When the second choice turns out to be better than the first
Even though Dan Falokun — a member of McDonald’s early-career Rotational Program—did not get his preferred placement for his final rotation, he decided to learn as much as he could, and ended up loving his assignment.
by Pam Dorn, Manager, Strategic Alignment & Communications
When asked what the reaction was of his family when they learned he works for McDonald’s, Dan Falokun said his favorite parts were the questions that followed: “When is the McRib coming back?” and “do you get free Happy Meal toys?” Their first thought was that he would be working in the restaurant.
“They didn’t know about McDonald’s leading-edge technology department,” Dan said. “But whether crew or developer, we’re all working toward the same goal — creating a positive experience for our customers.”
Dan is part of McDonald’s Global Technology Rotational Program, a two-year program that gives recent college grads an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the technology organization, moving through three different roles in eight-month increments.
Dan started in the program in June 2021, completing his first rotation on the Global Data Team. When it was time to think about what was next, program participants ranked their top assignment choices, which for Dan was a project management position in Singapore.
When the assignments were announced a few weeks later, he found out that he wouldn’t be going to Singapore but would instead be taking on a completely new role on the U.S. Technology team.
Understanding the assignment
While Dan was initially disappointed that he didn’t get the role in Singapore, he took the decision in stride, and met with the two technology vice presidents overseeing his assignment to learn more about what he’d be working on for the next eight months.
Dan would be taking on a high-priority and time-sensitive project. When a McDonald’s Owner/Operator is ready to move on from their restaurant(s), there are several actions that need to occur from an operational and technology standpoint. At the time, there was no clear, standard process in how these actions occurred, which could be confusing for the current and new Owner/Operators.
Dan was charged with taking the lead on assessing the current end-to-end process.
At first glance, he realized what a huge undertaking this was — but also the great opportunity it presented. The process involved multiple global teams, departments, and providers across the entire McDonald’s System. This assignment would give him exposure to many of McDonald’s senior leaders, as well as provide a breadth of knowledge about the company.
Diving in
Right off the bat, Dan saw how complex the process was.
“It was a big beast, and I had my work cut out for me” Dan said.
As part of his assessment, Dan did stakeholder interviews with Owner/Operators to technology teams to senior leaders to understand how each person contributed to the process and document it.
One of the biggest surprises he discovered was the scale of this process, and how it touches so many parts of the business — from supply chain to technology to all teams involved and how imperative it is that it goes smoothly.
After many months, with the interviews and his assessment complete, it was time for Dan to tell the story and propose process improvements. He drafted out swim lanes and built a massive process diagram, showing the dozens of administrative steps involved in changing restaurant owners. He also illustrated the need for coordination, showing that the process had more than 20 teams involved and that the Owner/Operators, in many instances, do a lot of the transition steps on their own.
By the end of his rotation, Dan became a subject matter expert on the process. Senior leaders looked to him for guidance and to gain his thoughts on next steps.
The next chapter
While Dan has moved on to his final assignment with McDonald’s Global Engineering team, he still acts in an advisory role on the process.
“One of the most rewarding parts of that rotation was the knowledge I gained about the business. I now know what it takes to build and sell a restaurant, as well the steps from construction to technology activation,” he said.
Recalling this experience was bittersweet for Dan, as his current and final rotation is nearing its end. He recently recounted a story back from 2021 when he initially received his McDonald’s job offer. On his way to the airport after multiple rounds of interviews at McDonald’s Global Headquarters in Chicago, he was weighing his options. As he looked out the window, he passed by four different McDonald’s restaurants. He knew it was a sign that he should take the offer.
“Hindsight being 20/20, the chance that I passed by a couple McDonald’s on the way back to the airport was likely pretty high, but at the time, I took it as both a literal and metaphorical sign.”
Now, as he looks to his post-Rotational assignment, he’s open to all possibilities — and is watching out for signs — and is excited for what’s to come next.
