Burger King's slogan "have it your way" may be great when ordering a burger, but is it a good leadership approach?
If you haven't eaten a cheeseburger and you go to McDonald's, you will think it is the best cheeseburger in the world. I know, I know — if you are a cheeseburger lover you probably disagree that McDonald's is the best. Then, why does the person who has never had a cheeseburger think McDonald's is the best, yet for you it is not the best? It is because you have broader experience and the cheeseburger rookie has no other point of reference, so in his/her mind it must be the best. It is easy to confuse a single experience with being the best experience even when in reality we know this is not true.
The principle is that people limit themselves by their own experience and exposure. As a leader, like the "cheeseburger theory," you may think your leadership approach is the only and best way. But, don't let your leadership practice be limited by your past experience and concept of what the best is.
Have you ever noticed a leader who only had one way of doing things? When you probe you usually find that this is the way their leader led, so it becomes the way to lead. In other words, if it was good enough for then, it must be good enough for now. Unfortunately past experience does not make it the best or the only way to do something.
Passionate
So why do people eat cheeseburgers other than McDonald's? Someone had the courage to challenge the way things were done and convince others to try another cheeseburger.
It goes something like this…
I want you to try this amazing burger. But, for the rookie, when anyone mentions "cheeseburger," he/she immediately remembers the best (and only) one they have ever eaten. Even if you say, "You must try this cheeseburger [referencing one other than McDonald's], it is the best in the world," they will still think only of McDonald's. Then you repeat, "Oh, no, I mean the best!" They think you are crazy because they cannot picture any other cheeseburger.
You may passionately argue that there is a better cheeseburger than the one from McDonald's. But they will persist thinking otherwise until they finally give in and try this "so-called" best cheeseburger. Then you take him/her to Fatburger and through broader experience they realize that there is a better burger than their reference point.
It is exactly the same when it comes to becoming a better leader — once someone expands their locus of understanding and eats at Fatburger (or any other place) and realises it is better, their whole outlook changes. The realisation comes that the best is limited by experience and exposure. Therefore, if you are open to the idea that there may always be something better, you have a greater chance of improving as a leader.
Leadership approach
Can you imagine never eating a cheeseburger other than McDonald's? Would it be the best? Perhaps, it would be — but only to you. In the same way, your leadership approach may be limited by your exposure. What you need to do is to discover that there are other and most likely better approaches to leading.
The "Cheeseburger Theory" also applies to customer service, sales orientation, and a host of other workplace practices. Try something new today!
The writer is Vice-President of Leadership Solutions at Kenexa.
