The Missing Piece

by Jane Grote Abell

In the Missing Piece, Doing Business the Donatos Way, Jane tells the story of a classic American family business, including her warm and insightful account of a lifelong education in leadership, authenticity and running a values-based business. In this book, Jane shares key learnings from her four decades of experience growing a small pizza shop on the Southside of Columbus into a business that eventually sold to the biggest restaurant company in the world - McDonald's, and then was purchased back. Readers will get inside stories from under the golden arches, a behind the scenes look at Jane's experience on CBS' hit series Undercover Boss, and take away Jane's signature "4C's of Success" - Character, Courage, Conviction and Compassion.

307 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Christopher White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rarity in the genre, this is a business book that avoids the hype and hubris, but is instead written with humility, sincerety, and gratitude. One of the few examples of a family business that 'survived' a corporate takeover and emerged from the experience with its identity intact, this company's story demonstrates the triumph of reputation over personality.

I've been connected to this company for 30 years now (on and off; but mostly on) and I was familiar with the broad outlines of this story. But the author's rich inside details, and her accounts of the options that WEREN'T pursued, had a strong hold on my attention, and I had to re-read more than a few pages. It's both a gripping local story, and a suitable book for general business readers. Five stars aren't enough.