Become the manager of managers

  • Role of the multi-unit manager and how it differs from single-site operations
  • Remote management challenges of a multi-unit manager manager
  • Behaviours of effective multi-unit managers
  • Leadership essentials and your leadership brand
  • Servant leadership
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Mental toughness/resilience.

Operational disciplines: periodic business reviews

  • Periodic and structured reviews between multi-unit and individual site managers to cover all aspects of the balanced operation including:
    • Formal and consistent review of all KPIs
    • Quality of operations
    • Impact of the quarterly action plans – mitigating gaps and exploiting opportunities
    • Review progress with people inventory development goals.

Operational disciplines: quarterly Big Rock plans

  • SWOT analysis to understand internal and external factors
  • Review performance of KPIs to identify the “Big Rocks”
  • Formation of the quarterly Big Rock action plan to drive performance across KPIs
  • Once core goals have been identified:
    • What are the measures of success?
    • What proactive actions should managers commit to?
    • Accountability – when will these actions take place, by who and how often?

Operational disciplines: effective 4D ops visits

  • Planning and preparation
  • Conducting the visits – operations in 4D:
    • Customer experience
    • Quality of operations
    • Competitor activity
    • Colleague development
  • Progress with quarterly Big Rock plans
  • Opportunities to increase transactions, average spend, enhance customer experience
  • Post-visit review/feedback/actions and accountabilities.

Leading a customer experience culture

  • Creating and sustaining a customer service vision, hardwiring the customer at the heart of every decision and action taken
  • Importance of shift briefings to structure, focus and energise teams to deliver exceptional service and genuine hospitality
  • Understand customer data (such as net promoter score results), customer feedback, external insights and benchmark service
  • Local store marketing opportunities to increase transactions and frequency, average spend per customer.

Tough talking: confidence and competence

  • Preparation for the conversation
    • What is the outcome that I want?
    • What examples will I share?
    • What reaction might I get? How will I respond?
  • Conducting the conversation
    • Awareness of body language, tone of voice, trigger words
    • Note taking including specific actions to implement
    • Setting formal review dates/time.

Performance coaching

  • Coaching skills for line managers:
    • Observation
    • Questioning
    • Listening
    • Holding back
    • Feedback
    • Goal setting
  • Effective delegation of tasks to store managers
  • Differences between training, coaching and mentoring.

Time management magic

  • The productivity spells:
    • Clarity – identifying the “game-changing” goals at work and at home
    • Planning – apply MMU’s 60:30:10 approach to planning – the secret ingredient to effective productivity
    • Technology – use of relevant technology (eg, Outlook) to prioritise and focus
    • Meetings – preparing and facilitating high-value meetings that matter
    • Delegation – developing others, building their expertise and maximising personal productivity to focus on critical activities.

Building bench strength

  • Multi-unit manager responsibility to build a pipeline of future talent
  • Rule of 7 development plan – unit/district approach to succession and development
  • People inventory – reviewing individual strengths and development needs relating to skills (technical/cognitive), behaviours and knowledge
  • Building a robust and user-friendly personal development plan
  • Quarterly performance appraisals.

Well-being for multi-unit managers and teams

  • Self-care strategies to promote well-being, prevent stress turning into overwhelm, burnout or a more serious mental health illness.
    • What causes stress? Identifying triggers and high-pressure zones
    • Creating a sense of security and reducing stress levels
  • Identifying key stressors within your team
  • Building resilient teams, navigating the complex and uncertain world we live in today
  • Dealing with failure as a team.