• Forbes, Thursday, February 5, 2009 11 AM

One reason for the turnaround at McDonald's is the willingness of Jim Skinner, who was hired as McDonald's CEO in 2004, to step into the real world in ways that enable him to quickly identify new opportunities and spur his employees into action, say Dev Patnaik and Peter Mortensen. They profile the Mickey D lifer (he began his career on the grill line) in their book Wired to Care.

Skinner's quick actions and decisiveness stand in stark contrast to the years before he took the reins. Six years ago, McDonald's looked obsolete, the authors say, but outspoken market analyst Jim Cramer recently called it "the best-run major international company in the world."

Skinner makes it a point to eat at a McDonald's every day, which has allowed him to make two kinds of observations critical to the success of his company. First, he knows as well as anyone whether the food and service are good or need improvement. Second, he gets to engage directly with McDonald's diners. He's also building a widespread sense of empathy, inside McDonald's, for the company's customers. That means that managers focus on actions that will create value for the people they serve

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