The Power of Empathy with Intelligence
Good business practice defines management as the art of ‘getting things done through other people’. This is absolutely true in well-run, complex organisations. But it is equally true in the most simple of business relationships – that of a franchisor and its franchisees.
The essence of franchise management is that the franchisor (or parent organisation) refines and packages its proven operating systems, together with its brand profile, into a business system. This they make available to other people (who buy their franchise) who then simply follow the procedures and systems to maximise their chances of success.
It works in theory, and it works in practice. But not everyone ‘gets’ it. Some franchisors think that they are in a relationship with their franchisees whereby they can dictate and manipulate the lives and the well-being of their contracted business partners (their franchisees) to their own self-centred ends. The result is almost always a disaster – and usually ends in penalties from the regulator, possible litigation, followed by brand damage and franchisee dissatisfaction.
A smart, intelligent franchisor, on the other hand, recognises the synergistic power of the win-win in good franchise management and sets out to fully support their franchisees.
It’s an attitude thing! A desire on the part of a franchisor to genuinely help others build something for themselves. Smart franchisors understand that there is no greater motivation in a franchisee than seeing real, tangible rewards by working hard to build a business and a life, that they can control and be proud of.
Disempowering a franchisee by a franchisor will create a compounding negative synergy. However, a practical helping hand, together with a sincere desire to work collaboratively with a franchisee, will generate the multiplier effect that franchising is renowned for.
Think about it the next time you hear or read negative media stories about how badly some franchisors have treated their franchisees. They do themselves no favours. Poor franchisors are the opposite of good managers and, at the end of the day, they are only harming their business, themselves and their franchisees.
Franchising has a 50-plus year history of building personal and business prosperity by recognising the duality of company systems being utilised by local-area owner-operators. This model is continuing to grow and evolve. It still can, and will, create prosperity for those who understand its power. Implementing it properly benefits all stakeholders – franchisor, franchisees, employees, customers and the whole broader society.