Lessons from a McDonalds Drive-Thru

I took my dog to the vet this morning and found myself in the McDonalds drive-thru to get something to drink.

As I pulled up to the order board, I received a warm greeting and a friendly voice. This may not sound especially extraordinary….except that it is.

Fast food drive-thru’s are not the types of places where you expect to be greeted warmly, but this girl genuinely made me smile.

I pulled up to the window and she immediately started a conversation with me about my dog sitting in the passenger seat. I told her that I appreciated her kindness when I was ordering and her face lit up. This is what she said:

“Why NOT be happy? I like to talk to people and I like my job. I want to make people happy. There’s no point in complaining, when you can just be happy!”

I agreed with her, thanked her and wished her a great weekend.

She was remarkable.

I have encountered remarkable people working in unremarkable jobs and I have encountered unremarkable people working in remarkable jobs. Both are an interesting study in psychology.

Many years ago I was working at a large chain bookstore. It had always been on my bucket list to work at a bookstore. I love books and people who read them and I loved going there every day.

Not everyone felt the same.

There were days when I would come in and books that needed to be re-shelved were piled up on a cart. When I asked one of my co-workers why they stood around instead of shelving the books, they said, “they don’t pay me enough.”

Huh?

They offered you a position, provided you with an hourly rate, and you accepted it. If you didn’t like the job or the wage, then you shouldn’t have accepted the position.

I understand that not all hourly workers have an interest in making $8 an hour and giving 110%, but I think it’s in their best interest to do so. It’s also good business.

The girl at the drive-thru left a mark on my memory. That makes me think positively about that particular McDonalds and next time I’m in that area, I will be more inclined to stop by again.

This is a great formula for any business.

If you are a business: these are the types of employees that can move your business forward. Hire them. Praise them. Reward them. Make sure they love working for you. Keep them. Promote them.

If you are an employee: be this person. This is the who moves forward in life. It may be at the company you are at or it may be at a new one, but people notice you.

A kind spirit is good for business, regardless of which side you are on.

Now please drive around.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash