C-Suite Leader Since:
A dynamic, innovative, thoughtful and inspiring leader with 30 years of experience in franchising, distributed networks and cooperatives. Successful history of: (i) turning around a $700 million distressed franchise system into a $2.0 billion revenue business in four years, (ii) reviving and re-energizing a $3.5 billion revenue franchisor and (iii) founding three franchise systems. Experienced corporate board member.
Currently, a consultant to some of the largest franchise systems in North America. A franchise industry leader, widely published, keynote speaker, member of the New England Franchise Association Board, and Co-chair of the International Franchise Associations Knowledge Share Task Force.
All successful business people have to learn to delegate. But I would argue that delegation is especially critical for franchise owners who want to own more than one franchise location, and who would like to see all their franchises succeed and grow.
Yes, training is important to younger generations, but I encourage you to think of it as more than a chance to teach skills. Younger generations are the most energized, skilled, and capable generations ever to enter the workforce. Train them well and they will become your organization’s brightest future.
Planning is key. Start with the end in mind and focus on where you want your franchise to go. Now is a great time to be bold, because people will be more open to new ideas than ever before. Tap into the collective knowledge of the whole system.
Remember that younger generations have ideas, information, and skills that you need. Are you listening to them? If you aren’t—let’s face it—the fault lies with you. Open the doors, let the information in, and watch your company improve in ways you could never imagine.
A full-featured LMS lets you take control of your training processes in ways that were impossible only a few short years ago. It puts you in control of what is happening in your franchise-wide training by allowing you instant access to a range of statistics like these:
360° reviews, in which each employee is reviewed not only him or herself and a supervisor, but by a group of people with whom he or she interacts on the job. My preferred way of conducting these reviews is to have people submit their evaluations of the team member who will be reviewed, then to sort the comments into categories on one master form. That prevents the employee under evaluation from trying to guess identify of his or her evaluators. And 360° reviews can be very effective. If an employee sees that a number of people are focusing on an area that needs improvement, those comments will be more credible than those that came from one supervisor.
Are you using your employee handbook to train a group of new employees? It seems to make sense. After all, you should make sure new hires understand the nuts and bolts of what your company expects from them – how many sick days they are entitled to every year, how your company health plan works and other basics.
What is Ingaged Leadership? It is a new leadership practice in which leaders invite everyone to not just work hard, but to commit their best ideas, ambitions, emotions and even their hearts to a new kind of partnership with the companies they serve.
People today are bombarded with more and more information than ever before, thanks to emails, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and websites. In an effort to be heard, it is tempting to respond by sending more and more communications. The problem is, your franchisees will become more overwhelmed and tune you out.
People who inspire you can help you build a powerfully positive attitude. If you apply life lessons from people who had great attitudes, you will take on some aspects of their greatness. When you study exceptional people, they will always be at your side in a sense. They might be your parents or other family members, business leaders you admire, historical figures, your minister or imam or rabbi – or anyone else whose life inspires you.
