...the next thing (2 of 5)...

Retirement...it ROCKS!! I answered "What I'm glad I did" in my previous post. The next question is

"WHAT DO I MISS MOST ABOUT HAVING A JOB?"

The Paycheck - I've been getting one from Micky D's since I was earning $1.65 per hour. There is a little rush when you're given that window envelope with your name on it. (That's explains what I didn't like about direct deposit). No matter how much you have, that paycheck always feels good.

The People - You spend over a third of your life with your work friends and there were a lot of great ones under the arches. Facebook has helped me stay current to many people. I still lunch with several of my comrades that strapped on spatulas in the burger wars. Community is probably more important than we know.

The Benefits - All jobs come with different benefits and McDs had some of the best. Things like a company car, laptop, cell phone were some of the basics I took for granted. Attending seminars, classes and benchmarking visits helped keep me from getting stale. I'm finding the real value of health insurance and do miss the company picking-up 90% of the cost. I've been able to stay connected to the McDonald's insurance as a retiree, so I won't be looking for a "second hand needle discount" any time soon.


Travel - I don't spend much time in cabins of United 777s anymore. International travel always came with some level of excitement, though that would wear off as jet lag, fatigue and bad air took it's course. Trips to Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Hong Kong, etc peppered my last year with the company. I'm glad I did it, and equally glad that now it's strictly done with Sue for pleasure (though I don't think I'll be purchasing a Business class ticket anytime soon).

The Innovation Center - My last 6 years with the company had me squirreled away at the Innovation Center in Romeoville (a 30 minute drive from our Oak Brook headquarters). The "lab" as we called it is sort of a "Skunk Works" (Lockheed Martin) for the McDonald's operating system. The facility is in a huge warehouse and brags 3 full sized, flexible kitchens that can be positioned to reflect any McDs kitchen in the world. Test equipment, time & motion studies and concepts made of Foam Core were also used to simulate early designs. Every day was an adventure!

Fun Factor - Patrick interned at the Innovation Center last summer and would comment on how many activities they would do. Nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to remind us of what we take for granted. There is a fine line between being creative and being crazy. We caused our share of raised eyebrows with some of the weird stuff we did. Ping pong, the "hot sauce in the straw" prank, BBQs, half day Fridays during the summer, omelet bar mornings and movie afternoons were just some of the things that kept things light. Oh yeah, can't forget the Thumbs-up cards with AMEX gift card drawing or raising money to build 10 water wells in Africa. We even managed to squeeze in some cutting edge innovations!!

Developing People - There is something really satisfying about leading individuals to succeed as a team. As a boss, growing the future leaders of the company is a humbling, extremely serious responsibility. It's not the same as raising kids, but carries some of the similar ups and downs. It's rewarding seeing the smiles of a group of people who are happy working for a common goal.

I've been so blessed to step into the role as Vision Coordinator at Good Shepherd Church in Naperville. It's allowed me to build new relationships, contribute toward building a High Performing Team and utilize many of the skills McDonald's spent 35 years honing. Any withdrawals from my happiness account caused by me retiring have been deposited 2 to 3 fold as I focus my efforts for a cause that I would die for.(sounds a little dramatic, doesn't it?).


My next post will be on "What would I have done differently?"