Inspiring Conversations: Transforming Lives and Lives Transformed – Leadership Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Inspiring Conversations Series featured a discussion about leadership with guest speaker John Ebert ’82, the president of J.W. Ebert Corporation which owns and operates 40 McDonald’s. This virtual event was led by Chris Stevens, the co-founding director of the Inspired Leadership Initiative. Through this discussion, Ebert spoke about the importance of enjoying your job, giving back to the community, and building relationships within your team and beyond.

In the beginning of the discussion, Ebert spoke about his journey. From his love for triathlons and exercise to the importance of his family, Ebert had come to realize that he “win[s] with people.” He spoke about his affiliation with three great brands over the course of his lifetime: the University of Notre Dame, Ernst and Young, and McDonald’s. Through his education and career, he learned the power of positive thinking. Positive thinking gave him the correct mindset in order to excel at whatever he set his mind to, whether that would be playing a game of baseball, working for excellent clients at Ernst and Young, or leading a team at McDonald’s.

Ebert described his transition to McDonald’s from Ernst and Young, a decision that was filled with risk and uncertainty. Studying at McDonald’s Hamburger University was a two-thousand hour commitment with no guarantee, with a $200,000 down payment. There, he was willing to expand beyond his comfort zone, learning about the extensive business world of McDonald’s. Eventually, he earned his degree. After seven to eight years, he owned five stores. 

In the next topic of conversation, Ebert touched on the numerous ways in which he helps both his team and his community outside of running the business. For example, he started the Furby Leadership Learning (named after the extremely popular Furby Happy Meal),where he taught his employees how to engage in business and foster strong leadership skills. Additionally, he established an incredibly successful ACT prep class that has led to a number of students earning scholarships and a baseball clinic teaching ten to eleven-year olds baseball skills. Next, Ebert described a few of the most inspiring people he has encountered. One of these people was Sharri, whom he described as the “million-dollar employee.” He explained that she was beloved in the community and treated everyone with kindness; describing her as family, he makes a visible effort to take care of her and provide her with safety and joy. Now, Ebert leads forty stores in-total. He explains that his growth and success is contributed to good habits, a consistency of effort, building efficient teams, valuing others, and creating an atmosphere with a high level of trust.

In the Q&A portion of the virtual event, Ebert answered a wide range of questions, touching on topics such as running businesses amidst a pandemic and the importance of family throughout his career. As a result of COVID-19, his stores’ business declined; additionally, his employees were fearful. So, Ebert made sure to give them bonus pay and aid them financially. In regards to the physical stores, he made sure to implement all of the safety measures, including plexiglass, social distancing, and the immediate shutdown of a store once an employee tested positive. The primary ways in which COVID-19 impacted his business was 1) It increased communication within his businesses, 2) It increased the precautionary measures in order to keep employees and customers safe, and 3) It increased communication between the McDonald’s corporation and its stores. In regards to his family, he described the constant presence of family throughout his career. He lived with his family when he moved from Dallas to Bridgeport. He worked with his father every day at work, and his sister eventually owned a few McDonald’s stores herself.

At the end of the discussion, Ebert concluded with the closing advice to be kind: You must be kind with your customers and your crew. Additionally, he closed the discussion by complimenting and explaining the leadership style of Chris Stevens, naming the style “He is there for you” and showing appreciation for all of his efforts and care.

Visit the event page for more.