Cheers
By DonnaThe Unit Manager’s Bill of Rights… by Jim Sullivan
Hey Boss. It’s me. Remember when you said at our manager meeting last week that running a store is not rocket science? That being a unit manager is like wearing a Speedo at the beach; anyone can, but not everyone should? I know you were just trying to be funny, but the inference left me and the other managers a little bit steamed. Sometimes we wonder if you overlook how much we truly accomplish everyday in relation to how little we’re given and the resources we work with. It may not be rocket science, but I’d love to see a NASA engineer step in for just one shift and do what we do. I’m not saying we’re heroic, but the results we deliver are often quite miraculous.
The fact is that being a restaurant or retail manager is maybe the industry’s toughest job. It’s not just the Freudian Smorgasbord of characters and personalities we have to interact with and shape experiences for daily, it’s the cumulative emotional labor, intractable problems, imperfect processes, constant demands, variable expertise, creative challenges and endemic fire-fighting that makes this job such a bear.
I know you read books and attend conferences that encourage you to get your managers to transform into leaders. And naturally there?s a brand new sure-fire three-easy-step system? that will accomplish this transition in no time. Hey, we’re all for it too. Who wouldn’t prefer to “lead” rather than manage, and build teams instead of worrying about labor budgets, and train more instead of…well, hearing you complain about our labor budgets. But the fact is your new system and expectations are sometimes way out of whack with my daily reality. Most days I tackle shifts in which the science of management trumps the art of leadership; two crew members are late, a delivery is short, a fryer’s on the fritz, the health inspector shows, but a cook doesn’t. Unfortunately then you called about whether I’d read that article you just emailed about New Age Leadership and what was I doing about it. That was right after that customer spilled coffee on the other one, Jess cut her finger, the car broke down in the drive-thru lane during lunch rush, and the busload of coupon-clutching Seniors came in. Well, the truth is, I was just trying to keep the train on the track, money in the till, customers happy, nobody hurt and smooth all the ruffled feathers. But I consider that a good day. Could I do better? Absolutely. But can you meet me halfway here? I?m either too proud or too scared to ask for help most the time, so maybe sharing the following short list of basic manager’s rights with you–our Owner/Area Supervisor–will help us all be more productive and profitable.
Time out. As I struggle to get everything accomplished, you often suggest that I simply work harder. But working harder doesn’t improve skill-sets I may not have or improve focus you did not provide. If you could help me get better at prioritizing and getting the big rocks in place, we all achieve more; you, me, the crew and the customer. If I can learn how to free myself from constant fire-fighting, my productivity rises and stress decreases, so give us tools to better manage both time and priorities.
Parity and balance. New rule: before you introduce into my workday a new, better way or additional paperwork or duties to perform you must take an equal number of other duties or paperwork away.
Before we try the new thing let’s make sure the old thing isn’t just broken. Too many owners or area managers look for a more powerful engine instead of first fixing the leak in the boat. The system may be effective, but it’s being applied incorrectly. Maybe I have some ideas on this since I implement and oversee the systems shift after shift. Just ask. I’ll tell. See the next point.
Empower my brain. Teach me how to think instead of all the time telling me what to do. Too often you give us answers to remember rather than problems to solve. You hired my brain too. I say let’s engage it. Thank you.
Respect my day off. Please keep the false urgency to a minimum. Your priority du jour should first be considered in context with all our other goals before it?s added to my priorities on my day off via an ?urgent? phone call or email. The more time I have to replenish my energy the better your return on investment. So please don?t call me on my day off. We need to go home and be with our families too.
Make tacit knowledge explicit. Knowledge isn’t power, shared knowledge is. Please devise a system whereby my fellow managers and I can share best practices on a regular basis. What do my colleagues know that would make me specifically better at something I?m not currently good at?
Hire power. You want me to recruit and retain high-performers and cut turnover in half. Fine, then teach, train and coach me better on how to get do it and give me the right screening tools and resources so that I can do it most efficiently.
Ground me, don’t grind me. Appreciation is like an insurance policy; it needs to be renewed every now and then. Sixty hours a week of restaurant managing is tough enough. Please don’t wear me down further with little encouragement or recognition, especially for the small victories we deliver everyday. Who gives care to the caregiver…if not you? Good managers are like spouses; if you don’t show appreciation they’ll go somewhere else. Use purpose and not just personality to lead us.
Thanks for listening boss, and I hope this doesn’t sound whiny, because that’s not what I intended. I’m not asking you to stay out of my way, I’m asking for clearer direction, better resources, daily encouragement and focused coaching. After all, if we’re not it in together, we’re not in it to win it. Whoops, gotta go, somebody just called in sick.
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A pat on the back is just a few vertebrae up from a kick in the ass.” – John Kucera Colorado Philosoph