Jan Fields, until yesterday the President of McDonald's U.S. operations had no college education, started as a regular McDonald's employee in 1978, and over the course of her 35 year career, managed to make it up to the company's upper ranks.
Forbes ranked her as the 88th most powerful woman in the world just a few months ago.
However, McDonald's most recent sales figures were disappointing, Fields got blamed for the company's move towards higher priced items, and she was let go.
Perhaps that's why she was able to put her exit into perspective, telling Fortune that "Everyone has a date stamped on their ass and they're the only one who can't see it."
In other words, while Fields didn't know how much time she had left to improve, her bosses knew exactly when her bell would toll. That's smart insight for all of us to remember.
Fields told Patricia Sellers she has no interest whatsoever in another corporate job, and her husband just finished building their retirement home in Florida. That, plus a few million dollars in stock options, should soften the blow a bit.
Read the Fortune interview here.
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