the expectations of the audience not being the same is probably not a surprise when you consider that half a century has passed since the RSC began. If you have a coaching business you may be aware that your dream clients expectations and what they see their needs as being have changed over time.

That may be that you find that potential clients over time approach you with different requirements. It may also be that an individual client, if asked, will say something different at the start as compared with at the end of you working together about what was important to them about your work.

A coaching question to consider: When was the last time you checked what your dream clients expectations and needs are?

In the workshop the actors all had the speech that they were working on, in their hand, printed on paper. One of the pieces of advice that the actors were given was not to read straight from the text and worry about getting the words exact immediately. They were invited to share with audience until that happens. The focus was ”not how to speak the verse but how to make the audience listen”.

A coaching question to consider: What else can you do to make a potential client listen?

If you were to draw connections between the last two points you may say that being aware of when things change allows flexibility in approaches and communication to reflect where someone is now.

As a coach you may be aware of a benefit that your clients value above all else at the need of your work together, however, if that’s not something that they rate as important as a potential client you are likely to struggle to attract their attention initially.

One of the changes that John Barton talked about was that 50 years ago actors had far more experience of working with Shakespeare’s texts in rep theatre etc prior to working with the RSC. This has also brought a change in attitude in those who he works with – “Now actors are perfectly prepared to turn up, knowing nothing, plunge in and find out.”

One of the things that many talk about that you can get from coaching is new insights – which can be thought about as a new thought or perspective not previously seen. As a coach I love when clients are happy to plunge into a conversation and find out what happens.

A coaching question to consider: If you were to let yourself” plunge into a topic and find out,” what would you do differently?

I loved watching two different directors at work with the same group to see each reaction and hear the comments that they made at specific points.

Both directors explained that they had similar approaches about how they work. John Barton said “You do a bit, then I react and pick out what I think will be the most useful for you at this moment.” Whilst Greg Doran said that he was only going to give a “Small nudge [as I] don’t want to say more then I have to, to get you going.” Asking himself “What can I say that’s minimal that will allow them to take off?”

This means that the responses and comments are different for different actors.

Why do I mention this in this piece? I don’t know about you but when I coach one of the questions I’m considering is a variation of “what is going to make the biggest difference at this moment?” And “what is the nudge that is going to get this person going?”

A coaching question to consider: What is the one thing that is going to make the biggest difference for you?

As part of a discussion about the words in the text that the actors were working on they were told, “Words themselves have a life of their own” providing a “series of clues and opportunities, that as long as you know how to read, you can then make it your own.”

As a coach you may be aware that in a coaching conversation sometimes it is certain words that prompts you to ask a particular question. Sometimes it may be a specific statement but other times it may be a clue that suggests a belief or perception that is hindering a client.

One of the things that I can see new coaches hunt for is the “right question” to ask in a specific circumstance. I’ve come to see, over time, that there is often more than one question that can be asked. It’s picking up on the clues and opportunities that allow you to develop your own coaching style that makes a difference for your clients.

There were many, many other areas I could discuss prompted by the examples and comments I saw and heard in that session and the one I wrote about last week. However, if I did this would turn into a piece as long as a Shakespearean play!

So before I go I wanted to share one last thing. That workshop had individuals with a wide range of RSC experience involved – ranging from 50 years to those who had only just joined. They all agreed that the great thing about RSC is “the other stuff that goes on” – it’s a learning environment.

To put this into context; the RSC has some of the best in their fields working for them – to my knowledge, an actor can only audition if they are specifically invited. Yet they are continually asking questions and it’s “impressed on that [we] don’t know it all.” They “encourage you to ask questions and to explore” which was credited with inspiring “investment from the company.”

I invite you to ask questions and explore more this week and see the difference that focus has for you.

Love

Jen

About the Author

Jen WallerJen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

She has created a free 7 day e-course about how to create your own unique coaching welcome pack that works for you and your clients. Get your copy here.