Want Better District Managers? Start Here

Having effective District Managers is one of the key challenges that Multi-Unit Franchisees face every day. 

It’s understandable why. The role of the District Manager allows them to have someone to delegate the day-to-day operations and the oversight of their unit leaders. That way, they can accomplish the desired time freedom.

However, many business owners don't know what these leaders are supposed to do, or they don’t have the knowledge, time, money, or resources to develop them. And obviously, such training has to be done in a very easy and effective way. 

But how can you build a District Manager leadership development program and then deliver it to them if you don’t know how to train them or what to train them on?

In this blog post, I'll share the steps to build a District Manager training plan, as well as a solution to train them faster and better. So read until the end to discover it!

But first, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and Podcast, and follow us on all social platforms.

Step 1: Understand the District Manager Role

The very first step to create an effective District Manager development program is to understand how that role is completely different from the role of a Unit Manager.

While both leadership roles must know how to do the day-to-day operations of the brand and the business they manage, the reality is that 80% of what Unit Managers do is dictated by what happens within the four walls of their units.

For example, they have to open the unit at a specific time,  welcome the employees, set everything up to prepare for customer service, make schedules, do inventory, order products, take care of customers, oversee the shift management, clean or supervise the cleaning of the unit, and then close the business. 

Among all these tasks, only about 20% of the Unit Manager’s activities are dictated by themselves.

For the District Manager, though, 100% of what they do is determined by themselves, and that is a huge difference from being a Unit Manager! 

• What they do, where and when they do it, and how and why they do it are all decisions that these men and women make every single day. 

This factor also requires them to have a different set of skills to be effective. 

Keep learning: Why District Managers Fail (and How to Prevent it!)

Step 2: Clearly Define the Responsibilities of a District Manager

The next step to train effective District Managers is to clearly define what their responsibilities are within your business. And here at the American Franchise Academy, we have separated those responsibilities into seven buckets:

1. Being a great leader who inspires the team to execute the business and brand systems with excellence. This role is really more about coaching, inspiring, and developing them. 
2. Since everything they do is because they have decided to do so, they should have great planning and time management skills. Only then will they be able to do the right activities at the right time in the right place. Otherwise, they can end up working 60, 70 hours a week trying to overcompensate for this lack of skill.
3. Staffing levels. They must hire the leaders of their units and develop a strategic leadership bench so that they have the leaders ready when the new leadership positions open.
   But beware: they're not supposed to be hiring and interviewing every single person in all the units. What they are responsible for is supporting the Unit Managers so that they can attract, hire, and retain great members for their teams.
4. Ensure that the units are executing the business and brand systems every single day, through effective unit visits. 
5. Manage the maintenance of the multiple units in the district and make sure they are clean and in good working order. And if there are issues, solve them as quickly as possible and manage them across the multiple units to avoid any sales or customer service problems. 
6. To market the business in order to own the sales and co-create a strategic local store marketing plan along with the Unit Manager. That will attract more customers and invite the community in the area to experience the product or service that they deliver in the units.
7. To produce results. Everything that the District Manager does every single day should aim to transform the brand that the franchisee invested in into profitability. That way, they will ensure that the business is sustainable.

Dive into these 7 responsibilities with this playlist!

Step 3: Define the Policies, Procedures, and Tools District Managers Need

The third step to build a District Manager training plan is to define the policies and procedures, and create the tools that these leaders need to do their job every day. For example:

• What is the process that they need to follow to get a maintenance approved?
• Which budget can the District Manager approve, and which one has to get approved by franchisees?

Defining these types of policies will allow the franchisees and the leaders to be aligned on the responsibilities and the actions that each should take every day. 

The task might take time, but if you put this in order, you will have clarity and alignment, and the District Managers will be able to meet your expectations.  

Keep learning: Forget Super General Managers! Your Franchise Needs a District Manager

Step 4: Agree on the Routines District Managers Should Follow

The fourth step that you need in your training strategy for Multi-Unit Leaders is agreeing on what are going to be the effective daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly routines these leaders should do every day. 

• Those routines and habits are what will produce the results in every area of responsibility they have. 

Why are these routines so critical? Things can be done in different ways, but if you want to have an effective training for your District Managers, you need consistency among all of them.

If you accomplish this, you will be able to properly train and follow up on each of them to confirm if they are being effective at the job they're supposed to do. 

Don’t miss: Franchise District Manager, An Honest Look

Step 5: Have a Follow-Up Process

Every great District Manager development program requires a proper follow-up process because no matter how great they are at their roles, they still need accountability.

So, once you have defined the job, responsibilities, and routines of the District Manager, you, as their leader and direct supervisor, need a way to ensure that all of these things are happening and the goals are being achieved.

You also need to define how you are going to recognize them and acknowledge when they're doing a great job, or address when they get derailed and stop doing what is important.

This final step is what is going to bring to life all the time, effort, money, and resources you have spent in creating a training program for District Managers. Follow-up is where the magic happens! So do not skip this step.

Those are the five steps to have better District Managers and build a great training program for them. I know it sounds like a lot, especially if you have never been a District Manager and don't really understand how or what to train them on. 

However, you are not alone. There’s a solution that can save you time, money, and resources, and that is the LEAD, the Multi-Unit Leadership Training Program of the American Franchise Academy.

With this program, we provide District Managers with the knowledge, tools, resources, and development they need to be effective and successful in their roles. 

It also gives them the ability to have a work-life harmony and produce the results that you want and deserve. 

Learn more about this program in our upcoming information session. We have one each quarter, so be sure to register for the next one! 

Or go to AFALead.com to discover the curriculum we teach and the outcomes you can expect when enrolling your leaders in this Multi-Unit Leadership Certification that has graduated more than 370 District Managers.

Reflections:

• Are your District Managers achieving the results you expect? 
• What knowledge, skills, and abilities are they missing?
• How many of the seven responsibilities are your District Managers executing?
• How are you supporting your District Managers so that they can succeed in their roles?

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