Jenny McColloch

Jenny McColloch is a prominent figure in the sustainability movement, known for her efforts to promote
and implement sustainable practices across various sectors, including the fast-food industry.

Jenny McColloch's journey toward becoming a sustainability leader began with her academic pursuits in
environmental science. Early in her career, Jenny worked with various environmental organizations such
as Salish Sea Expeditions and The Aspen Institute, gaining hands-on experience in implementing
sustainability practices. In 2012, she joined McDonald's as a Sustainable Supply Chain Consultant. Over
the course of 11 years, she assumed various positions and new responsibilities. In 2016, Jenny was
honored with the prestigious William K. Bowes, Jr. Alumni Award for Leadership by the Environmental
Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps. In 2021, she was appointed as the Chief Sustainability Officer and in
2023 along with CSO, she also undertook the responsibilities of Chief Social Impact Officer.
(LinkedIn Profile, n.d.)

Sustainability vision, mission, and values

Jenny McColloch's sustainability vision for McDonald’s revolves around identifying innovative ways to
reduce emissions in all aspect of operations while feeding a growing global population.

Vision: Integrate sustainability seamlessly into all facets of operations focusing on running great
restaurants and empowering our people to ensure a lasting positive impact on the environment and
communities.

Mission: Make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone while fostering a culture of responsibility
and innovation, where sustainability is not just a checkbox but a core principle guiding decision-making
and operations.

Values: The values are deeply rooted in environmental integrity, social responsibility, and economic
equity. Jenny demonstrates her belief in integrity and inclusion as fundamental principles that guide our
actions and interactions, fostering trust and connection with our customers and communities.

These MVVs aim to influence actions and behaviors of every employee within McDonald's. They serve as
guiding principles, help make informed strategic decisions, and drive initiatives at McDonald’s.
McColloch leads by example, embodying these values in her interactions with stakeholders, employees,
and the broader community. Her consistent adherence to these MVVs not only reinforces McDonald's
commitment to sustainability but also inspires others within the organization and the industry to follow
suit. The various changes brought in by her, such as sustainable protein sourcing, waste reduction,
energy efficiency in McDonald’s operations, and community engagement initiatives reflect these MVVs.
(Corporate McDonald’s, n.d.; McDonald’s, n.d.a)

Impact of Jenny’s work and leadership in sustainability

McColloch's work and leadership in sustainability within McDonald's has had a significant impact in
shaping environmental policies, driving the adoption of sustainable practices within McDonald's
operations, and raising awareness about the importance of conservation and environmental
stewardship within the fast-food industry. Many changes have taken place in under Jenny’s leadership
to achieve McDonald’s 2050 Net Zero goal :
- Spearheaded efforts to reduce waste across McDonald's operations such as reduction of single-
use plastic under her sustainability packaging and recycling commitments
- Prioritized energy efficiency within McDonald's restaurants, implementing measures to reduce
energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
- McDonald's collaborates with stakeholders across the beef value chain, including farmers,
ranchers, industry groups, and NGOs, to pioneer new techniques for sustainable beef production.
- They have been able to reduce their Scope 1 emissions by 7% and Scope 2 emissions by 35% in
2022.
- Launched Global Volunteer Month in 2022 where 8,500 employees volunteered 16,700 hours to
local community
- Goal to eliminate deforestation from global supply chain by 2030
- Sustainable sourcing of meat/protein, produce & packaging
- Adopting deforestation-free supply chain

McColloch's work within McDonald's has contributed to significant advancements in sustainability,

paving the way for a more environmentally conscious and socially responsible fast-food industry.
(Corporate McDonald’s. (n.d.); Environmental Defense Fund, 2022; McDonald’s, n.d.b.)
Motivation
Jenny’s leadership approach seems to align with process motivation theory where she has used
expectancy and goal-setting theory to foster a sense of purpose and shared responsibility among
McDonald's employees and stakeholders.
Through clear and ambitious sustainability goals, such as Science Based Targets for greenhouse gas
emissions reduction, McColloch provides employees with a tangible direction, showing the significance
of their contributions to broader sustainability objectives. Emphasizing the link between actions and
outcomes, a sense of expectancy is established among employees that their efforts can make a
meaningful impact in addressing climate change and promoting sustainability. Through resources,
training, and support, they are enabled to take ownership of their roles in driving positive change.

Overall, the guiding principle is to motivate employees to actively engage in sustainability initiatives and
work towards achieving collective goals. (Corporate McDonald’s, n.d.)

Leadership classification
Trait, behaviours and contingency theories
Traits: Jenny McColloch demonstrates the traits – determination, integrity, flexibility, intelligence and
locus of control from the various theories Surgency, Conscientiousness and Openness of the Big Five
Model of Personality. Her determination is evident in her persistent efforts to drive sustainable practices
within McDonald's. Integrity is one of fundamentals in all the ethical business operations. Additionally,
with evolving challenges and opportunities in it important to innovate and adapt to be a ‘leader’ in
bringing in the change. Her intelligence & locus of control empowers her for strategic decision-making
and innovative problem-solving, contributing to the company's long-term success..

Behavior: Jenny showcases a job-centered leadership style by prioritizing accomplishment and efficiency
within McDonald's sustainability initiatives. She focuses on setting clear objectives, providing guidance,
and ensuring that team members have the resources needed to succeed in their roles. Through her
leadership, she fosters a productive and results-oriented work environment. She blends autocratic and
democratic leadership making decisions and fostering collaboration for greater team engagement.

Contingency theory: Fiedler's Contingency Leadership Model, highlights Jenny's inclination towards a
task-oriented leadership style. Her emphasis on driving change in beef sustainability practices and
promoting global sourcing aligns with the task-oriented aspect of the contingency theory. It is important
to note that Jenny's task orientation doesn't imply a lack of strong relationships with her colleagues. On
the contrary, accomplishing these tasks requires building relationships with various teams,
demonstrating her capability to balance task accomplishment with fostering positive relationships within
the firm.

Jenny demonstrates visionary leadership by using a proactive approach for a more sustainable future for
McDonald's and driving initiatives to make that vision a reality.

Strengths and skills

As a leader, effective communication is crucial, it requires planning and delivering messages to diverse
audiences. Jenny excels in this regard, boasting strong communication skills that allow her to articulate
the company's sustainability vision and engage internal and external stakeholders effectively. Moreover,
her proficiency at navigating complex global challenges like food culture, regulatory requirements,
support local biodiversity, 40,000 restaurants, aligning the global supply chain with sustainable
operations are some issues within a vast organization like McDonald's which showcases her strategic
thinking and adaptability. (Apple Podcasts – Climate
Rising, 2022)

Decision-making behaviour
The articles, interviews, and videos depict Jenny as a leader who embraces normative decision-making,
using a facilitative and delegative leadership style that encourages greater team participation.
Depending on the decision at hand, she selects one of the five leadership styles available. She
emphasizes the importance of celebrating small wins, piloting new practices, and adjusting course as
needed to overcome obstacles.
(Chicago Booth Review, 2017)

Ethics and values reflection:

The company has introduced significant sustainability initiatives and practices. However, there is still
room for improvement. McDonald’s has identified that their operations heavily rely on resource-heavy
beef production, and Jenny stresses that beef and animal protein consumption are deeply entrenched in
people's lives and livelihoods and will continue to be for decades to come. Currently, there is no
vegan/vegetarian burger option in any McDonald’s in North America. However, adopting alternate
vegan options or at least providing these options to consumers would reflect McDonald’s efforts for
going beyond and true commitment to sustainability, prioritizing the planet and people over profits.
 (Corporate McDonald’s. (n.d.) ; Perkins 2021)
Conclusion

Jenny McColloch's leadership at McDonald's exemplifies a visionary approach towards sustainability. Her
commitment to sustainability has set a precedent for the industry, driving significant advancements and
positioning McDonald's for long-term success in sustainability.
Some of the analysis can be used in my own leadership development:
- Better communication: Be able to articulate your vision, engage stakeholders by using your
words to ignite the passion and change. In all her interviews, Jenny was clear on how
McDonald’s is moving towards sustainability and was able to clearly communicate that path.
- Proactive problem solving: Don’t wait for someone to come tell you to make the change, be
proactive to identify issues, innovative solutions and stay updated to take benefit of the first
mover advantage.
- Adaptability: Cultivate the habit to embrace change, experiment with new ideas and adjust your
existing plan to overcome challenges on the way. Over her 11 year tenure with McDonald’s. a
lot had changed, but its important to learn to grow.
- Continuous Learning: Commit to continuous learning and staying informed about emerging
technologies, market dynamics, and societal trends that may impact your organization.
- Adopt strategic & systems thinking: Develop the ability to analyze situations, weigh options, and
make informed decisions that align with all long term objectives of all parts of the organization.

I aspire to embody these qualities to enhance my leadership effectiveness and contribute to creating a
better organization and a better world.
 References

Apple Podcasts – Climate Rising. (2022, September 21). McDonald’s’ climate change efforts.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mcdonalds-climate-change-efforts/id1482781075?

i=1000580154556

Chicago Booth Review. (2017, December 4). How should you manage change? [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VQaPAjWcdw

Corporate McDonald’s. (n.d.). Practical and productive sustainable sourcing solutions require

collaborative, Science-Based strategies. (n.d.). https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-

stories/article/source-science-based.html

Environmental Defense Fund. (2022b, September 20). The woman greening the golden arches | A

Conversation with Jenny McColloch [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ks0MhIt_Tf8

LinkedIn Profile. (n.d.). Jenny McColloch. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmccolloch/

McDonald’s (n.d.a). Our mission and values. https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-

company/who-we-are/our-values.html

McDonald’s. (n.d.b). Impact report. https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/content/dam/sites/

corp/nfl/pdf/McDonalds_PurposeImpact_ProgressReport_2022_2023.pdf

Perkins, T. (2021, December 16). Hold the beef: McDonald’s avoids the bold step it must take to cut

emissions. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/10/mcdonalds-

emissions-beef-burgers