McDonald's Gets a Clue

I’ve been writing about Mickey D a lot lately (mostly on my blog on forbes.com) – a good deal of it pretty crispy – so I thought something nicer might be in order. The company's done a few things right lately. 

In no particular order – although the order of how a big company turns itself is deeply relevant – they have elevated an HR pro to a top management position. Karen King, previously the company's chief people officer, will now work with restaurants and franchisees in the newly created role of "chief field officer." Imagine, having a leader of people who knows a lot about working with people.  Why is that so often considered progressive and even revolutionary?

Preceding this, McDonald's split their big American market into four more manageable chunks. Seems smart.

But the move that stopped me for a moment was the big announcement that they had hired a presidential spokesperson as communications director. Mind you, it was Obama’s guy, Robert Gibbs. At first I thought it felt like lipstick on a pig. A new, political, seller-in-chief. Then I realized that a person in the top public talking position needs to also be able to tell the boss the truth about a lot of things too, including how any big announcement is likely to be received. Then this move started to make some sense. 

So, a new focus on responsive leadership, smart and reflective communications, more manageable organizing structure and a host of initiatives aimed at reconfiguring methodologies and offerings across the board. Great. 

Now, all they need to do is change every single thing they sell. Get rid of the hideous toys and promotions and that idiot hipster Ronald. Make some decent food and sell it at fair prices. Oh, and pay employees a living wage.

And maybe fix the soiled acoustical ceiling tiles.