FROM THE SHOP

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

ADAM

TATUM

Adam Tatum is director of operations for the Virginia Group, a Jiff y Lube franchisee with 11 locations.

He has over a decade of experience in the industry with a proven track record of building customer counts and sales, as well as using innovative ways to bring a new look to the automotive fi eld for both the customer and the employee. Performance comes from growing your business through people.

ATATUM

@VALUBE.COM

What Makes a Manager

Look for these traits in your current or next expert shop manager

I WHEN WE ARE LOOKING TO TAKE OUR STORES TO thenext level, it is our people that allow us to win or lose. There are many times that we make mistakes on pu ing someone in place because they do one thing well, but there is a be er way to determine whether they will be successful or not. No ma er what leadership style you look for in your management teams, there are a few key things that you can look for in that person. Matching the core values will help you hopefully make one move and not look to make another in a few months.

Communication Skills Excellent communication is essential to team success. Managers who know how to communicate well with their team members can teach eff ectively by demonstrating and explaining tasks. They can also motivate others by defi ning the object to keep them focused. They are also able to connect with and understand their employees. Being able to make this connection is vital to ge ing your team to buy in to what you are looking to accomplish. If you are interviewing a potential applicant or someone to promote, giving short answers or wishy-washy sentences should be a red fl ag that you may want to continue your search.

Confi dence Managers who exhibit confi dence o en show others that it is okay to be themselves, as long as they do so in a respectful manner. Confi dent leaders inspire those around them to be productive and trust their intuition when making decisions. There is a saying: “Speed of the leader, speed of the crew.” That phrase is perfect for this section.

With a confi dent and potentially competitive manager candidate, you will have employees that it rubs off on. You may fi nd your next assistant or manager among them when they have been given the motivation to show what they can do. A confi dent manager will not feel threatened by allowing his team to shine. Responsibility A good manager understands that there are some decisions that cannot be outsourced to employees. Solid decision-making provides focus for your team and removes the type of errors that might send your business in a downward spiral. Some decisions might not be so straightforward, so part of a manager’s leadership qualities is the willingness to be creative, intuitive, and confi dent in se ing a new direction. Responsible managers meet their own goals and know how to guide others to do the same. When you set a goal or a task for a good manager, they will set it into action. Do not allow complacency. You must trust them, but still verify that these goals are being completed. The responsibility goes two ways.

Trust As you may know, when you put trust in your team, it can improve employee morale and motivation. When you allow your team members and managers to work without micromanaging, make their own decisions and apply their skills and knowledge in the workplace, they may feel more valued for their professional expertise. When they feel that you have that trust in them, they will inherently work harder for you.

When you fi nd a good management candidate, involve them in decision-making processes when possible and empower them to make choices in their roles. If they can make sound decisions and fi nd alternative solutions to diffi cult problems, then you have the right person.

These are just a few things that I look for in a manager candidate. If you have a good training program, it will make it much easier to identify these people. For you to know what you are looking for, you need to fi rst decide what direction your company is to go. Set your core values that you want for your teams and hire, fi re and promote from those. If you have a candidate that fi ts these roles above, but does not match your core values, then keep looking. The right person is out there that will take you to the next level.