Bossts daughter? Start at the bottom

((f wns e DRoov's girl, for surel" says Meagan McCoy - -lJon"t, whose daddy runs McCoy's, the 85-store, fivestate company launched in 1927 in Texas by her greatgreat-granddaddy.

- "luddy't girl" is now a poised young lady.with a baby girl ofhei own (and toddler son) and an executive-level job is vice president of field support. But that's not just a feelgood tiile to brag about at book club. Members of the tlcCoy dynasty have to prove their worth an-d earn their tceep, and then some. Sure, you're the boss's daughter: Now climb that ladder from the bottom rung'

As Daddy's girl, early on Meagan wanted to go to work with her taifrer, so (of course-who wouldn't?) he caved and appointed his l0-year-old the company's switchboard oo".uior, a move that'lcouldn't have been designed better," she realizes with hindsight. "It gave me a sense of belonging, but not working right with him, but with other employees"-a wise distancing, she's now aware'

However, when all the McCoy cousins' a closely knit clan, headed off to college at Texas A&M' she wanted some distance again, herself, to establish a life of her own'

Studying in Richmond, Va., she earned a degree in rhetoric and communications. "I was always fascinated by how people felt, rather than how to run a business. I wanted to be a college professor."

Uitite her father, groomed from birth to step into his own father's role (fortunately, he loved it), Meagan's dad supported her freedom of choice. She moved back to e.uslin, Tx., to obtain her master's degree and figure out what to do with her life while supporting herself with a part-time sales job at McCoy's Georgetown location'

Turned out, "I hated school. It was terrible! I got my degree in perseverance," laughs this perfectionist, "but I caire to realize that I was happiest on the days I was at work and nor in school'" So she signed on full-time, but not without a lot of thought. "It wouldn't be fair to the people who work for you if joining the family business were just the fallback plan; they deserve more."

"I realizid that, from my dad, I knew only the high level, not the day-to-day grassroots. So in 2007 I started in as assistant store manager in Manchaca to learn the business from the ground up. I remember driving to work that first day, wondLring what the heck I was thinking" ' (Yes, I was Daddy's girl, but I was never sheltered') Just then I got a voicemiil fiom Dad, encouraging me, the perfectionist, saying,'This is a really scary day.It's okay to be afraid"

"The store manager, Andy, was really well-educated and thoughtful. He taught me about the business' Every morning f6r 30 minutes, he taught me a product category, while I tlook notes (I still have theml). Then he quizzed me about what I'd learned the day before. I loved dealing with customers-meeting them at the door, greeting them nicely' 'How can I help you?' Andy was there beside me, and what I loved was, he would look at tfle to answer their questions' He was coaching me-this little blonde of 24 who looked l6-and coaching the customers, too. He really pushed me, including not letting the customers challenge me on what I really did know-and also not to be too prideful to say, 'I don'i know.' Like a good mentor, he made me feel, 'I can learn this! I can do it!"'

Next, in 2008, Meagan spent a year and a half at headquarters as director of field support, learning about each department, to absorb an overview. "Before I took on anything else, Dad told me, 'You need to understand how

"u".:yttting works before you try to make it work better'' After thai. Dad and I sat down to talk over what should happen next. I came in with a list of projects, all this big- picture, wave-of-the-future stuffnaive, arrogant ! " she can look back and laugh, "and he just let me keep on talking. Then he said, 'You won't understand until you've had-a management job in a store.' We argued back and forth about it, Dad going, 'I won't tell you whut to do, but in my opinion...."'The upshot: Dad was very persuasive...I couldn't say no."

So, rather than serving as v.p. of Tomorrowland, she became an assistant store manager in Austin. .,Rob, the GM, had different ways of thinking about things, but he let me make mistakes without being overbearing."-And, just as Dad had foreseen, it opened Meagan's eyes to the nitty_ gritty of running a store. "It was an incredibly hard job, the hardest I've ever worked, to support u siu." manager. Then," she continues, "he went on vacation. Durins ihat week, everything, absolutely everything, went *.on!', W" had an audit, a fire alarm, some employee issues. I called Dad and said,'I can'r go back!'(Oia:,.you have no choice.") The next morning, seeing the store looming in the dark as I drove in, I said, .you are my nemesis: I'm not going to let you beat me!"'

Long story short, it didn't. In 201 l, having proved her_ self, Meagan was promoted to v.p. of field support, a newly created. position designed to strategize change ind improve_ ments. in how McCoy's would do business going foiward. "I had no business background, so I had to learn ihinss like finance and relationships. I was now a member of the-com_ pany's executive team of I | -many of whom had been with McCoy's 30 years" and possibly srill liked things the way they worked 30 years ago. Meagan had her woik cut out for her. "Dad let me be part of the team as the voice of operations ofthe future. I could contribute on a hieh level."

In her post, tasked with the conundrum of p-reserving and improving on the company legacy, aniicipatin! changes needed for future success, and-then graduall! introducing them without creating an internal trunurni, Meagan has pursued both philosophical and operationai lmprovements. A company purpose statement was estab_ lished-influenced, she says, by the book 1r's Not What You Sell, It's What you Stand For.Its credo helped estab_ lish a new mandate: "Make life easier and more fulfilling for those who build." But, as Meagan explains,,.It's easier to justify a place, or a role, but adding .more fulfilling' to the message means people here should feel less alone, irore understood, what makes us as a team. This is the wav to make the world better: 2,000 company members "uiing about others. And, the practice -ust sti.t at the top. yoi cannot expect it of your employees if you don't set an example."

To facilitate just that, the company is initiating next_ level training, led by company facilitators. The core empha_ sizes explaining how everybody has needs-recognize your own, then recognize those of other team members. ,.It then flows over to how we can take care of our customers," she explains. "We take leadership very seriously. We call it "Business as Unusual" and-I know it soundi kitschv. but we mean it-it puts people ahead of profits. So our approach to business is, acknowledge that everyone,s life is complicated and acknowledge those bumps, whether they b celebrations or tragedies.,' Sounds all warm and fuzzyT Well, listen up, fellow managers: That's exactly what keeps employees loyal and customers returnins.

But man cannot live on kumbaya ilone. It also takes analyzing the nuts and bolts. ,.We've started growinq store count again." says Meagan of McCoy's expinsion"plans.

"so we have to think through the prototype of new McCoy stores." Acting on her suggestions, ..We're addins new drive-thrus (both customers and employees love Ihese, especially in the days of 104" heat down here) and concret_ ing our yards; they'd been asphalt, which is less desirable. We're choosing new markets we're in and having their teams of people very, very prepared before the doors open-not only versed in product knowledge but in being part of McCoy."

She's also instituting the smaller improvements that add up, too, such as adding GpS systems to the company's fleet of trucks to better maximize logistics, and equipping the outside sales force with "the best technology to do business with. Right now, our website isn't very mobile_friendly," she allows.

Then there's that elephant in the board room, succession planning. "A year ago we began the thought process about the next-generarion McCoys, in the conteit of leadership_ at the executive level, to mentor the up-and-coming leajers for bigger jobs. And if there are no intemal candidares, to recruit^them. They may be overqualified for the posts we can offer right now, but hire them with the promise of men_ toring so they can transition to the next levil. It's an ongo_ ing process," she underscores.

She offers an example: "Our c.f.o. is a fantastic leader. Brilliant! But in order for him to contribute in a bigger way, he needs,a comptroller who can do more. So, we posted the comptroller job as 'the next c.f.o.,' to whom we'd pass duties along and assign bigger responsibilities. Our core executives are in their uppers 50s, early 6Os (except two of us), and we don't want them to all turn over at the same time, so we're taking a very aggressive approach to future leadership."

Meagan herself has long ago evolved from Daddy's girl to coworker and v.p. "I literally grew up around many of the leaders and, to their credit, they were all able to make that transition, too." And what about Meagan's own baby daughter? Will she be amons the fifth generation? Alreadv she's bucking authority and won't take her nap.

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net