No sticky f loor in this burger den
Jo-Ann de Wet is the senior operations director at McDonald’s South Africa. She tells Margaret Harris that she wanted to be an air hostess when she was little, so the fact that her job involves travel and serving people is not too far removed from her chi
What was the first job you had at McDonald’s?
I started working at McDonald’s in 1995 as a trainee manager in Cape Town. I was primarily responsible for recruiting and training crew. What is your role with McDonald’s today?
I am the senior operations director, responsible for more than 99 company-owned restaurants. I am accountable for our operations excellence department to ensure that we are compliant and follow global standards.
I also lead the restaurant solutions group, which spearheads restaurant innovation. Lastly, I am responsible for national training at restaurant level. What do you love about working for McDonald’s?
I love the overlap in business and personal values and the fact that the company offers its employees education, experience and exposure. When you buy McDonald’s what is your favourite meal?
The cheeseburger deluxe meal with jalapeno sauce and orange juice because it’s light. As I’m in McDonald’s restaurants most of the time, it’s nice to have a light meal in between meetings. I also love our chai latte from McCafé. What is the one thing you would change about your job if you could?
McDonald’s is a customercentric brand and we need to remain relevant to the changing needs of our customers, so the one thing I strive to change is the rate at which we introduce noticeable change to our customers.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Growing up, I always wanted to become an air hostess so that I could serve people and, most importantly, I wanted to travel the world.
But in my role today, I do what I have always wanted to do — serve people, and I get to travel both nationally and internationally. What is the McDonald’s Women’s Leadership Network and what role do you play in it?
This is a body that was formed to recognise and create awareness of the contribution women make within our business.
I am the senior executive that supports, guides and serves as an advocate for initiatives that the local Women’s Leadership Network embarks on.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
When I reflect on my journey over the past 19 years, I realise that I was risk-averse when I began my career. I was in my comfort zone in Cape Town and for many years not willing to relocate to Johannesburg.
In time, I learnt to strive for work-life harmony versus work-life balance as a wife, mother of four sons and career woman, which I identified and labelled as my “sticky floor”.
Sticky floor?
The “glass ceiling” is made up of the restrictions imposed on aspiring individuals by others or the organisation. I have called self-imposed restrictions my “sticky floor” — they are driven by an individual’s fears and limitations.
When I discovered I was restricting myself, I realised I needed to find mentors I trusted. The mentors were my family, husband, peers and bosses and, through their guidance, I was able to navigate and overcome my “sticky floor”.
I have never stopped being curious, because that guards against complacency: it was important to move out of my area
of expertise and understand other aspects that affected the business. What mistakes have taught you your most important lessons?
There were times when I didn’t follow my gut. I’m very intuitive and I could recognise that certain strategies would not be effective.
But I found it difficult to verbalise or gain support for what I sensed, because I did not have the evidence, so I sometimes just kept quiet.
It took time and experience for me to be confident enough to use my intuition to influ- ence key decision makers. This now stands me in good stead in my current role.
One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt, and I encourage others to adopt the solution, is to frame challenges using a yes/how approach rather than a no/but approach.