From Fry Chef to COO
McDonald's Janice Fields says focusing on her job,
not obstacles, paved her way to success.
by Sally Deneen
At 23, Jan Fields - a military wife with a child and no college degree - made a fateful stop. Early for an interview for a secretarial job, she stepped inside a McDonald's for a beverage. She noticed a sign: McDonald's was hiring. She liked the idea of working flexible hours. She applied immediately, got the job, skipped the secretary's interview and spent her first day making french fries.
"I went home that night and cried," Fields says. "I said, 'I don't think I can do it. It's too hard. They have too many rules for french fries.' I now understand why they taste so good."
Fields stuck it out, returning the next night to that McDonald's in Dayton, Ohio, to fill in at the front counter. There she got a chance to chat with customers and realized she loved the work.
Today, some three decades later, Fields has worked her way up from fry chef to be the first female chief operating officer of McDonald's USA. As COO and executive vice president, she oversees more than 800,000 employees at more than 13,700 restaurants, and at a time when the chain is rolling out its most ambitious addition in years - adding a broad beverage lineup, including espresso, sweet tea, smoothies and bottled soft drinks.
Fortune calls her one of the 50 most powerful women in business. Forbes ranked her among the world's 100 most powerful women, period. Fields describes herself as "amazed" by how far she's come.
"I never thought that I would be here," says straight-talker Fields, 53, who lives in the Chicago area with her husband and serves on the boards of Monsanto Company, United Cerebral Palsy and the Chicago Urban League. "It was kind of an interesting beginning, but one I am certainly proud of and love to share with people because I think there are certain stigmas attached to certain jobs or entry-level positions and the notion of minimum-wage or 'dead-end' things. At least at McDonald's it certainly isn't true."
Forty percent of top management at McDonald's, including CEO Jim Skinner, started out flipping burgers or filling other crew roles at the seemingly ubiquitous restaurants. What McDonald's defines as career workers - those staying three years or longer - account for 354,000 of its jobs. But in 2007, Crain's Chicago Business called Fields one of 25 women to watch because if she succeeds at keeping sales growing, "she could be the strongest female contender yet for McDonald's CEO spot."
Fields is always mindful of how she started out, and treats everyone within the company with equal respect. "I think that they, in turn, will do anything for you." She also realizes she still can learn from others, no matter their position or their age. She regularly solicits advice and input from front line staff at a McDonald's restaurant next to her corporate office.
After starting in a part-time position, Fields moved quickly to full time, from making fries to filling almost every restaurant-level position. She managed a restaurant for more than two years in Dayton. She moved up, managed multiple restaurants and went into supervision. A few years ago, her job as president of McDonald's Central Division entailed visiting fast-food eateries in almost half of the United States to ensure quality service. She kept a stopwatch in the car (and still does) to time drive-through lines to make sure they're consistently moving. "It isn't necessarily about the time, per se," she says. "It's how you might be feeling sitting in your car. So if somebody isn't moving, their perception could be it's 10 minutes, when it might have only been two."
At each position along the way, Fields clung to her philosophy: Stay focused on the current job and don't worry about promotions. "If you really focus on your existing job, and do it the best you can and do it better than anybody else, your next position will come a lot easier," she says. "You will be recognised and, in McDonald's, you will be rewarded. My career success has been based on doing every job that I've done exceptionally well and not worrying about the next job."
Now one of six executive vice presidents, Fields says she never wasted time thinking about limitations or obstacles. Growing up with five brothers helped foster a can-do spirit. "In McDonald's, we're all competitive - man or woman. I obviously spent more time focusing on my job than I did on those obstacles," she says.
"You know, I've never let things get in my way and get sidetracked. One other philosophy I've always had: Never quit over one person or one thing, and I tell that in speeches all the time," she says. "Stay focused on the job you have, not on all the peripheral things going on around you. I think it's served me well."
She also makes sure credit is shared for any progress, claiming every effort is broad-based and results from input from many staffers, as well as customers. So while Forbes wrote "Big Mac's sales have been up since Fields was made chief operating officer in 2006," and she "championed the idea of serving specialty coffee," Fields refuses to look at these things as her accomplishments.
Along with the hard work over the years, Fields has had fun. She keeps a quote from poet E.E. Cummings in a silver frame on her desk. It reads: "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." She heeds the advice. "I laugh a lot, and I smile a lot and I think it puts everyone around you in that mood," she says.
"Whatever behaviors the boss has, people tend to emulate."Fields says she is happy about the way her life has turned out. "I still feel like I have an awful lot to offer, both in McDonald's and outside," she says. Her volunteer efforts including chairing the board of advisors for Catalyst, a New-York based women's organization primarily focused on research. "I am very committed to how we give back," she says. "Given the abundance of success and good fortune that I've had, I'm a believer in giving back."
Looking back at her career, she likens it to building a house. She got a strong foundation because she spent a lot of time in the restaurants, so she truly understands the core business.
"I would tell everyone that I believe you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to do, but just do it a step at a time," she says. "People have to recognize that the road is long and far, and you're not going to get there overnight. A lot of young people today want to start at the top. It just doesn't work that way. The skills that you learn as you're going through at lower levels are what make you successful when you do get to the top."
