Follow the Leader…
Many restaurants suffer from a lack of leadership. As we’ved discussed in our previous blog: How to hire for Attitude as well as Skill, hiring for cultural fit is often as important as hiring for technical skills. When hiring the restaurant manager, owners should also be looking for a candidate with leadership skills.
In order to lead rather than just manage, which is vital in today’s diverse fast paced world, one must be able to be more than a day-to-day task master. While a manager deals with the technical dimension in an organization or the job content; a leader marshals resources, human and otherwise, for the best possible results.
Leaders reach company goals more quickly with less drama, reduce costly employee turnover, and guide their teams through change with less damage to the organization. By ensuring that your manager is a strong, positive leader, you can help improve your bottom line.
These are 4 Leadership Qualities to look for when hiring a manager:
Ability to Communicate Vision - While managers plan and organize job assignments, tasks and schedules, leaders provide direction. Leaders are able to effectively communicate short term and long term goals to all employees. By communicating the organizational vision and helping the staff to understand the role that they each play in reaching these goals, a leader can inspire the team to give 100%.
Builds Relationships and Trust - We often hear that we should “Lead by Example”. This is true to gain trust, and to be able to build relationships within the organization. Managers who work by the philosophy of “Do as I say, not as I do”, or by not holding all team members to the same standards, often break down trust within the team. Being a role model positively influences people in reaching their goals. Leaders get to know the individual strengths, weaknesses, and motivators of their staff to be able to get the best from them and to achieve company results.
Trains, Coaches and Mentors – Leaders need not be experts in every area, but must understand how all the pieces work together. Leaders do not micro manage or do the jobs of their team, instead they coach, give advice and guide from the sidelines. If leaders have set and communicated the goals and job expectations correctly, given their team the tools they need, and instilled trust, they should be able to step back and observe.
Encourages Change and Risk-Taking – Leaders constantly seek out what is working in the organization and are quick to get rid of what is not. Great leaders openly embrace new ideas, innovation and change. These are the bosses who praise and encourage team members to come to them with new ideas on how to be better, faster and/or more profitable; often some of the best ideas come from front-line employees. If a manager says “that is not how we do things here”, then he/she is not a true leader.
Much like a revered general going into battle with his platoons behind him, your employees will follow a leader through all aspects of the business with little question. By hiring managers who possess these leadership qualities, you will reach your goals more efficiently.
Don’t know where to begin? Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place to help you be as profitable as possible? 4Q Consulting can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs. Email us today for a free business consultation at www.4qconsult.com.
All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.
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