Essential Staffing Strategies for District Managers
A District Manager who runs their district with the wrong managers is not really managing the district, but managing constant chaos.
The strategic staffing responsibility of a District Manager is not about hiring crew members. It’s about hiring and developing the leaders of their district, and making sure the Unit Manager in each store is a capable leader and has the necessary tools to hire the staff they need.
The District Manager’s job is to build the pipeline and develop leaders from within the team, ideally without hiring from outside.
In this blog post, we'll explore the third critical responsibility of a District Manager: Staffing, and how these leaders can excel at this task and build an amazing team in your organization.
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Staffing at the District Manager Level
Hiring crew members is a Unit Manager's responsibility. What the District Manager (DM) decides regarding staffing is who leads each unit in the district. That decision has a much greater impact on the unit's performance than almost anything else they do, because ultimately, the DMs work through those managers and leaders to get things done at the units.
Another staffing responsibility is to ensure Unit Managers have what they need to keep the units operating properly and staffed with the correct number of people. That means:
- Removing hiring obstacles
- Providing resources
- Holding managers accountable for their teams in terms of recruiting, staffing, and hiring.
And when it comes to crew members, their main responsibility is to support managers with staffing and support them with their people’s struggles, whether it’s a compensation problem, a culture issue, a process misunderstanding, or a leadership challenge.
That’s why it is very important to maintain strong communication between the Unit Manager and the District Manager to ensure alignment on the unit’s needs and how DMs can provide effective support.
Don’t miss: Train. Believe. Support. The Formula for Building Great Teams
Providing Staffing Support as a District Manager
Notice that I didn’t say that the District Manager will solve the issue. What they have to do is diagnose and identify the problem, and then coach the managers on how to address that properly.
They should also go to the root of the problem and analyze how the Unit Manager conducts interviews, selects candidates, and handles the onboarding. Also, what they are doing to keep the team inspired, motivated, and excited to work at the company.
If the managers are failing at any of this, the District Manager must take the time to teach the Unit Manager how to carry out these staffing processes properly to improve the unit's performance.
A Well-Staffed Unit
Another staffing responsibility of the District manager is to ensure that every unit has a staffing plan, not just an action plan. That means being proactive and planning ahead of time based on their turnover rate. This way, the unit will already have people ready when a position opens up, rather than having to start looking for new hires if someone leaves or gets promoted.
- A well-staffed unit is a reflection of a prepared manager, and prepared managers are a reflection of a good District Manager.
How can they be prepared? DMs should constantly be asking themselves, ‘Who is ready in the district to take over this position?’ If they can’t answer that question and have to hire externally, it means they have a development problem, and they are not spending enough time building the talent pipeline.
That's something to pay attention to, as selecting the wrong leader could cost a lot more in sales, turnover, and District Manager time than any time spent developing people within your organization.
Internal promotions are crucial because they bring cultural knowledge, team trust, and motivation, and reduce onboarding time, as people already know the company and the business. Plus, you already know them, and they already know you! So, it’s a win-win situation.
Either way, the District Manager should be directly involved in the selection of the Unit Manager to make sure it’s the right one. Otherwise, it can cost you a lot.
Keep learning: Winning Strategies for Staffing and Talent Acquisition
Identify and Develop the High Potentials
To build that pipeline within the organization, the District Manager should have a list of people in their district who are ready to go within 30, 60, and 90 days. The list should include all high-potential staff across all units, not just those in management roles. Crew members or team members in the back of the house or on the front lines could be amazing in leadership positions.
Once they have built that list, it is the District Manager’s responsibility to start training those rising stars. They can also give those future leaders greater responsibilities and delegate new tasks before they're promoted, so they can develop the skills they’ll need at the next level. Remember: early exposure builds readiness.
And whenever that promotion happens, announce it within your whole district! You must always reward and recognize those who are growing within the organization, not only to celebrate their achievements but also to demonstrate that there is a future in your organization and a career path that people can look forward to.
The goal is that you should never be surprised by a vacancy, because your DMs always know if someone is leaving, is getting ready to leave, or has to go, and they are ready to cover those opportunities when they arise.
But beware. If your DMs don’t have anyone who could be ready in 120 days, they need to aggressively develop people to build that list and accelerate the timeline, especially if you are growing or expect high turnover in the near future.
Don't miss: The Six-Step Process to Hire the Right People for your Franchise
If you're a Multi-Unit Operator or a District Manager and want to master staffing, I encourage you to learn more about our LEAD Program.
This is our Multi-Unit Leadership Certification for District Managers, where we teach the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to succeed in this very challenging role.
Reflections:
- Are you and your District Manager aware of the turnover rate in each of your units?
- Who is ready right now to take over a manager position in your organization?
- If you had a vacancy tomorrow, would you have the next person in line ready to be promoted?
- How well-prepared is your bench planning?
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