I read an article recently about the principles on which McDonald’s was founded. HEY…I see you rolling your eyes! But just because we love to hate those ginormous global corporations doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from them – especially as we learn about the things that made them so successful in the very beginning. That is what struck me as interesting about the McDonald’s story. Paul Facella, a 34-year veteran of the organization, tells his story in Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s. He started with the company at age 16 flipping burgers and ended up as Regional Vice President of the New York Region.

Facella, who currently runs a highly successful consulting company, was personally mentored by the founder, Ray Kroc, and by subsequent CEOs. He has many interesting anecdotes but the crux of the matter for aspiring Challenger Brands who might have “world domination” as their ultimate goal will be his Seven Drivers of Success:

1. Honesty, integrity, and transparency

2. Relationships, trust and mutual respect

3. High standards and a never-be-satisfied culture

4. Values-driven lead