Exerting Organizational Influence (But Not Too Much) in the Workplace

As business owners, franchisees have a personal investment and responsibility in the operations of their business. Whether an owner-operator who is involved in the day-to-day functions of the business or an absentee franchisee who employs a business manager, the teams that franchisees have in place can make or break their business. Regardless of the ownership model, asserting leadership while still empowering employees is a balancing act necessary for success.

Exerting organizational influence without micromanaging requires clear communication of vision and expectations, whether the franchisee is around every day or not. While the ownership model is entirely dependent on business type and franchisee priorities, operational awareness applies across the board.

Tommy Maher, a franchisee with shared coworking space Office Evolution in Summit, New Jersey, elected to sign on to the brand’s model with the specific intention of being as hands-off as possible. Both Maher and his business partner have full-time jobs that require travel.

“We needed a model where we could hire an employee to fully run our business and come to us with outstanding issues to consult our opinion and expertise,” Maher said. “Our business manager is the face of our business. She is building relationships with members and handling sales responsibilities. We’ve given her the flexibility and autonomy to run operations within these guidelines so we can focus on growth options and opening a second location.”

Christina Lazar, a Code Ninjas franchisee in Fort Mill, South Carolina, opened her kids coding center in 2017 and acts as owner-operator with her husband. Her background as a classroom teacher led her to launch her own tutoring business, which she has independently run for the last 11 years. Lazar originally sought out a kid’s coding franchise because of her son’s lack of connection with other extracurricular activities in the area. All of these factors - teaching experience, small business experience and a personal connection to the service offering - led to her desire for day-to-day involvement in the business.

“We went into our franchise agreement with the intention of not having a manager or director for at least the first year,” Lazar said. “In our new business, we wanted to get to know our customers, and learn what works and what doesn’t [operationally].”

In each franchisee’s ownership model, communication and established procedures are utilized to disseminate information from franchisee to employee so nothing falls through the cracks and all parties have a point of reference for priorities and expectations.

Beyond making weekly appearances at his Office Evolution franchise location, Maher said he and his partner are in “constant communication” with their business manager, receiving a daily rundown of pertinent information to remain in touch without being physically present. “Communication is what really allows our system to work,” he added. “We’re updated on sales, member movements, tours and signups and added revenue.”

Lazar’s passion for teaching has influenced how she manages operations at her Code Ninjas franchise. “We are in constant communication. It allows me to be involved in every step,” she said. “This began with the negotiation and signing of lease terms, continued with community introduction and carried into implementing the Code Ninjas curriculum and tools it provided to run our center how we saw fit to best encourage learning,” Lazar added.

Presence and activity are integral to business development, no matter what ownership role a franchisee takes on. Getting employees to buy in without being intimidated by an owner’s presence comes down to team assembly and a shared knowledge of expectations and goals thanks to communication.