Article
McDonald's top manager succeeds by focusing on people
Norma Hernandez was named one of 141 of the company's best managers this year. Here's a look at how she got there.
May 20, 2010
*Click hereto view a slideshow of Norma Hernandez at her Crestwood, Ky., store
With a ready smile and welcoming demeanor, Norma Hernandez exemplifies McDonald's slogan "I'm lovin' it." The McDonald's general manager loves the company and her job, having worked her way up from crew member to running a store in just six years.
Now in her ninth year with the company and beginning her third as a GM, she is one of 141 managers to receive the coveted Ray Kroc Award.
Each year, the company recognizes the top 1 percent of its managers with the award, which was created in memory of McDonald's founder, Ray Kroc. The award acknowledges those managers who deliver superior results in selected areas of performance and operational excellence, reinforcing McDonald's commitment to people and building the business.
Hernandez stands out by how quickly she achieved the honor — and by other award winners surrounding her. She was assistant manager under 2006 Ray Kroc Award winner Ron Duncan, both of whom work for owner/operator Frank Ward, winner of a Golden Arch Award last year. Similar to the Ray Kroc honor, the Golden Arch Award goes to the top 1 percent of McDonald's franchisees. Another GM in Ward's system, Laquida Crittenden, was a 2008 Ray Kroc recipient.
While proud of the honor, Hernandez doesn't seem to think she's done much out of the ordinary to achieve it. She simply follows the McDonald's Plan to Win playbook and works to achieve the goals set for her by Ward.
But her achievements are noteworthy, beginning from her advancing from assistant manager to GM of a new store. After her first year, her location was named an Outstanding Store for the region, an honor that goes to the top 10 percent of those stores. For each of the last two years, her store has increased sales 10 percent. Even more notable, she has retained 33 of the store's original crew, with an overall turnover rate of less than 25 percent.
It's with her crew that Hernandez shines, as she jokes and works side by side with them. In the dining room, she easily greets regular and new customers alike.
"I'm a people person," she said. "I always put people first."
And she takes pride in her crew's achieving the goals she sets for them. "I think it's great when (I'm) able to coach and train somebody and develop that person and they get results," she said. "That's why we've achieved the results we have for the last two years."
Success begins at the interview
Hernandez looks for goal-oriented employees from the beginning of the hiring process. Then she ensures they complete McDonald's training process and continues to follow up to make sure they've learned the necessary operations.
Her ultimate goal is to become an owner/operator herself, and she encourages her crew to think that high as well. "I always tell them, you can go as far as you want to get," she said.
Hernandez has trained several of her crew members to move on to assistant manager in one of Ward's six other stores, making her a valuable resource.
"She's more of a people pump for our organization," Ward said. "She has a unique ability because she spends a lot of time coaching and paying attention to her people."
Ward said he recognized that quality and more in her when he promoted her to general manager. He also noted she is target oriented, profit conscious and ultimately "passionate about the business." That's why he feels confident in setting high goals for her and her store.
Like all operators, he wants his stores to succeed. It's his goal to be one of the best operators — if not the best — in the region each year. Having managers like Hernandez who also take up that mantra helps him achieve that goal.
"I'm very lucky because my people make me look very good," he said. "They make me look better than I probably am."
Missy Carey, McDonald's area supervisor for the Louisville, Ky., market, said Ward is more than lucky. He understands just what each of his managers is capable of and sets goals for them accordingly.
For example, Ward understands that he can set higher goals for Hernandez and her store because he knows she can reach them, Carey said.
"Therefore, he gets the best from people that they have to offer," she said.
*The Louisville, Ky., market had a second Ray Kroc Award recipient this year, John Donahue, GM of McDonald's in Elizabethtown, Ky.
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