For any organization to succeed, it must have strong and able leadership. It is for this reason that an increasing number of organizations are investing in leadership development. These organizations are equipping their employees and leaders with the skills that they need to address the challenges faced in the modern business environment (Barling, 2014). McDonald’s is among the firms that have demonstrated their commitment to leadership development. The stores that the company operates serve as the first workplace for many. The company wishes to provide its employees with a path to career advancement and exposure to the work environment (Anderson & Adams, 2015). In this paper, a leadership training program that McDonalds implemented is examined with the aim of identifying the group behavioral and communication issues that firms which recruit employees for their first job face.
Obtaining feedback and communicating results to the employees is one of the issues that companies hiring employees for their first job are confronted with. After rolling out the Global Shared Services (GSS) program, McDonalds began encountering difficulties in its efforts to engage with the employees (Anderson & Adams, 2015). It can be assumed that this challenge is faced by all companies that hire individuals for their first job. Since it is their first job, these individuals do not understand what is expected of them. Companies need to proceed with caution when engaging with such employees. This is because the employees are rather delicate and inexperienced and any experiences that they undergo could leave a lasting impression. Companies whose employees have never held another job before also face challenges when communicating results. This can be blamed on the fact that the employees are inexperienced and unfamiliar with communication processes.
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Those responsible for implementing the GSS program at McDonalds understood the need for transparency and openness. They ensured that the employees could engage openly with the leaders (Anderson & Adams, 2015). They also saw to it that they had earned the trust and confidence of the employees. The GSS program was characterized by a culture of openness, trust and effective communication. This fact offers insights into yet another issue that firms that hire employees for their first jobs deal with. Poor communication, mistrust and opaque processes are an issue that these companies are confronted with. Since they are unfamiliar with the processes and operations of their organizations, the fresh employees are unable to communicate effectively. They also struggle in their efforts to trust their superiors and colleagues (Hill, 2013). It is important for firms that hire individuals who have never held other jobs to promote openness and trust. McDonalds encourage open communication and sought to build trust and the firm registered success in its GSS program. The success that the company witnessed highlights the importance of trust and effective communication.
When one begins work at their first job, they are usually anxious owing to their inexperience. Employers need to adopt make their fresh employees feel comfortable. As it implemented the GSS program, McDonalds established a mentorship program. Through this program, the employees were able to learn from one another (Anderson & Adams, 2015). The mentorship program is indication that companies which hire employees for their first job grapple with the challenge of anxiety and inexperience among the employees. Companies need to follow the example of McDonalds by encouraging the employees to open up to one another. Since the employees understand the struggles that their colleagues grapple with, they are best placed to help. All companies, not just those like McDonalds which hire individuals for their first jobs, need to ensure that their employees are comfortable and adjust well to the conditions at their workplace. This goes a long way in promoting productivity and trust.
When one asks an employer to describe the behavior of employees who are on their first job, one is likely to be told that these employees are timid and somewhat shy. This is true for McDonalds. As the company rolled out the GSS program, it was noted that the employees could not find the confidence to showcase their strengths and opportunities (Anderson & Adams, 2015). The employees feared that the environment would not support their strengths or provide opportunities for growth. To address this issue, McDonalds moved to assure the employees that its work environment is one that encourages its employees to explore their gifts and showcase their strengths (Anderson & Adams, 2015). The company also enhanced the work environment in a bid to support the employees. The measures that the company instituted clearly indicate that companies who hire employees for the first time deal with the challenge of encouraging employees to emerge from their shells. These companies are forced to convince their employees that they fully support their strengths and their unique identities. One of the factors that facilitated the effectiveness of the GSS program was the decision by McDonalds to fully support its employees and leaders. Companies that desire for their leadership development programs to be effective need to adopt the measures that McDonalds implemented.
In conclusion, the modern business world is in desperate need of effective leadership. There are many companies that have stagnated and many more that are witnessing a decline as a result of ineffective and poor leadership. McDonalds offers hope to these companies. The company recognized the need to develop the leadership capabilities of its employees. Through the GSS program, McDonalds implemented a number of measures that included promoting openness to encouraging its employees to emerge out of their shells. The GSS program is a text book example of initiatives that deliver results. Firms which wish to achieve the level of success that McDonalds witnessed need to draw inspiration from McDonald’s GSS program.
References
Anderson, R. J., & Adams, W. A. (2015). Chapter 7. The Leadership System. The Central Organizing System. In Mastering Leadership: An Integrated Framework for Breakthrough Performance and Extraordinary Business Results. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Barling, J. (2014). The Science of Leadership: Lessons from Research for Organizational Leaders. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hill, R. (2013). Common Management Challenges and how to Deal with them. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.
