When Do You Hire a General Manager and What Do You Look For?

If you're a startup founder or in a leadership position at a small business, the thought of hiring your first general manager may seem daunting. It's important to know what should be on your checklist as you search for the right candidate and while they're still in the interview process. In this article, we'll show you When Do You Hire a General Manager and What Do You Look For? First, let's take a look at why it pays to have an experienced GM on board.
Why Hire a General Manager?
Think about all the moving pieces involved in running a business. Sounds like a lot of work, right? Now think about having to do it all on your own. How much work would that be?
We're betting you wouldn't be able to handle it.
You're likely to get rid of many of the decisions you should be making and let things slip instead. Or you may have such a tight schedule that it's tough to hire someone skilled in those areas, and your company needs time to grow enough that they can learn those areas. Here are key advantages of hiring a general manager:
1. Fresh Perspective
Your company may not need the services of a development manager, but you might want a junior marketing manager or sales director instead. Hiring a general manager means that they can bring in fresh perspectives that might be lacking elsewhere in your team.
2. Riding the Waves
A skilled general manager is not just someone who can get up to speed on the company quickly and then be productive. They're a good fit for your business because they are flexible and can ride the waves of your market's unique shifts.
3. Experienced
Hiring a general manager is choosing an experienced individual who will be able to help you grow your company while they're still working with you. It's less costly than having to bring them on full-time, and it allows them to build up experience before they leave.
4. Enables Growth
A skilled general manager can help you grow your company in two key ways: They can help you build a deeper bench of managers who know their roles and can start getting the bulk of the work done for you. They can help grow your company's network or invest in the future with strategic hires that they can make.
5. Personal Time
You shouldn't have to spend time trying to figure out whether a certain decision is right for your company or not. Hiring a general manager means that they can make many of the decisions they need to keep your company on track, allowing you to spend more time on the people and processes that matter most.
6. Help Over Time
A skilled general manager is a good fit for most companies. They can help you meet your KPIs and improve your business overall, providing you with the help you need now to get everything done at once.
7. Strategic Thinking
A skilled general manager can use their expertise to guide you toward strategic business decisions that will pay off for your company. For example, they might suggest that you expand into new territories or diversify your offerings.
8. Management Opportunity
When you're a small business, you don't want to be stuck without the ability to promote anyone if you need to hire a new manager or executive. A skilled general manager can help build that pool of talent to have more flexibility down the road.
9. Improve Culture
A skilled general manager will be able to improve your business culture and manage your team more effectively than you could on your own.
10. Future Possibilities
One of the advantages of hiring a general manager for your business is that you're keeping your options open, particularly if you work in a growing field. If you make strategic hires, like bringing in a key executive or hiring a new manager, you're improving your team's ability for the future.
Let's take a look at some common questions about when to hire a general manager and how long you should look before asking them to join.
When Do You Hire a General Manager?
You should be looking for a general manager from Day 1 of your startup, or at least once you start seeing success. As you start seeing a lot of success, your company will most likely outgrow the minimum requirements for your first general manager.
Here are key ways to decide when you should hire a GM for your business:
1. You've seen lots of success: In order to take the next step and hire a general manager, your business needs to be able to handle a few more pieces. Hiring a general manager allows you to grow at a steady rate and make strategic hires when the time is right.
2. You need their expertise: When you've outgrown your ability to know everything about your business, hiring a general manager will allow you to specialize in what you know best.
3. You need to grow your company: If you're not going to have a general manager immediately, focusing on growing your company and bringing in the best talent will improve your chances for success in the long run.
4. You need a strategic partner: A general manager will be able to help you choose the best business strategies and then implement them once you're ready.
5. You need the right fit: You should look for a general manager that compliments your business's needs. They should be able to handle the tasks you have available, and they should also be able to make strategic decisions as well.
6. You can't find a good GM: When you can't find a general manager that is a good fit for your business, you need to evaluate your current management system and determine if it's doing the work that it should be doing.
7. You need flexibility: One advantage of a general manager is that they can take on projects outside of their area of expertise, helping you grow your business in new directions and handle additional tasks.
8. Your company is growing: If your company is growing rapidly, you need someone who can help handle the increased workload and improve overall management.
9. You want a decision partner: If you're looking for someone that can help you make important business decisions and implement those decisions, a general manager will be the right choice.
10. You want to hire multiple managers: A skilled general manager can help you promote new general managers, helping to expand your management team and create a deeper structure for your business.
For what it's worth, if you're an executive or manager at a small business, it's always worth looking for a GM before you decide to change roles. It's good to know what you're leaving behind, even if the company will survive after your departure.
What Do You Look For When Hiring a General Manager?
When you're looking for general manager candidates, there are many qualities that you should be on the lookout for. Here are the important qualities that you should look for:
1. Management skills:
As general managers, they will be doing all of the day-to-day management of your company. They will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies and ensuring that these strategies are being followed.
2. Leadership skills:
They will be responsible for leading your team, but they also need to have leadership skills. It means that they will need to be able to build a good rapport with their team and inspire them in addition to handling the work.
3. Work ethic:
You need to find someone who is willing and able to work hard. You can't have a general manager who flakes on their commitments or cancels meetings at the last minute, even if it's unavoidable.
4. Strategic skills:
They need to be able to make good strategic decisions and have the ability to direct your company in the right direction. If they can come up with good strategies, they will also be able to implement them effectively.
5. Experience:
It's always good to find a general manager who has experience in your particular business area and has led successful companies before.
6. Desire to grow:
You need to find someone that is ambitious. The first year with a general manager will be daunting, and you'll have to adjust to their style, but if they have a strong desire to grow your business, they're likely someone worth hiring.
7. Business knowledge:
A skilled general manager should know how to improve your business overall and make strategic decisions as well. They should have the general business knowledge and be able to understand your bottom line as well.
8. Honesty:
A general manager needs to be honest about the challenges that your company is facing, even if they're difficult to hear. If you can't trust your general manager and they're not telling you the truth, you should look for someone else.
9. Ability to make difficult decisions:
You need to be able to tell if a general manager has the skills necessary to be a strong leader and make tough decisions. If they're going to lead your team and make critical decisions, you need to make sure that they have this ability.
10. Experience with your type of company:
It's always good to find a general manager that has experience with similar companies and strategies. A general manager that has experience in your industry will be able to better understand your company's needs and how to improve your company for the future. Once you've found a general manager, it's time to interview them. There are three ways that you can interview candidates for a general manager:
What to Ask Before Hiring a General Manager?
Ask these questions and more before hiring a general manager:
- What is my company's growth plan for the next six months? What are the top three priorities for one year and beyond? Do I have at least one direct report?
- Do you currently have any employees?
- What are the current challenges of my company, and how do you plan on resolving them?
- Have you managed businesses before? If so, what were your responsibilities?
- How many people do you manage currently? Have you ever managed teams in the past?
- What is your management style, and how do you think it will fit with my company's needs?
- Do you have a favorite strategy for growing an organization?
- What is your greatest strength and weakness? How do you currently overcome your weaknesses?
- Do you know how to make difficult decisions?
- Can you tell me about a time when you made a difficult decision and what the consequences were?
What's the difference between a manager and a general manager?
The difference is simple yet profound. A manager will typically oversee more than one department in the workplace, while a general manager will typically handle only one aspect of a company, such as marketing or operations. General managers can lead a team, but they typically don't have as much flexibility with their jobs as a manager might.
What do general managers do?
A general manager is responsible for overseeing the performance of employees when it comes to production and service delivery. They are also responsible for setting the direction for new opportunities in the industry, such as new markets or products. General managers will typically be involved with sales and marketing but can handle any part of their company. The primary purpose of a general manager is to lead a company and improve its profitability.
What does a general manager do in the company?
An employee who works as a general manager is someone who doesn't just oversee sales but also implements strategies and makes sure they are being followed. They are the person who makes sure that operations are running smoothly and that the company is running efficiently. They will also be involved in making sure that all of the other departments within a company are performing as well. General managers will typically be responsible for leading a department, but not a whole company.
Final Words
The learning process of being a general manager is long, and it takes time to grow into the position. It's important that you find someone with the skills and experience you need. You should also be sure to find someone who has the leadership skills necessary for this position.
At some point, every company will need a general manager. Having someone who can handle all of your company's needs is an asset that can help you succeed. As a business owner, you should know what makes a good general manager and how to find one for your business. The tips that you've read from this article can help you find someone who is reliable and can improve your business overall.
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Written and Published By The Strategic Advisor Board Team
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