"I Said No Pickles 4 Salt!"

There is a McDonald’s near my work on Fulton, one block away from the South Street Seaport. It caters to white collar workers, tourists and urban middle school kids. It has two floors, wooden tables and an average serving time of 1 minute 30 seconds. To summarize - it sucks.

The McDonald’s on Coney Island and Ditmas Avenue, where I live, is where the local crowd allays their after-school, after-midnight and after-doobee munchies. This place is not your archetypal Ronald McDonald house. In fact, it is the opposite. Ketchup is on the floor instead of the ketchup dispenser, napkins are a luxury and the average serving time is almost 5 minutes. And to sum up – it’s quite an experience, but you get exactly what you order.

The first time I went to McDonald’s to complete this assignment I forgot to ask for a receipt, so I was forced to go again. It paid off given that now I can delve into the management process of both fast food franchises, compare and contrast my experiences, and most importantly avoid being redundant.

About a month ago during brunch I went to McDonald’s near my work with a friend/neighbor/co-worker, who volunteered to be the guinea pig (provided that I’m not a big fan of greasy, fast food that never putrefies). The place was empty, however brimming with personnel. I ordered a hamburger with 4 pickles and small fries with no salt, trying hard to contain my grin. The ordering process was swift and straightforward, yet I felt that the person taking my order overlooked how important the instructions of “4 pickles and no salt” actually were. So I repeated my order and emphasized that I only needed 4 pickles, no more no less, and no salt on my fries. I did this twice. The girl taking my order smiled, as well as the rest of the personnel standing at the counter, and relayed the information to those making my hamburger in the back, stressing that they put only 4 pickles. After some stares at the anally-retentive, control freak of a guy in business attire, more concerned about the pickles on his hamburger at 11 AM in the morning, than anything else in the world, the order was ready. I timed the whole process at 1 minute and 30 seconds. Throughout the whole ordeal about 5 people got involved: the girl who took my order and put the fries and the hamburger into a paper bag; the manager who packed my small fries carton full of unsalted fries; 2 people in the back who prepared my hamburger, functioning as a conveyor belt; and another employee who repeated my instructions to both the manager and hamburger assemblers in the back. Aside from stares, which made me quite uncomfortable, the ordering and waiting process were satisfactory. In fact, one of the staff members even joked about how tough Tuesday mornings are, and a hamburger with 4 pickles sometimes makes the world go round. My co-worker, a.k.a. – the guinea pig, found the fries to be unsalted as ordered, but after carefully examining the hamburger we found that it contained 5 and a half pickles. What a comedown!

Considering the serving time and how my order was processed I would rank the management process as very efficient. I would go even further and say that personnel involved worked like a well-oiled machine, such as one employee taking initiative to repeat my instructions and the manager filling a small carton with fries as soon as the order appeared on the computer screen. Nevertheless, there is sill the issue of 5 and a half pickles instead of 4. This slip-up can be attributed to the general logic of “more is better than less” that influenced the decision of the overachieving personnel in the back. For ranking’s sake, I would grade the manufacturing process and communication as average (factoring in the speedy order process and the unnecessary 1.5 extra pickles), coordination as excellent, and customer service as slightly above average (bearing in mind how self-conscious the 8 person staff made me with their stares). Nevertheless, I wasn’t satisfied with my order, and in the case that I enjoyed a McDonald’s hamburger with 4 pickles and small, unsalted fries, next time I would try my luck at McDonald’s 3 blocks down the street.



After I realized that I forgot to get a receipt I scheduled another “4 pickles and no salt” experiment with my friend/neighbor/co-worker and guinea pig – Alex. At his request we went to a local McDonald’s, so that I would have a richer experience to write about. And I did. Approximately a week ago at 11 PM on a weeknight, Alex and I drove into our neighbor‘hood’ McDonald’s, the location of many childhood memories. There was a line of a few people, and the personnel consisted of about 6 people, three of which were in the back. The manager seemed brash, overworked but eager to take the order and help his employees in the process. When the line cleared the manager took my order, spit out the receipt and change in the matter of seconds. After I repeated my order he also reiterated the “4 pickles and no salt” instruction in an army manner, both to himself and to me. Instantly I knew that the guy meant business. The manager shouted to the staff in the back to put only 4 pickles onto my hamburger, while he filled up a small carton with fries. He did this on another occasion 3 minutes later when my hamburger was actually being made. It was evident that compared to the McDonald’s on Fulton, this franchise was greatly understaffed, especially if we take into account the constant line of customers and drive-in orders. The manager kept a short leash on his employees, but in no way deprecated them. He used an authoritative style of management, and exerted more effort and steam than a coal powered locomotive. Roughly 5 minutes later my order was ready. The fries were unsalted once again, something both me and Alex have come to expect. However, the sense of genuine triumph came after we discovered exactly 4 pickles on the hamburger. ShaZZAAM!

I would assume that about 3 staff members were involved in process. Those were the manager, and the two employees in the back who produced my hamburger. I was treated very well while I both ordered and waited, and I didn’t mind lingering that extra time. I would rate the manufacturing process as good, communication between the staff as excellent, coordination as excellent, and customer service as good.

As a consultant for McDonald’s I would recommend the franchise on Fulton to train their back room employees to prepare very specific orders, such as mine. I would possibly advocate an option to pass on such specific information through computer screens used in the ordering process. As for my neighborhood McDonald’s I would not advise any change, except to hire more personnel, so that they can alleviate the pressure on the manager, and cut the serving time threefold.

DiSC

I’m an “I”. I’m also a “C” and “S”. Moreover, I’m “D”. I join the ranks of “DISC chameleons” (a term I borrowed from a fellow pupil), an adoptable and versatile bunch, whose dimensions of behavior change with the circumstances.

In reality I scored a high “I” and a low “C”. Although greatly oversimplified, the DiSC test offered an interesting insight into my management orientation. Prior to taking the test I identified myself as purely analytical, with a tendency to influence others. Yet, the test revealed a reverse of these dimensions of behavior. Taking into consideration my own self-assessment and that of the DiSC test, I believe that my “I” and “C” attributes lie in balance with each other.



What I found most helpful about the test were the action plans for each of the dimension of behavior. These explain the type of organization and measures required for each management orientation to be successful. In my case, concentration, quick and objective decision-making are key to transforming me into an effective manager.

The DiSC test can be quite useful in gauging an individual’s management orientation, especially when we consider how little time it takes to complete. The test might be most helpful to developing managers, such as middle managers, in pinpointing weak spots in their management style and making instantaneous improvements to increase efficacy of the organization. Whereas CEO’s, CFO’s and upper management might find this test too shortsighted, provided that it generalizes and separates dimensions of decision-making behavior into distinct profiles. On the level of personal interactions the DiSC profile system can be quite accommodating, especially if each individual involved is familiar with other’s dimension of behavior. If these individuals are in the know about each other’s weaknesses and strengths, they can cooperate and act as facilitators when such a need arises, consequently creating synergy and greater value. I haven’t applied any insight I’ve gained about my managing approach from the DiSC analysis, but I’m quite certain that once I do, my personal relationships will undergo a positive change.

My Powerision

We are inborn visionaries. Tomorrow I have a meeting at work where I will get a chance to communicate my ideas about the current state of our product. In a week I have a test in finance. Today, in fact right before I started writing this post, I was jotting down my thoughts and suggestions for tomorrows meeting, and at lunch I went through a chapter in my finance book. However, it takes a little more than planning one day ahead to make life-altering dreams a reality. One week doesn’t cut it either. Our life’s challenge lies with having a long-term vision and a continuously evolving plan to realize it. To summarize everything above and stop myself from verbalizing any more redundancy I'll quote Joel Barker, the mastermind behind The Power of Vision.

“Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision merely wastes time. Vision with action can make things happen!”



My current vision is a vague compilation of ideas, wants and aspirations. Let’s turn that around!

Vision # 1: Roughly 4 years from now I will have a Masters degree in Finance & Investments from one of the top business schools in NYC (Columbia, NYU Stern).
Actions Taken: To accomplish this goal I’m working towards a Bachelors degree in Finance at Baruch and pulling my GPA upward. I’m also working as a full-time analyst, and refining myself and my knowledge of finance through spiral working experiences.

Vision # 2: By the end of my senior year I will take time off to study or work in Europe, preferably in London or Milan. I will also travel through the rest of Europe, as well as Asia and South America.
Actions Taken: To realize this vision of mine I’ve curtailed my expenses and kept in close contact with my international friends.

Vision # 3: In a year and a half or by the time I finish my senior year at Baruch, I’m planning to be employed by a major firm in the Financial Services sector as an analyst. Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley will do just fine.
Actions Taken: To bring about this change I’m building and sustaining a network of professionals and studying for the CFA exam.

Vision # 4: 3 years from now I will invest into a shack/condo close to NYC in New Jersey or Staten Island in order to move out of my parent’s house.
Actions Taken: I have begun investing into the stock market to increase the value of my savings. I have also done some preliminary research about locations and the housing market, and shared my idea with a friend willing to take part in this endeavor.

Vision # 5: 1 year from now I will enter and win the Baruch College Entrepreneurship Competition.
Actions Taken: To win the BCEC next year I’m presently learning from the mistakes I made during this year’s competition. My team and I has began work on a new concept and a new approach to captivate next year’s judges.

I was skeptical about expounding my goals for the future when I began writing this post. Now that I have finished, my 5 year “vision” is still hazy and incomplete. Nonetheless, the fact that I spent 20 minutes pondering over my long term goals has brought me a new kind of awareness. I’m conscious of the fact that I need a set of explicit long term goals to “make things happen!”