So You Own a Franchise Pt. 2: 5 Management Tips

Think back to your first job (or any job). Do you remember if you had a good or a bad boss? Of course, you do. You might forget what project you worked on or the name of your least favorite client, but a good and bad boss stick out for their own reasons.

Unfortunately, there are so many things to worry about when running a business that it can be easy to slide into apathy and forget to focus on great management. Check out these five management tips to see how you’re doing.

1) Set up one-on-one meetings.

You know that saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,”? Ignore that. Do not wait for a major breakdown before addressing a problem. Having regularly scheduled meetings with your direct reports can help mitigate the likelihood of a breakdown.

These meetings are a great time for your employees to privately provide you feedback, let you know how they’re doing, if they feel like they need help with anything, highs, lows, etc. For instance, an employee could have a great idea for improving a standard operating procedure, but without a sync meeting, might not find the right time to broach it with you. Ultimately, these meetings are like a barometer that will let you know when you need to lessen the pressure before it’s too late.

2) No quick fixes.

When something goes wrong, it’s easy and tempting to use the fastest solution possible for the sake of time and not disrupt things further. Honestly, sometimes it’s necessary. For example, if you’re in the middle of customer interaction and an employee doesn’t know how to handle it, putting in an employee who does is definitely the right decision.

However, to make sure that this doesn’t remain a “quick fix,” the right thing to do after the fact would be to teach the first employee what he did wrong and how he could handle the situation himself later on. Taking advantage of teachable moments like this will ensure that your employees grow and improve at their jobs.

3) Don’t be afraid to jump in – no matter the job.

Just because you’re the manager and franchise owner doesn’t mean that you should be hesitant to jump in on the day-to-day tasks. Are you short staffed and needing extra help at the register? Step up! Show your employees that you’re willing to do whatever job is necessary to help the business move forward.

Even if you don’t have to, sometimes jumping in on these types of tasks can be fun and help you get a better sense of day-to-day operations.

4) Be a mentor; find a mentor.

As a boss, you should be able to answer questions and provide support to someone whose shoes you used to be in recently. It’s also equally important that you find a mentor for yourself. Just because you’re the owner doesn’t mean that you won’t have questions or need support too. This might be a seasoned owner in your franchise network or even another business leader outside your franchise but take the opportunity to learn from someone who’s farther along in their career and has more experience than you.

5) Lead by example.

This last one is a cliche, but only because it’s true. Leading by example is a mixture of a lot of things. It’s taking responsibility as the boss, listening to the needs of your employees, knowing when to guide and when to step back, taking care of yourself and helping others (among other things).

As an entrepreneur and franchise owner, you’ve probably already had to exhibit these characteristics at multiple points in your career, even if you haven’t explicitly listed them out like so. While everyone’s management style is unique to them, these concepts provide a solid basis for great leadership no matter what industry.