Last week I attended a seminar at Point Loma Nazarene University given by the former President of Jack in the Box, at Jack Goodall.  He spoke about his career and service to the community while working at Jack in the Box.  Mr. Goodall joined Foodmaker, Inc. and over his 38-year career held positions such as Chairman, President, and the CEO. He also was the owner of the San Diego Padres and partnered with many non-profits in the San Diego community.  Here are some important takeaways from this amazing man.

Lessons from Jack In The Box Founder, Jack Goodall

Mr. Goodall faced many tough decisions throughout his 38-year career. One of which was the E. Coli breakout in 1993 that almost ruined his business. The crisis that he faced is very relevant to where our country is today given our current economic situation with bankruptcies, mortgage foreclosures and automobile recalls.  This is how Jack handled the E. Coli breakout that unfortunately ended with 3 deaths and 300 hospitalizations.  How can we apply Jack’s lessons to our current world?

1. Crisis

Jack said that with everything that happened during the crisis, it made Jack in the Box stronger in the end.  The company wouldn’t be where it is today without going through what it did in the 90’s.  Many of us have lost jobs, faced salary freezes and even had to fire employees through this crisis.  Things will get better, and we will be able to look back at this time in our lives and say that it helped us become better managers.

2.  Faith

What was the first thing Jack Goodall did when the crisis broke? He prayed!  How would our world change if the first thing the leaders of our country and companies did was pray before making tough decisions? 

3. Accountability

Mr. Goodall personally met with the three families who lost their loved ones in the E. Coli breakout at Jack in the Box. Did we see the CEO of Toyota reaching out to the families who lost loved ones in car crashes? Did we see the CEO’s of mortgage lenders and banks apologize for lending out money to families who they knew would never be able to pay their mortgage payments?  These are the important moments of leadership that no book or school will ever teach you. As a Manager, will you be the person who faces the difficult situation head on or will you delegate it to someone else?

4.  Decisions

When faced with a tough decision, Mr. Goodall believes that you always know what the right decision is. You know it right away.

5. Competition

Your competition isn’t who is around now; it’s who will be around in the next 5-10 years.

6. Humility

Jack began his career selling women’s shoes, and had a firm belief that if he could be successful selling women’s shoes, he could do anything! What have you done in your life that has been difficult and challenging? If you can do that, you can do anything.

7. Service

Service to your community is what really matters.

I hope you enjoy these takeaways as much as I did!  How are you serving your community?