My Secret Life on the McJob: Lessons from Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Supersize Any Management Style

I read a review of this book in a newspaper and decided immediately that I had to have it. The author writes in an easy, conversational tone - in point of fact, I finished it in one weekend. Through his various part-time job descriptions at fast food restaurants you become acquainted with far-ranging management philosophies (especially the "toxic" managers), training programs (or lack thereof), and a greater appreciation for life behind the counter. Both my wife and I are much more tolerant of the mistakes made by people who hold these McJobs. And, yes, I would love to take a business management course from Dr. Newman!

It's a great book: intelligent and interesting, both professional and entertaining. I worked in Taco Bell for near a year before I entered my MBA program, will graduate in 2 months, just recently got a job in HR management. I'm going to buy more books to give to my friends in Taco Bell, in this MBA program, and my future Human Resource department co-workers.

In any measure of efficiency, managerial competency, process control, industrial engineering or just about any other criteria you care to measure, the fast food places have to rank near the top. If your new car doesn't work, you can take it back to the dealer and get it repaired. If your burger is bad (well it depends on just how bad) you could wind up killing someone. The idea of a McJob isn't something you would expect a Ph.D. Management expert to study from the bottom side up. You can bet that McD's has management experts studing from the top, but Jerry Newman got a series of jobs at different chains without notifying either the company or the local people and reports on what it is really like to work at the bottom. It's a beautiful book. He has an insight into people, management and a writing style that clearly explains what it's all about. Any McD's manager should read this; nd of course managers of all the other fast food places, no, managers at any other place. And when you are thinking of hiring someone, fast food experience just might be a good thing to look for in your own employees.

Dr. Newman could have just written about management by using his many years of experience in business. Instead, he decides to go undercover and study management styles in one of the lowest paying, well known industries: fast food. More importantly, he doesn't learn about fast-food management by becoming an assistant manager; instead, he applies for jobs that are at the bottom of the "food chain." Among many tasks, he uses the fryer, mops the floors, cooks burgers--all with his PhD in his back pocket and while listening to his various managers make both good and bad decisions. The way in which he gathers information is as refreshing as his writing. The book is both insightful and relatable, making it easy for the reader to understand how to improve their management skills.

This book offers an inside look at management practices in the fast food industry in a way we can all relate to. Dr. Newman draws us into his world by sharing from his own personal perspective as he learns to cope with working for minimum wage in a variety of fast food establishments under a wide range of conditions. His honesty concerning his own limitations and challenges is refreshing and makes it easy to relate to his experience. The writing style employed, rather than being a chronological narrative, explores key management principles drawing upon various personal experiences and observations to illustrate the author's opinion of whether or not a particular approach is effective. Although Dr. Newman avoids the "expose" approach, he does give us plenty of stories concerning particular individuals and situations that are both entertaining and enlightening, and they help us to identify with both workers and managers as they interact with one another. The value of this book lies in the author's objectivity and fairness in assessing each manager's strengths and weaknesses, and his ability to compare and contrast different management styles. Anyone involved in leading or managing people, especially those working in the capacity of management in the fast food industry, should consider this book required reading. It will help anyone to better understand how to motivate and inspire people at any level in any industry.