McDonald's new CEO asks for employees' help in leaked memo

It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks for McDonald's and its employees after CEO Steve Easterbrook was removed from the company on November 3 due to an investigation regarding an inappropriate relationship he had with a female employee.

Easterbrook was abruptly replaced by Chris Kempczinski, who was serving as president of McDonald’s USA.

A little over two weeks into his role, Kempczinski is already turning to his 'McFamily' for guidance and advice based on a memo sent to employees that has been obtained by AOL.

"In my conversations with many of you so far, I have been humbled by your encouragement and support. One thing has stood out to me from these interactions: the pride and passion that all three legs of the stool feel toward our business, our brand and our values," Kempczinski wrote, "In my view, McDonald's can be the best example of opportunity and empowerment in the world, bar none."

His memo went on to thank the McDonald's employees globally before explaining that he had been meeting with Senior Leadership and Managing Directors in order to develop the best strategy for the company moving forward:

"Last week, I met with your Senior Leadership Team and Managing Directors from our largest markets around the globe to sharpen our execution plans for 2020. It reaffirmed my confidence in the leadership we have, in the relevance and strength of the Velocity Growth Plan, and our shared belief that we are on the right path as we enter a new year."

Kempczinski continued:

"So, as I start this journey as your CEO, I'd like to hear from you. Some of that will come in my upcoming visits and touchpoints where I'll get the chance to hear what's on your mind—but for those I won't get to right away and for those with whom I haven't yet spoken, here's my invitation."

Read the full letter to McDonald's employees below:

Dear Global McFamily,

In my conversations with many of you so far, I have been humbled by your encouragement and support. One thing has stood out to me from these interactions: the pride and passion that all three legs of the stool feel toward our business, our brand and our values. In my view, McDonald's can be the best example of opportunity and empowerment in the world, bar none.

The number of lives we touch would be beyond the imagination of even Ray and Fred, yet the attributes that define McDonald's today would be all too familiar. It would have been the boldest of dreams to hope that McDonald's would serve more than 65 million customers every day in over 100 countries, in nearly every language spoken on the planet. And yet it would be so familiar to know our people are as committed as ever to serving our customers, that our brand continues to be a beacon of fun, family and accessibility, and that opportunity and empowerment remain the bedrock values of our System. Through change, McDonald's moves on, seamlessly—and that's because of its people. So, for that, I want to say thank you.

Last week, I met with your Senior Leadership Team and Managing Directors from our largest markets around the globe to sharpen our execution plans for 2020. It reaffirmed my confidence in the leadership we have, in the relevance and strength of the Velocity Growth Plan, and our shared belief that we are on the right path as we enter a new year.

Change also brings opportunities for discussion, introspection and, ultimately, renewal. So, as I start this journey as your CEO, I'd like to hear from you. Some of that will come in my upcoming visits and touchpoints where I'll get the chance to hear what's on your mind—but for those I won't get to right away and for those with whom I haven't yet spoken, here's my invitation. Between now and year-end, share something that makes you proud to be part of McDonald's and something I could do as CEO to make you even prouder. I'll gather the feedback and share some of what I've heard in January. In the meantime, I'm very grateful for all that you do for McDonald's to help continue our legacy

Onward,

Chris