March 4, 2025 • 31 mins
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On this episode, Shirley Rogers-Reece, a seasoned leader with a wealth of experience accrued over 34 years in the McDonald's Corporation. Her unique insights into corporate culture, mentorship, and the power of legacy are invaluable. Shirley shares about her remarkable path—from working her way up through the ranks in the U.S. to becoming a pivotal force in expanding McDonald's operations in Indonesia.
Shirley recounts her family's encouragement to pursue bold career opportunities, including her transition to managing multiple restaurants overseas. Hear her touching stories about the lessons learned through her son’s initial struggles with the move and how a simple meal at McDonald's changed everything for him. These anecdotes reflect her belief that success isn't just about business outcomes—it's about nurturing relationships and overcoming adversity as a family.
Throughout the conversation, Shirley emphasizes the importance of developing skills that prepare the next generation for a bright future. She shares practical advice on financial literacy and the significance of building wealth sustainably. Shirley's mantra that "success is a journey always under construction" will resonate with anyone striving for personal growth and community impact.
Listening to her journey not only inspires us to value mentorship and community service but also encourages us to define our legacies through the lives we touch and the support we give each other. Join us in discovering how to balance professional aspirations with personal commitments, all while lifting others as we rise.
Be sure to tune in and share your thoughts! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review to help spread the wisdom and inspiration from Shirley’s incredible story.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When I came back, my husband said what do you think?
I said, are you ready to moveto Indonesia?
And our son at the time he wasseven and he just said you know,
he was like I don't have adecision in this and we both
looked at him and saidabsolutely not, we're going.
When we first got there thesecond day, my son was so
depressed, just really hecouldn't believe we had done
(00:20):
this.
So I told my driver take us allto McDonald's.
And we went to McDonald's andmy son can eat he loves Big Macs
so he had a couple of Big Macsand fries and some shakes and he
said I think we could do thisand that was kind of the change
that he needed.
But I remember the conversationbecause my son said mom, what
(00:41):
happens if you don't succeedhere?
And I explained to him thatfailure is not an option.
This is an opportunity for usto really show what we're
capable of doing.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Welcome to Be A Baller podcast where we're
building a lifelong legacy.
Today we have an exceptionalguest, shirley Rogers-Reese, who
brings over 34 years ofexperience in corporate and
owner-operated levels withinMcDonald's Corporation.
We'll explore how she leveledher expertise to build a lasting
legacy.
Shirley, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Tim, thank you so much for having me.
I just feel honored.
I know what kind of guests youhave and I feel like I'm just
blessed to be a part of thatportfolio of folks that you've
interviewed.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Well, I appreciate your time and I'm just so
excited to really really learnabout you.
I've seen you, I know some ofthe things, but I want to know
where did this Abbott sportscome from?
You know, did you grow upplaying sports?
And I know you're a big Buckeyefan and all that when did that
love for sports come from?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
so, um, my dad was an only child and he wanted five
kids, but he really wanted fiveboys okay and he got three girls
and two boys, and so my olderbrother would played every sport
and I was his.
I had to play with him so mybrother was playing football and
he said I'm gonna throw tothrow the ball 50 yards cut to
the right and you catch it.
(02:03):
I caught it.
Or if we're playing basketball,my brother would say, okay,
it's me and you against them.
You know what to do because wepracticed it in the backyard.
So that's what got me intosports.
My brother, my dad, my fatherthrew us in the swim pool.
Neither one of us knew how toswim and he said but I know
(02:24):
you'll do it.
We dog paddled till we made itto the side.
He said okay, now I'm going toteach you how to swim.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Wow, that's a great story.
That's a great story.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Part of life.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, yeah.
Talk about these Buckeyes.
I know you got the OHIO.
You showed me a picture.
You were out at the Rose Bowland all that.
How was that Buckeyes?
How has it been following theBuckeyes?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
You know it's been a journey and I will tell you that
, having worked in Ohio and beena part of what happens at Ohio
State, really my team and mystaff, it's been great.
It's been really great.
I got a chance to really get toknow Thad Motta when he was
here.
I know Jim Trussell and EllenTrussell very well and I know
(03:05):
the coaches.
So you know you get a chanceUrban and Cheryl, you got a
chance to really interact withthem and spend time with them
and get to know them and I thinkthat kind of has heightened my
interest in Ohio State sports.
But I'd also say we got threegenerations of Buckeyes in my
family.
You know, my husband went tothe School of Law, my daughter
(03:25):
graduated from there with adegree in communications and my
granddaughter is a senior in theSchool of Honors speaking
Japanese, and she just came backfrom a year in Japan.
So we have a deep investment inOhio State, whether it's
education or it's sports.
Right, we have invested.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
You got a lot of investment there.
I know you had this love forbasketball as well this
McDonald's All-American game,the experiences I know you
worked on that for a while.
You also brought one of thegames here in Columbus.
Can you talk about how thatworked out for you?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Well, it's interesting.
You know, we did the game whenLeBron graduated from high
school in Cleveland.
We were responsible, and so myVP was.
He was in charge of it, but hesaid told me, you take it and
you run with it.
And what you have is a lot ofcorporate people doing all the
behind the scenes work, but theface of the game becomes the the
region or the state that it'sin.
(04:23):
So when LeBron was graduatingfrom high school, I got a chance
to interact with him.
His mom understand theoperations of what went on in
the stadium there, got to knowthe people and really our
responsibility was make sure wesold out the stadium and ensure
(04:43):
that the players were taken careof.
My security I get you of mysecurity was always there.
They were with the players.
There's things that couldn'thappen.
Everybody was going to betreated the same.
We know that in some of theother tournaments, like the
Adidas one and the Reeboks one,parents can come in and say well
, we want our kids to have thisat McDonald's.
(05:04):
Everybody was equal.
Lebron came to me and he saidhey, I got a test on this day.
I said I'll have a car waitingfor you and a driver take you to
your test and then bring youback to practice, and that was
how we managed every singleplayer that was there.
(05:25):
So I got a chance to interactwith them and really, you know,
at that time LeBron was reallygood friends with Shaq.
He had a Hummer that was parkedoutside the hotel.
I had to put my arm around himand say young man, you got to
take the Hummer home.
Tell somebody to take it homebecause it can't be here.
But so just throughout thewhole process, you get to be
around these kids and then mostof them are great, great kids
and they have really, reallytheir parents.
And you know, at that time,when he was coming up, they
(05:47):
didn't have the NIL and allthese transfer portal and all
these things.
They just had people makingsure that kids were OK and they
got showcased at the McDonald'sAll-American game and the money
that comes from the game.
I think it's important forpeople to understand.
It's about taking care of theRonald House.
It's about our charities.
It wasn't just about abasketball game.
(06:08):
And what these kids do.
They went to Children'sHospital.
They got a chance to interactwith really and understand why
we do what we do.
And McDonald's doesn't justsell hamburgers.
It's about people.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
For me, that's awesome, you know, speaking of
McDonald's, 34 years.
How did you begin?
How did your career start atMcDonald's?
Take us back restaurant.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Most people don't know that, and so I knew a
little bit about taking care ofpeople, treating how to treat
(06:51):
people.
You know the things that needto really make them feel special
when they come inside.
So I was real successful at TWAand then I wanted to.
My dad told me to get a realjob.
I'm just going to come clean.
He thought that was not a realjob.
I was traveling all over theworld and hanging out and, you
know, just having a great time.
And he said, a real job.
So one of my best friends thatI grew up with was a director in
(07:14):
human resources for McDonald'sand my brother-in-law worked for
IBM and I had an interview,with three interviews with IBM,
an interview with Xerox, andthen I went out to lunch with my
dear friend that worked forMcDonald's.
She and her boss and I had readthis book.
It was called Grounding it Outand it was by Ray Kroc and Ray
(07:36):
Kroc was the founder ofMcDonald's.
And so we were having lunch andjust talking and her boss was
trying to frame out for mehere's how our programs work,
here's how we hire people intothe organization.
And I started asking them a lotof questions and a lot of my
questions came out of the bookthe book wow, and I read and
they were asking me where did Iget all this information?
(07:58):
I said, well, I read this bookcalled Grinding it Out, wow, and
it was by Ray Kroc and the restof it just took on a life of
his own.
They hired me and I was in anexecutive fast track program and
that really got me started intoMcDonald's.
And people you know say did yousell hamburgers?
I said I did, absolutely.
Knew how to make them knew.
You know and you know, having abackground because my dad owned
(08:21):
a restaurant I had I was reallyinterested in what went on in
the back in the kitchen and howwe got product in and who we got
it from, and just really aneducation.
And I'm like a sponge.
I want to know more thananybody who thinks they know
enough about the business.
I wanted to be the one whoreally understood it and can
explain it to whomever.
(08:42):
All right.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
You just gave a nice plug for the book Grinding it
Out.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
It's a great book.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, that's awesome.
You know, as a former dean ofHamburger University, you
implemented world-class trainingprograms.
What advice would you give toour listeners about building
effective training systems?
First off, and talk about yourtravel experience.
I know you and the family movedto what country was it?
We lived in Indonesia,indonesia.
Yeah, can you talk about thatexperience?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So first I'll talk about being the dean of
Hamburger University.
I was the first woman dean theyever had.
I was the first woman of colorthat they ever had in that
position, and so what you haveas the dean is you have people
coming from 33 differentcountries coming to go through
two weeks of training to reallyunderstand the people side of
(09:32):
the business as well as theequipment side of the business,
and I was responsible for we did32 classes a year and they
probably had anywhere from 300to 350 students with 32 or 33
different languages.
So we had interpreters thatworked on our team and I had a
staff of about 50 people thatworked on my team.
(09:54):
And the critical part for me asbeing the dean of HU and being
selected to be the dean, mything was that the school had to
reflect the customers that webrought in to train, and so I
was getting people from all overthe world to come and train and
I was making sure that wereflected exactly what
McDonald's was, and so it wasfun for me.
(10:16):
And so, having done that, one ofmy mentors said to me and he
happened to be over all of Asiawould you be interested in doing
something international.
So you asked me why?
Did I tell you that I workedfor an airline.
So you know I spend a lot oftime international.
So I said talk to me.
So we were at lunch one day andhe said I have openings in
(10:38):
three places.
I have an opening in thePhilippines, I have an opening
in Malaysia and I have anopening in Indonesia.
And he said you can tell mewhich one you thought you'd be
interested in?
I said well, there's a coupleof things that need to happen.
Number one I need to go homeand talk to my husband.
And number two I need you totell me where you think I could
best fit and really help theorganization grow.
(11:00):
Now, mind you, no other womanhad ever gone international, let
alone a woman of color.
And so I went home and you knowmy husband, judge Guy Reedy,
said I went home and I told himwhat the opportunity was and he
said go, look at it.
He said women of color don'tget the opportunity to run a
country.
So if you're interested, thenyou got our full support.
(11:22):
So I got on a plane and wentover with one of our VPs and
spent two weeks in Indonesia andwe have a partner.
We had a partner there At thetime.
We had 10 restaurants.
We had a partner there and heand I traveled five or six
different islands.
Came back, he introduced me tohis—we went out to dinner and he
(11:42):
introduced me to his wife, whowas the daughter of the ex-vice
president of Indonesia and sheowned five or six radio stations
.
She was very successful in herown right, and so after, when I
came back, my husband said whatdo you think?
I said are you ready to move toIndonesia?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
So and Judge Kyrese went, and your son Floyd went as
well, didn't?
Speaker 1 (12:08):
he Right, my husband retired off the bench which was
on the front page of theColumbus Dispatch.
Everybody thought he wasabsolutely crazy and he was like
we're going and we're going todo this.
And our son at the time he wasseven and he just said, you know
, he was like I don't have adecision in this, and we both
looked at him and saidabsolutely not, we're going.
(12:30):
So I will tell you this when wefirst got there the second day,
my son was so depressed, justreally, he couldn't believe we
had done this.
So I told my driver take us allto McDonald's.
And we went to McDonald's and myson can eat, he loves Big Macs.
So he had a couple of Big Macsand fries and some shakes and he
(12:50):
said I think we could do thisand that was kind of the change
that he needed.
But I remember the conversationbecause my son said Mom, what
happens if you don't succeedhere?
And I explained to him thatfailure is not an option.
This is an opportunity for usto really show what we're
(13:12):
capable of doing and I can onlysay we're going to be so
successful that people are goingto ask us how did we do it?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Speaking of that, expound on that success part,
how successful I know it was.
Can you talk about that success?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
So when you look at Indonesia on a base of 10
restaurants just remember this,on a base of 10, in three and a
half years, we built 85restaurants, 85 restaurants on a
base of 10, with noinfrastructure already there.
So we got buns from.
And so let me back up, becauseI think it's important for you
(13:49):
to know that Indonesia is anAsian Muslim country.
The largest Muslim populationin the world is in Indonesia.
So you think about that, and sowhen you think about it, buns
had to be halal.
We got chicken from there.
(14:10):
We got buns from Australia,from Singapore, from Philippines
.
We got meat from Australia, newZealand.
We got French fries from Canada, pies from Canada.
So when you think about allthese products that we had to
serve and we didn't sellhamburgers, we sold beef burgers
, and so all these restaurantsthat we built, we built praying
(14:35):
stations so they could pray.
In Indonesia they prayed fivetimes a day.
When Ramadan came, we putcurtains up in the windows so
the people that wanted to comein could come in and not feel
bad, because their friends couldsee them from that.
So it wasn't just about therestaurants, it was also about
people.
(14:55):
We needed to hire 1,500 people.
So you talk about managers andcrew people.
I mean, we put an ad out formanagers.
We'd get 1,000 applications andall college grads and so we got
to pick the best of the best tobe able to be on our team.
So it was more than what meetsthe eye, because when people
(15:17):
think of McDonald's, they thinkof the infrastructure that we
have built here in the US.
We didn't have thatinfrastructure.
We built it.
We opened an ice cream plant,we opened lettuce, we opened a
bun plant, we started buildingthat.
But think about doing all thisin 10 different currencies to
try to really build a business.
(15:38):
And then, while we were doingthis, suharto, the president of
the country, was under housearrest and they were rioting and
just towards the end of ourstay, rioting broke out all over
the country.
It wasn't good.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Wow, that's some kind of experience.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
No one can take it away For everybody.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
you know Boy.
Wow, that's something you know.
Shirley, as someone who mentorsyoung professionals, what
advice would you give to ourlisteners about prioritizing
personal growth and developmentin their careers?
Speaker 1 (16:13):
personal growth and development in their careers.
You know, when you think aboutmentoring someone, I always ask
myself.
I have to ask them what do theywant from this, what is it that
they're looking for and why?
And I want them to really sharethat with me before I say you
know, we'll spend the time,because sometimes people don't
want to put the time and effort.
(16:34):
Mentoring it on both sides is alot of work, and so if I'm
going to put the time and effortin, I want to know that you're
going to use this and it isgoing to make you not only a
better person but a betteremployee, no matter where you
work or what you do or how youdo it.
And so I'll take it back towhen I was the VP here in Ohio.
(17:01):
I knew every one of my people.
I knew every person on my staff.
I knew them personally, I knewabout their family, I knew what
was important to them.
I wanted to know why they evenwanted to work there.
And once you know someone thatway, all you got to do is help
them and coach them and directthem on where they want to go
and what they want to do to besuccessful.
My goal was to make successfulpeople.
It wasn't just about me andthat was really how I focused on
(17:23):
training and developing andmentoring and I used to call I'd
take a group of people with mesometime, just so they could see
me in action and understandthat this wasn't about me.
This was about them and how wemake them better, because I'm
going to get out of the waybecause they're going to run
this.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Wow, you got me excited.
I'm ready to sign up.
You know where do I sign up Payon the dot this deal.
You know how do you?
How do you balance yourprofessional commitments with
other aspects of your life, suchas family hobbies?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
I know you love golf and traveling, and you know one
thing that I was taught and Iwas taught by both my parents
that family comes first.
My family comes first, nomatter what, and everybody on my
whole team knew that and I feltthat same way about them and
their families.
If something was happening andyou got to go, we got this.
(18:18):
We got your back, we will takecare of it.
So I'm family first.
I drive my husband nuts becauseI make him call every single one
of his brothers and sistersevery month and ask them how
they're doing and what's goingon.
And I talk to one of my sistersprobably five times a day.
I've had three conversationswith her already today.
My brother and I talk and eventhough he lives up in Cleveland,
(18:41):
we talk at least twice a weekand that even when my mom was
alive I talked to my mothersometimes three or four times a
day.
So I think number one family'sfirst.
I understand that.
Prioritize that.
And then, if I know, you lookat your calendar and you know
when you're going to have a busystretch and I would tell my
(19:02):
family.
I said for the next couple ofweeks I'm going to be crazy busy
.
I got to do a lot of traveling,I have inspections coming up, I
have my president coming intown, and so everybody knew my
calendar, they knew what wasgoing on, and so I wanted to
make sure that I took care ofall my business personal
business so that I could focuson what happens professionally,
(19:24):
because that was the mostcritical thing for me right then
and there.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
That's good you know.
I know you're not only anaccomplished professional but
you're also involved in variousboards, including nonprofit
organizations.
How do you see legacy buildingkind of intersecting with
community service?
I know you're about communityas well.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, I believe there's two things.
Number one I believe you got togive back.
You know we stand on theshoulders of somebody else and
so we got to give back so thatother folks can have the
opportunities that we had.
Now I do a couple of things.
I'm on two corporate boardsthat I really enjoy Absolutely.
One of them is called Butterflyand it's really a startup.
(20:06):
A private equity group put $500million into this company and
what they do is it's an energyefficiency company.
Nobody else in the world doeswhat they do.
We use our capital to invest inHVACs and hoods and
(20:26):
refrigeration and thermostatsand water all those things.
Nobody else in the world doeswhat we do.
The other company that I'm onthe board of if you like to eat,
I would tell you it's GoldenCorral, and I've been on the
board of Golden Corral for aboutsix years and absolutely a
family-owned company and theleadership, the team, the
(20:47):
company is really successful,and I will take you back to when
you talk about when we wentthrough the pandemic.
People said that you know nomore buffets.
Well, golden Corral is probablythe only buffet still around
and we're doing very, very wellCorral is probably the only
buffet still around, and we'redoing very, very well.
Then, on the flip side of that,I'm on the board of NetCare, and
(21:08):
so people ask me why am I onthe board of NetCare?
Because if you aren't familiarwith NetCare, NetCare access is
alcohol abuse, drug abuse andmental illness, and those are
the three things that theyreally focus on.
And so that's a hard one for me, because I've had mental
illness in my family and I thinkit's important that I stay
(21:32):
connected to that part.
What are we doing?
My father was an alcoholic.
I understand what alcoholics do, I understand what they go
through and I live through it.
So I have a passion for whatNetCare does.
My other passion is I know Ican and I know I can.
It's just we got to help ouryoung people go to college, get
(21:55):
an education and really be ableto take care of their families.
At the end of the day all of usit's about wealth creation, and
we've got to create wealth tobe able to continue to survive
in this environment that we'rein.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Well, at least right in you kind of say way into my
next question about this wholebusiness planning and financial
management, which you've been abig part of those things, you
have significant success inbusiness planning and financial
management.
Can you share some strategiesfor creating a robust for young
people, because I deal withyoung people a lot.
Everybody wants to make money.
(22:30):
That's the big thing.
That's the big thing, butthere's a lot more to that and
it's even so once you have themoney.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
You know that's an interesting comment about money,
because I go back to an articleI read and I know you'll be
familiar with it about KareemAbdul-Jabbar.
Kareem will be the first one totell you he didn't manage any
of his money.
He had an accountant that hetrusted and he lost everything.
And there's story after storyafter story, and so, when you
(23:09):
think about it, a couple ofthings from Ofra.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Ofra always resonates to me because she said she
knows where every dime of hermoney is being spent and why,
and just because you make a lotof money doesn't mean you don't
understand how your money isbeing utilized and managed.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
And I, even my team we used to get stock what was we
used to get stock at McDonald's?
And I would talk to peopleabout making good investments.
I would bring Ameritrust intoour meetings and at least give
them an hour to make sure thatour folks would understand.
When I would hire people, Iwould want to know well, what do
you want for this job?
And it's not just the salarythat you're getting.
(23:42):
We're talking about wealthcreation and creating wealth to
be able to take care of yourfamily, cover the needs that you
need and really be able to savesome.
And that's really the challenge.
And everybody's not going to bea professional basketball
player.
Everybody's not going to.
You know 2,500 professionalfootball players.
There's not room for everybody.
(24:04):
So my thing is what are yougoing to be successful at and
have an income stream that youcan really be able to live once
you retire and once you go on towhatever is important to you?
And I say that because I have myown company.
It's called SR2 and AssociatesLLC and what I do is I do a lot
of public speaking, but I alsogo into businesses and talk to
(24:27):
them about how you know whatthey need to do from a financial
standpoint, what they need todo with their people, how to
really who's your leadershippeople, who's your succession
planning and what are the thingsthat you need to do to grow
your business and drive yourbusiness.
And part of that comes from Iran a billion dollar
organization.
I tell people I'm just a poorblack child from Los Angeles and
(24:49):
I had a chance to run a billiondollar organization.
I ran the country of Indonesia.
Everybody doesn't get thoseopportunities, so how do I
maximize that and help educatethe people that are coming
behind me?
Because, guess what?
You get a chance to do thosesame things.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
That's a good word there, that's a great word there
.
You know we hear, especially inour community, we're talking a
lot about generational wealth.
You know, we hear that all thetime.
Well what's your definition ofthat?
What would you say to someonewho's a young person who's
thinking about that concept?
You know?
Speaker 1 (25:22):
what does that look like?
What?
Speaker 3 (25:24):
does that look like?
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Well, see, generational wealth.
I think you can look at it inseveral different ways.
I think, hopefully, mygrandkids aren't waiting for
what I'm going to give them tobe their generational wealth.
The goal is okay, let'sposition you to grow and make a
(25:46):
living and also talk about howdo we grow the wealth that you
have.
But I think that part of it is,I believe, that we come from an
entitlement generation.
I'm part of that entitlementbecause our parents, your
grandfather, your father, theywanted us to have a better life,
and so our kids are.
I keep telling my kids y'allare not getting any of my
(26:10):
retirement, Don't expect it,there will not be anything left
for you.
Okay, so you better go on andget out there and get your own.
But in fact, helping them,helping them prepare for this,
and how do I look at that?
I used to tell my peers wedidn't sit at the dinner table
and my father had the WallStreet Journal in his hand and
talk about, well, what's ourstock doing and how does it look
(26:31):
.
My kids got that.
We got a chance to open up theWall Street Journal and show
them how to read stock.
And our youngest son has anundergrad in economics.
Why?
Because we talked about thosethings and they understand.
But they also think they'reentitled to whatever.
We're going to leave them.
And I keep telling them it'snot going to be anything because
I'm going to try to spend itall while I'm traveling.
(26:53):
But on the serious side, Ithink that those are the
conversations we need to havewith our children today.
Those are the kind of thingsand you got to start it when
they're young.
Okay, Savings I used to getsavings bonds for all my
grandkids and we got thosebecause we wanted them to
understand.
Here's when you get one.
(27:14):
Here's what you expect to do.
When you get money, you don'tget to go spend it all.
No, put half of it away and putlet's talk about what you're
going to do with the other half.
And that starts young.
And if we don't start it, thenit never happens.
You know it and I know it.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Well, this has been some great wisdom for me and for
our audience, and that's whatthis Be A Baller podcast is all
about.
As a guest on Be A Ballerpodcast, we ask all our guests
to commit to what we call thewisdom pledge, and that is, you
know, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, all those guys.
They have a giving pledge wherethey're giving away all their
money.
So we ask our guests to committo giving away all their wisdom,
(27:52):
and what we mean by that is inconversations, just every like
it sounds like you have allthese conversations where you're
just giving away wisdom.
You know, and so can you tellus one piece of wisdom you
gained through your career thatyou'd like to share with the
audience today?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
You know, I have a saying that I say that success
is a journey and it's alwaysunder construction, and so when
things aren't going well, youdon't stop wanting to be
successful.
You just figure out how do Iget through this challenges that
(28:28):
we're having so that I can moveon.
But it's a journey and nobodysaid it was going to be easy.
Nobody said it was going to betimes when you're going to have
to back up and reassess andre-put your strategies together
and come up with another plan.
But it's always underconstruction and I look at life
that same way Life is alwaysunder construction.
(28:50):
There will be some things thathappen in our life that we don't
control, but you know what?
It's part of the journey and Iget to be on the journey with
great people like you, wowthat's good.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
That's good as we wrap up.
This is a legacy podcast.
So what is the legacy ofShirley Rogers Reese?
What is your legacy?
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Do you know something ?
I think people write yourlegacy.
I don't think you do, buthere's how I look at it.
I was born and I will die, butin the middle of it, you know,
is that dash?
And that's what I'm livingtoday and hopefully I will have
treated people the way that Iwant to be treated.
I will have mentored the peoplethat were very important that I
(29:38):
worked with.
I would have treated my lovedones with dignity and respect
and I would have given all Icould give as I lived this life
that I had.
And that dash part is a legacythat somebody will write for me,
because I won't write it.
Wow.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Well, that's powerful .
We got to close on that one.
You know.
This is all we have time fortoday.
I want to thank our specialguest, shirley Rogers-Reeds, for
sharing her experience and,most importantly, for her
commitment to preparing not justpreparing, but we talked
earlier about sponsoring thatnext generation.
Being in that room pounding I'msure in your time at McDonald's
(30:18):
Corporation you pounded thattable for somebody give them an
opportunity, they can do it,they can do it and you put your
name on the line for a lot ofpeople.
So I thank you for that, and sotoday on our podcast, we thank
you for being here and, asalways, continue being a baller.
Thank you, shirley.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Thank you, Tim.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
If you enjoyed our show, please share this podcast
with family and friends.
The A Baller Podcast isavailable on all major podcast
stations.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
This podcast was created byCoach Tim Brown and produced and
edited by the video productionclass of Worthington Christian
High School.
When I came back, my husband said what do you think?
I said, are you ready to moveto Indonesia?
And our son at the time he wasseven and he just said you know,
he was like I don't have adecision in this and we both
looked at him and saidabsolutely not, we're going.
When we first got there thesecond day, my son was so
depressed, just really hecouldn't believe we had done
(00:20):
this.
So I told my driver take us allto McDonald's.
And we went to McDonald's andmy son can eat he loves Big Macs
so he had a couple of Big Macsand fries and some shakes and he
said I think we could do thisand that was kind of the change
that he needed.
But I remember the conversationbecause my son said mom, what
(00:41):
happens if you don't succeedhere?
And I explained to him thatfailure is not an option.
This is an opportunity for usto really show what we're
capable of doing.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Welcome to Be A Baller podcast where we're
building a lifelong legacy.
Today we have an exceptionalguest, shirley Rogers-Reese, who
brings over 34 years ofexperience in corporate and
owner-operated levels withinMcDonald's Corporation.
We'll explore how she leveledher expertise to build a lasting
legacy.
Shirley, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Tim, thank you so much for having me.
I just feel honored.
I know what kind of guests youhave and I feel like I'm just
blessed to be a part of thatportfolio of folks that you've
interviewed.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Well, I appreciate your time and I'm just so
excited to really really learnabout you.
I've seen you, I know some ofthe things, but I want to know
where did this Abbott sportscome from?
You know, did you grow upplaying sports?
And I know you're a big Buckeyefan and all that when did that
love for sports come from?
Speaker 1 (01:43):
so, um, my dad was an only child and he wanted five
kids, but he really wanted fiveboys okay and he got three girls
and two boys, and so my olderbrother would played every sport
and I was his.
I had to play with him so mybrother was playing football and
he said I'm gonna throw tothrow the ball 50 yards cut to
the right and you catch it.
(02:03):
I caught it.
Or if we're playing basketball,my brother would say, okay,
it's me and you against them.
You know what to do because wepracticed it in the backyard.
So that's what got me intosports.
My brother, my dad, my fatherthrew us in the swim pool.
Neither one of us knew how toswim and he said but I know
(02:24):
you'll do it.
We dog paddled till we made itto the side.
He said okay, now I'm going toteach you how to swim.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Wow, that's a great story.
That's a great story.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Part of life.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, yeah.
Talk about these Buckeyes.
I know you got the OHIO.
You showed me a picture.
You were out at the Rose Bowland all that.
How was that Buckeyes?
How has it been following theBuckeyes?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
You know it's been a journey and I will tell you that
, having worked in Ohio and beena part of what happens at Ohio
State, really my team and mystaff, it's been great.
It's been really great.
I got a chance to really get toknow Thad Motta when he was
here.
I know Jim Trussell and EllenTrussell very well and I know
(03:05):
the coaches.
So you know you get a chanceUrban and Cheryl, you got a
chance to really interact withthem and spend time with them
and get to know them and I thinkthat kind of has heightened my
interest in Ohio State sports.
But I'd also say we got threegenerations of Buckeyes in my
family.
You know, my husband went tothe School of Law, my daughter
(03:25):
graduated from there with adegree in communications and my
granddaughter is a senior in theSchool of Honors speaking
Japanese, and she just came backfrom a year in Japan.
So we have a deep investment inOhio State, whether it's
education or it's sports.
Right, we have invested.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
You got a lot of investment there.
I know you had this love forbasketball as well this
McDonald's All-American game,the experiences I know you
worked on that for a while.
You also brought one of thegames here in Columbus.
Can you talk about how thatworked out for you?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Well, it's interesting.
You know, we did the game whenLeBron graduated from high
school in Cleveland.
We were responsible, and so myVP was.
He was in charge of it, but hesaid told me, you take it and
you run with it.
And what you have is a lot ofcorporate people doing all the
behind the scenes work, but theface of the game becomes the the
region or the state that it'sin.
(04:23):
So when LeBron was graduatingfrom high school, I got a chance
to interact with him.
His mom understand theoperations of what went on in
the stadium there, got to knowthe people and really our
responsibility was make sure wesold out the stadium and ensure
(04:43):
that the players were taken careof.
My security I get you of mysecurity was always there.
They were with the players.
There's things that couldn'thappen.
Everybody was going to betreated the same.
We know that in some of theother tournaments, like the
Adidas one and the Reeboks one,parents can come in and say well
, we want our kids to have thisat McDonald's.
(05:04):
Everybody was equal.
Lebron came to me and he saidhey, I got a test on this day.
I said I'll have a car waitingfor you and a driver take you to
your test and then bring youback to practice, and that was
how we managed every singleplayer that was there.
(05:25):
So I got a chance to interactwith them and really, you know,
at that time LeBron was reallygood friends with Shaq.
He had a Hummer that was parkedoutside the hotel.
I had to put my arm around himand say young man, you got to
take the Hummer home.
Tell somebody to take it homebecause it can't be here.
But so just throughout thewhole process, you get to be
around these kids and then mostof them are great, great kids
and they have really, reallytheir parents.
And you know, at that time,when he was coming up, they
(05:47):
didn't have the NIL and allthese transfer portal and all
these things.
They just had people makingsure that kids were OK and they
got showcased at the McDonald'sAll-American game and the money
that comes from the game.
I think it's important forpeople to understand.
It's about taking care of theRonald House.
It's about our charities.
It wasn't just about abasketball game.
(06:08):
And what these kids do.
They went to Children'sHospital.
They got a chance to interactwith really and understand why
we do what we do.
And McDonald's doesn't justsell hamburgers.
It's about people.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
For me, that's awesome, you know, speaking of
McDonald's, 34 years.
How did you begin?
How did your career start atMcDonald's?
Take us back restaurant.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Most people don't know that, and so I knew a
little bit about taking care ofpeople, treating how to treat
(06:51):
people.
You know the things that needto really make them feel special
when they come inside.
So I was real successful at TWAand then I wanted to.
My dad told me to get a realjob.
I'm just going to come clean.
He thought that was not a realjob.
I was traveling all over theworld and hanging out and, you
know, just having a great time.
And he said, a real job.
So one of my best friends thatI grew up with was a director in
(07:14):
human resources for McDonald'sand my brother-in-law worked for
IBM and I had an interview,with three interviews with IBM,
an interview with Xerox, andthen I went out to lunch with my
dear friend that worked forMcDonald's.
She and her boss and I had readthis book.
It was called Grounding it Outand it was by Ray Kroc and Ray
(07:36):
Kroc was the founder ofMcDonald's.
And so we were having lunch andjust talking and her boss was
trying to frame out for mehere's how our programs work,
here's how we hire people intothe organization.
And I started asking them a lotof questions and a lot of my
questions came out of the bookthe book wow, and I read and
they were asking me where did Iget all this information?
(07:58):
I said, well, I read this bookcalled Grinding it Out, wow, and
it was by Ray Kroc and the restof it just took on a life of
his own.
They hired me and I was in anexecutive fast track program and
that really got me started intoMcDonald's.
And people you know say did yousell hamburgers?
I said I did, absolutely.
Knew how to make them knew.
You know and you know, having abackground because my dad owned
(08:21):
a restaurant I had I was reallyinterested in what went on in
the back in the kitchen and howwe got product in and who we got
it from, and just really aneducation.
And I'm like a sponge.
I want to know more thananybody who thinks they know
enough about the business.
I wanted to be the one whoreally understood it and can
explain it to whomever.
(08:42):
All right.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
You just gave a nice plug for the book Grinding it
Out.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
It's a great book.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, that's awesome.
You know, as a former dean ofHamburger University, you
implemented world-class trainingprograms.
What advice would you give toour listeners about building
effective training systems?
First off, and talk about yourtravel experience.
I know you and the family movedto what country was it?
We lived in Indonesia,indonesia.
Yeah, can you talk about thatexperience?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So first I'll talk about being the dean of
Hamburger University.
I was the first woman dean theyever had.
I was the first woman of colorthat they ever had in that
position, and so what you haveas the dean is you have people
coming from 33 differentcountries coming to go through
two weeks of training to reallyunderstand the people side of
(09:32):
the business as well as theequipment side of the business,
and I was responsible for we did32 classes a year and they
probably had anywhere from 300to 350 students with 32 or 33
different languages.
So we had interpreters thatworked on our team and I had a
staff of about 50 people thatworked on my team.
(09:54):
And the critical part for me asbeing the dean of HU and being
selected to be the dean, mything was that the school had to
reflect the customers that webrought in to train, and so I
was getting people from all overthe world to come and train and
I was making sure that wereflected exactly what
McDonald's was, and so it wasfun for me.
(10:16):
And so, having done that, one ofmy mentors said to me and he
happened to be over all of Asiawould you be interested in doing
something international.
So you asked me why?
Did I tell you that I workedfor an airline.
So you know I spend a lot oftime international.
So I said talk to me.
So we were at lunch one day andhe said I have openings in
(10:38):
three places.
I have an opening in thePhilippines, I have an opening
in Malaysia and I have anopening in Indonesia.
And he said you can tell mewhich one you thought you'd be
interested in?
I said well, there's a coupleof things that need to happen.
Number one I need to go homeand talk to my husband.
And number two I need you totell me where you think I could
best fit and really help theorganization grow.
(11:00):
Now, mind you, no other womanhad ever gone international, let
alone a woman of color.
And so I went home and you knowmy husband, judge Guy Reedy,
said I went home and I told himwhat the opportunity was and he
said go, look at it.
He said women of color don'tget the opportunity to run a
country.
So if you're interested, thenyou got our full support.
(11:22):
So I got on a plane and wentover with one of our VPs and
spent two weeks in Indonesia andwe have a partner.
We had a partner there At thetime.
We had 10 restaurants.
We had a partner there and heand I traveled five or six
different islands.
Came back, he introduced me tohis—we went out to dinner and he
(11:42):
introduced me to his wife, whowas the daughter of the ex-vice
president of Indonesia and sheowned five or six radio stations
.
She was very successful in herown right, and so after, when I
came back, my husband said whatdo you think?
I said are you ready to move toIndonesia?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
So and Judge Kyrese went, and your son Floyd went as
well, didn't?
Speaker 1 (12:08):
he Right, my husband retired off the bench which was
on the front page of theColumbus Dispatch.
Everybody thought he wasabsolutely crazy and he was like
we're going and we're going todo this.
And our son at the time he wasseven and he just said, you know
, he was like I don't have adecision in this, and we both
looked at him and saidabsolutely not, we're going.
(12:30):
So I will tell you this when wefirst got there the second day,
my son was so depressed, justreally, he couldn't believe we
had done this.
So I told my driver take us allto McDonald's.
And we went to McDonald's and myson can eat, he loves Big Macs.
So he had a couple of Big Macsand fries and some shakes and he
(12:50):
said I think we could do thisand that was kind of the change
that he needed.
But I remember the conversationbecause my son said Mom, what
happens if you don't succeedhere?
And I explained to him thatfailure is not an option.
This is an opportunity for usto really show what we're
(13:12):
capable of doing and I can onlysay we're going to be so
successful that people are goingto ask us how did we do it?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Speaking of that, expound on that success part,
how successful I know it was.
Can you talk about that success?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
So when you look at Indonesia on a base of 10
restaurants just remember this,on a base of 10, in three and a
half years, we built 85restaurants, 85 restaurants on a
base of 10, with noinfrastructure already there.
So we got buns from.
And so let me back up, becauseI think it's important for you
(13:49):
to know that Indonesia is anAsian Muslim country.
The largest Muslim populationin the world is in Indonesia.
So you think about that, and sowhen you think about it, buns
had to be halal.
We got chicken from there.
(14:10):
We got buns from Australia,from Singapore, from Philippines
.
We got meat from Australia, newZealand.
We got French fries from Canada, pies from Canada.
So when you think about allthese products that we had to
serve and we didn't sellhamburgers, we sold beef burgers
, and so all these restaurantsthat we built, we built praying
(14:35):
stations so they could pray.
In Indonesia they prayed fivetimes a day.
When Ramadan came, we putcurtains up in the windows so
the people that wanted to comein could come in and not feel
bad, because their friends couldsee them from that.
So it wasn't just about therestaurants, it was also about
people.
(14:55):
We needed to hire 1,500 people.
So you talk about managers andcrew people.
I mean, we put an ad out formanagers.
We'd get 1,000 applications andall college grads and so we got
to pick the best of the best tobe able to be on our team.
So it was more than what meetsthe eye, because when people
(15:17):
think of McDonald's, they thinkof the infrastructure that we
have built here in the US.
We didn't have thatinfrastructure.
We built it.
We opened an ice cream plant,we opened lettuce, we opened a
bun plant, we started buildingthat.
But think about doing all thisin 10 different currencies to
try to really build a business.
(15:38):
And then, while we were doingthis, suharto, the president of
the country, was under housearrest and they were rioting and
just towards the end of ourstay, rioting broke out all over
the country.
It wasn't good.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Wow, that's some kind of experience.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
No one can take it away For everybody.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
you know Boy.
Wow, that's something you know.
Shirley, as someone who mentorsyoung professionals, what
advice would you give to ourlisteners about prioritizing
personal growth and developmentin their careers?
Speaker 1 (16:13):
personal growth and development in their careers.
You know, when you think aboutmentoring someone, I always ask
myself.
I have to ask them what do theywant from this, what is it that
they're looking for and why?
And I want them to really sharethat with me before I say you
know, we'll spend the time,because sometimes people don't
want to put the time and effort.
(16:34):
Mentoring it on both sides is alot of work, and so if I'm
going to put the time and effortin, I want to know that you're
going to use this and it isgoing to make you not only a
better person but a betteremployee, no matter where you
work or what you do or how youdo it.
And so I'll take it back towhen I was the VP here in Ohio.
(17:01):
I knew every one of my people.
I knew every person on my staff.
I knew them personally, I knewabout their family, I knew what
was important to them.
I wanted to know why they evenwanted to work there.
And once you know someone thatway, all you got to do is help
them and coach them and directthem on where they want to go
and what they want to do to besuccessful.
My goal was to make successfulpeople.
It wasn't just about me andthat was really how I focused on
(17:23):
training and developing andmentoring and I used to call I'd
take a group of people with mesometime, just so they could see
me in action and understandthat this wasn't about me.
This was about them and how wemake them better, because I'm
going to get out of the waybecause they're going to run
this.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Wow, you got me excited.
I'm ready to sign up.
You know where do I sign up Payon the dot this deal.
You know how do you?
How do you balance yourprofessional commitments with
other aspects of your life, suchas family hobbies?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
I know you love golf and traveling, and you know one
thing that I was taught and Iwas taught by both my parents
that family comes first.
My family comes first, nomatter what, and everybody on my
whole team knew that and I feltthat same way about them and
their families.
If something was happening andyou got to go, we got this.
(18:18):
We got your back, we will takecare of it.
So I'm family first.
I drive my husband nuts becauseI make him call every single one
of his brothers and sistersevery month and ask them how
they're doing and what's goingon.
And I talk to one of my sistersprobably five times a day.
I've had three conversationswith her already today.
My brother and I talk and eventhough he lives up in Cleveland,
(18:41):
we talk at least twice a weekand that even when my mom was
alive I talked to my mothersometimes three or four times a
day.
So I think number one family'sfirst.
I understand that.
Prioritize that.
And then, if I know, you lookat your calendar and you know
when you're going to have a busystretch and I would tell my
(19:02):
family.
I said for the next couple ofweeks I'm going to be crazy busy
.
I got to do a lot of traveling,I have inspections coming up, I
have my president coming intown, and so everybody knew my
calendar, they knew what wasgoing on, and so I wanted to
make sure that I took care ofall my business personal
business so that I could focuson what happens professionally,
(19:24):
because that was the mostcritical thing for me right then
and there.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
That's good you know.
I know you're not only anaccomplished professional but
you're also involved in variousboards, including nonprofit
organizations.
How do you see legacy buildingkind of intersecting with
community service?
I know you're about communityas well.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, I believe there's two things.
Number one I believe you got togive back.
You know we stand on theshoulders of somebody else and
so we got to give back so thatother folks can have the
opportunities that we had.
Now I do a couple of things.
I'm on two corporate boardsthat I really enjoy Absolutely.
One of them is called Butterflyand it's really a startup.
(20:06):
A private equity group put $500million into this company and
what they do is it's an energyefficiency company.
Nobody else in the world doeswhat they do.
We use our capital to invest inHVACs and hoods and
(20:26):
refrigeration and thermostatsand water all those things.
Nobody else in the world doeswhat we do.
The other company that I'm onthe board of if you like to eat,
I would tell you it's GoldenCorral, and I've been on the
board of Golden Corral for aboutsix years and absolutely a
family-owned company and theleadership, the team, the
(20:47):
company is really successful,and I will take you back to when
you talk about when we wentthrough the pandemic.
People said that you know nomore buffets.
Well, golden Corral is probablythe only buffet still around
and we're doing very, very wellCorral is probably the only
buffet still around, and we'redoing very, very well.
Then, on the flip side of that,I'm on the board of NetCare, and
(21:08):
so people ask me why am I onthe board of NetCare?
Because if you aren't familiarwith NetCare, NetCare access is
alcohol abuse, drug abuse andmental illness, and those are
the three things that theyreally focus on.
And so that's a hard one for me, because I've had mental
illness in my family and I thinkit's important that I stay
(21:32):
connected to that part.
What are we doing?
My father was an alcoholic.
I understand what alcoholics do, I understand what they go
through and I live through it.
So I have a passion for whatNetCare does.
My other passion is I know Ican and I know I can.
It's just we got to help ouryoung people go to college, get
(21:55):
an education and really be ableto take care of their families.
At the end of the day all of usit's about wealth creation, and
we've got to create wealth tobe able to continue to survive
in this environment that we'rein.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Well, at least right in you kind of say way into my
next question about this wholebusiness planning and financial
management, which you've been abig part of those things, you
have significant success inbusiness planning and financial
management.
Can you share some strategiesfor creating a robust for young
people, because I deal withyoung people a lot.
Everybody wants to make money.
(22:30):
That's the big thing.
That's the big thing, butthere's a lot more to that and
it's even so once you have themoney.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
You know that's an interesting comment about money,
because I go back to an articleI read and I know you'll be
familiar with it about KareemAbdul-Jabbar.
Kareem will be the first one totell you he didn't manage any
of his money.
He had an accountant that hetrusted and he lost everything.
And there's story after storyafter story, and so, when you
(23:09):
think about it, a couple ofthings from Ofra.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Ofra always resonates to me because she said she
knows where every dime of hermoney is being spent and why,
and just because you make a lotof money doesn't mean you don't
understand how your money isbeing utilized and managed.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
And I, even my team we used to get stock what was we
used to get stock at McDonald's?
And I would talk to peopleabout making good investments.
I would bring Ameritrust intoour meetings and at least give
them an hour to make sure thatour folks would understand.
When I would hire people, Iwould want to know well, what do
you want for this job?
And it's not just the salarythat you're getting.
(23:42):
We're talking about wealthcreation and creating wealth to
be able to take care of yourfamily, cover the needs that you
need and really be able to savesome.
And that's really the challenge.
And everybody's not going to bea professional basketball
player.
Everybody's not going to.
You know 2,500 professionalfootball players.
There's not room for everybody.
(24:04):
So my thing is what are yougoing to be successful at and
have an income stream that youcan really be able to live once
you retire and once you go on towhatever is important to you?
And I say that because I have myown company.
It's called SR2 and AssociatesLLC and what I do is I do a lot
of public speaking, but I alsogo into businesses and talk to
(24:27):
them about how you know whatthey need to do from a financial
standpoint, what they need todo with their people, how to
really who's your leadershippeople, who's your succession
planning and what are the thingsthat you need to do to grow
your business and drive yourbusiness.
And part of that comes from Iran a billion dollar
organization.
I tell people I'm just a poorblack child from Los Angeles and
(24:49):
I had a chance to run a billiondollar organization.
I ran the country of Indonesia.
Everybody doesn't get thoseopportunities, so how do I
maximize that and help educatethe people that are coming
behind me?
Because, guess what?
You get a chance to do thosesame things.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
That's a good word there, that's a great word there
.
You know we hear, especially inour community, we're talking a
lot about generational wealth.
You know, we hear that all thetime.
Well what's your definition ofthat?
What would you say to someonewho's a young person who's
thinking about that concept?
You know?
Speaker 1 (25:22):
what does that look like?
What?
Speaker 3 (25:24):
does that look like?
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Well, see, generational wealth.
I think you can look at it inseveral different ways.
I think, hopefully, mygrandkids aren't waiting for
what I'm going to give them tobe their generational wealth.
The goal is okay, let'sposition you to grow and make a
(25:46):
living and also talk about howdo we grow the wealth that you
have.
But I think that part of it is,I believe, that we come from an
entitlement generation.
I'm part of that entitlementbecause our parents, your
grandfather, your father, theywanted us to have a better life,
and so our kids are.
I keep telling my kids y'allare not getting any of my
(26:10):
retirement, Don't expect it,there will not be anything left
for you.
Okay, so you better go on andget out there and get your own.
But in fact, helping them,helping them prepare for this,
and how do I look at that?
I used to tell my peers wedidn't sit at the dinner table
and my father had the WallStreet Journal in his hand and
talk about, well, what's ourstock doing and how does it look
(26:31):
.
My kids got that.
We got a chance to open up theWall Street Journal and show
them how to read stock.
And our youngest son has anundergrad in economics.
Why?
Because we talked about thosethings and they understand.
But they also think they'reentitled to whatever.
We're going to leave them.
And I keep telling them it'snot going to be anything because
I'm going to try to spend itall while I'm traveling.
(26:53):
But on the serious side, Ithink that those are the
conversations we need to havewith our children today.
Those are the kind of thingsand you got to start it when
they're young.
Okay, Savings I used to getsavings bonds for all my
grandkids and we got thosebecause we wanted them to
understand.
Here's when you get one.
(27:14):
Here's what you expect to do.
When you get money, you don'tget to go spend it all.
No, put half of it away and putlet's talk about what you're
going to do with the other half.
And that starts young.
And if we don't start it, thenit never happens.
You know it and I know it.
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Well, this has been some great wisdom for me and for
our audience, and that's whatthis Be A Baller podcast is all
about.
As a guest on Be A Ballerpodcast, we ask all our guests
to commit to what we call thewisdom pledge, and that is, you
know, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, all those guys.
They have a giving pledge wherethey're giving away all their
money.
So we ask our guests to committo giving away all their wisdom,
(27:52):
and what we mean by that is inconversations, just every like
it sounds like you have allthese conversations where you're
just giving away wisdom.
You know, and so can you tellus one piece of wisdom you
gained through your career thatyou'd like to share with the
audience today?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
You know, I have a saying that I say that success
is a journey and it's alwaysunder construction, and so when
things aren't going well, youdon't stop wanting to be
successful.
You just figure out how do Iget through this challenges that
(28:28):
we're having so that I can moveon.
But it's a journey and nobodysaid it was going to be easy.
Nobody said it was going to betimes when you're going to have
to back up and reassess andre-put your strategies together
and come up with another plan.
But it's always underconstruction and I look at life
that same way Life is alwaysunder construction.
(28:50):
There will be some things thathappen in our life that we don't
control, but you know what?
It's part of the journey and Iget to be on the journey with
great people like you, wowthat's good.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
That's good as we wrap up.
This is a legacy podcast.
So what is the legacy ofShirley Rogers Reese?
What is your legacy?
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Do you know something ?
I think people write yourlegacy.
I don't think you do, buthere's how I look at it.
I was born and I will die, butin the middle of it, you know,
is that dash?
And that's what I'm livingtoday and hopefully I will have
treated people the way that Iwant to be treated.
I will have mentored the peoplethat were very important that I
(29:38):
worked with.
I would have treated my lovedones with dignity and respect
and I would have given all Icould give as I lived this life
that I had.
And that dash part is a legacythat somebody will write for me,
because I won't write it.
Wow.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Well, that's powerful .
We got to close on that one.
You know.
This is all we have time fortoday.
I want to thank our specialguest, shirley Rogers-Reeds, for
sharing her experience and,most importantly, for her
commitment to preparing not justpreparing, but we talked
earlier about sponsoring thatnext generation.
Being in that room pounding I'msure in your time at McDonald's
(30:18):
Corporation you pounded thattable for somebody give them an
opportunity, they can do it,they can do it and you put your
name on the line for a lot ofpeople.
So I thank you for that, and sotoday on our podcast, we thank
you for being here and, asalways, continue being a baller.
Thank you, shirley.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Thank you, Tim.
I appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
If you enjoyed our show, please share this podcast
with family and friends.
The A Baller Podcast isavailable on all major podcast
stations.
Be sure to come back next weekas we continue to discuss on how
to build a lifelong legacy.
Until then, don't forget to bea baller.
This podcast was created byCoach Tim Brown and produced and
edited by the video productionclass of Worthington Christian
High School.
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