Signs Your Hourly Employee
is Ready to Be a Manager
by Jim Sullivan
I
’ve had the privilege of helping to groom dozens of
exceptional hourly employees into manager roles, many of
whom became even more successful and grew into much
bigger roles. I’ve often reflected on what it takes to become
(and develop) an effective foodservice leader. And if building
leadership bench strength is also important to you and your
organization, it helps to know what to look for among your
exceptional hourly team members that will help make their
transition to management effective. So here’s my short list
of behaviors to identify and consider when you’re evaluating
team members for promotion from hourly to supervisory
ranks.
2016 Issue 1 |
THE
SCORE
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2
They can manage themselves. The ability to effectively manage others begins with the ability to first
manage oneself.
They routinely demonstrate ABCD (Above and
Beyond the Call of Duty) behavior. One sure sign of
manager-ready associates is a commitment to master
and excel at the tasks at hand.
3
They have the respect of their
fellow employees. All of them.
Strong character is a critical cornerstone of strong leadership. If you
have integrity, nothing else matters. And if you
don’t have integrity? Nothing else matters.
4
They model the way. Whenever you cite the model
employee in meetings with your fellow managers,
you use her or him as an example of patience, performance and productivity.
They’re already managers (without titles). Other
team members tend to ask this associate the kinds
of questions they’re afraid to ask real managers for
fear of looking dumb or forgetful. And they patiently
explain and demonstrate the right way every time.
5
6
They build their own replacement. The promotion-worthy hourly employee shares expertise and
insight, and successfully trains, develops and motivates the next generation team member to the role
they once had. And they do it with fun and focus.