Effective Management

At some point in your life you've probably heard the phrase, "leaders are born, not made" or "he/she is a natural born leader". The fact is, though there may be a natural tendency towards the qualities that make a good leader, effective leadership is learned. A leader may be born, but a GOOD leader is made.

Presumably, you saw the natural characteristics of leadership in the people you chose as the management team of your restaurant. More than likely these individuals had proven themselves as successful managers of other businesses, or else were promoted from in-house because they should the potential to be excellent supervisors.

Ongoing Training

You probably spent some time training your managers when you first hired them. No doubt, you expect them to be constantly working with the staff on improving performance. Training is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. You should have the same expectation of yourself that you have of them. To be a successful owner, you need to work with your management staff, helping to develop their effectiveness as leaders.

Communication

One of the biggest mistakes that an owner can make is assuming that an order is comprehended without taking the time to verify that assumption. It would be great if we could just say what we want and know that it was understood and would be carried out, but sometimes miscommunications occur. We're human and so are our managers. Mistakes happen. Sometimes things are misinterpreted.

The best way to avoid a major snafu is to have weekly sit-downs with you entire management staff to go over policies you want enacted and discuss issues with the restaurant. This way you can get feedback on your orders which will allow you to gauge whether or not what you want is fully understood. Who knows? Your managers might actually surprise you by giving you a new perspective on the issue and showing you that your idea might not be the best or most practical. It's a shocking thing to contemplate, but sometimes it does happen.

Consistency

Work with you management staff on consistency. Consistency isn't simply a managers ability to routinely enforce work policy. Real consistency stems from the ability of all managers to manage in a consistent style, handling situations in essentially the same manner. When there is an imbalance in managerial styles it can demoralize your general staff.

It doesn't take long for staff members to find their "favorite" manager. If a manager is a sweeping favorite amongst the staff then it's a safe bet that manager isn't really doing his or her job very effectively. The only way to find out if your management is providing a united front in your restaurant is to spend some time watching them work. It won't take long to spot weak links and areas that could use improvement.

The only real way to see your business live up to the standards you have set for it is to be involved. Being proactive in your business, rather than passive can save you a lot of headache. The time you put into working with your managers is time saved later sorting out the messes that arise from misunderstandings and lax management styles.