How Tasting Guacamole Became Part of a Dream Job at Chipotle

For Jason Kidd, chief operating officer of Chipotle, a regular part of the job is sampling the restaurant’s guacamole and other menu items. It is, he says, exactly the role he always wanted. But his path to the C‑suite was paved with early mornings, overnight shifts and plenty of unglamorous work.

Before moving into food service, Kidd spent 20 years in retail. Reflecting on his own climb, he warns professionals against waiting for the “perfect opportunity” to appear. Instead, he advocates saying “yes” to assignments that may look neither easy nor appealing, because those grinding experiences compress years of learning into months.

As a trainee, Kidd volunteered to lead a management development programme that required 4 a.m. starts, late-night closing duties and punishing overnight stock shifts. While most peers stuck to standard daytime hours, he finished the programme faster than anyone else – not because he was the smartest, he says, but because he had accumulated the densest real‑world experience.

That early appetite for tough jobs taught him how every part of a store operates and how the pieces fit together. He also discovered that the work you think you want is sometimes a poor fit, while tasks you dread can surprise you by becoming a passion.

The Career Philosophy That Lifted Jason Kidd to COO

From 4 a.m. Shifts to COO: Why Grit Outranks Intelligence

Kidd’s career narrative challenges a common piece of millennial advice – that you should carefully curate your résumé and only accept the right stretch assignment. His counter‑argument is that taking the least desirable rosters gives you a compressed, high‑density education in how the business actually functions, which senior leaders later value far more than academic credentials or safe career moves.

His promotion rhythm supports the idea: he became a manager earlier than his cohort not by acing tests but by having already lived through the problems that middle-of-the-night shifts create. In an industry where operational detail matters – whether it is food safety, inventory management or customer traffic patterns – that kind of visceral knowledge is hard to replicate in a classroom.

Why ‘Ownership Mindset’ Became His Promotion Litmus Test

Kidd also points to communication skills and a strong sense of ownership over one’s work as traits he weighs heavily when deciding whom to promote. He told Business Insider that taking early responsibility for the outcomes your role produces – even the messy ones – is a signal he looks for in junior employees. This aligns with research showing that managers promote people who demonstrate agency and accountability, not just competence.

Practical Career Moves Inspired by Chipotle’s COO

Kidd’s advice is concrete enough to translate into everyday career moves:

  • Volunteer for the shift nobody wants. Kidd took 4 a.m. starts, late closes and overnight stocking – and gained more operational knowledge than peers who stuck to standard hours. Identify the equivalent in your workplace (holiday cover, a struggling project, a difficult customer territory) and raise your hand.
  • Say yes before you feel ready. Waiting for the “perfect” opportunity leaves valuable learning on the table. Kidd’s break came when he accepted a leadership role in a trainee programme; it was unglamorous but accelerated his promotion timeline.
  • Use gritty jobs to learn what you actually love – and hate. He discovered through early rotations that some roles he thought he wanted didn’t suit him, while others he dreaded became real passions. Low‑risk exposure to different functions early on can prevent costly career missteps later.
  • Build a reputation for owning outcomes. Kidd looks for “four essential qualities” when promoting staff, and a strong sense of accountability for results tops the list. Start now by visibly taking responsibility for both successes and failures in your current role.