Profit center managers serve as the backbone of a truckstop or travel plaza, and keeping them engaged can increase their loyalty, boost productivity and contribute to the organization’s overall success. While salary and benefits are important to managers, 黑料社区members said they’ve found keeping managers happy isn’t always about money.
Truckstop and travel plaza operators and general managers shared their insight into what matters to them as well as the ways they keep their profit center managers happy.
Communicate Frequently
One of the keys to keeping managers happy is communication, said Bill Decker, general manager of Davis Travel Center. Decker works to communicate with his managers daily. “I am here when my third-shift manager is wrapping up her duties from that second-shift and am here when my second shift manager arrives,” he said. “This has always been my goal.”
Decker also utilizes a log that managers fill out every day. “Communication is the key to success,” he said, adding that managers are welcome to call him if they have an issue after he has left for the day. “They get in more trouble if they don’t. I want to help them if they get in a bind,” he said.
Tristan Griffith, president of the Sacramento 49er, holds weekly manager meetings and roundtable discussions. “If they’ve got an issue or they need help with something, all of the managers chime in and give feedback,” she said.
At Dodge City Petro, Keith Wade, the location’s operations director, holds a one-hour meeting with managers every Tuesday morning. “If you leave managers by themselves in their profit centers, they start feeling like they are on their own islands and a totally separate business, so we get together every week,” he said.
During the meetings, Wade and his managers will talk about a number of topics, including overtime, staffing needs and new programs. “I always go around the table and ask if they have anything they have to say at the end,” Wade said, adding that it can be a good opportunity for managers to bring up little things that might be bothering them. “I have one guy in charge of cardboard recycling, he may let them know that someone isn’t breaking down boxes.”
Managers at Dodge City Petro also join together to rally around those who are doing well. “If someone is about to break a sales record, we pump each other up a little bit,” Wade said.
Managers want to be held accountable and regular meetings or conversations help accomplish that. “Nobody wants to operate in a vacuum. You have to communicate with them and allow them to communicate back with you,” said Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president of membership and a 20-year veteran of the truckstop and travel plaza industry. “Additionally, they have to have the ability to complain and to make sure their concerns or ideas are put on the table.”
From there, owners, operators and general managers have the responsibility to teach profit center managers agreement versus commitment. “We may not always agree with what they say or they may not agree with what we say but once we agree to what we are going to do, we commit to that,” Schulte said.
Managers at Dodge City Petro hold a one-hour meeting every Tuesday.
Invest In Their Future
“It is important for employers to invest time and energy into helping managers improve,” said Shulte. “People are happy when they are learning,” he said.
Training should begin as soon as a manager walks in the door, and can include informal as well as formal training. In the 1980s, Wade worked at Six Flags Over Georgia, and the early training he received left a lasting impression on him. “I can remember how good the training was and how good I felt because I felt like I was part of the team right off the bat. It was done so well I didn’t feel so lost,” he said, adding that little things, such as showing someone where the bathrooms are and explaining how the business runs can go a long way.
Griffith said she retains managers by taking an interest in their growth. “We are constantly developing our managers. If we find a manager needs assistance, we’ll send them to a training class,” she said.
For locations that send managers to training, they need to trust them to apply what they’ve learned. “If you’re going to invest in them learning, you have to let them execute what they have learned when they get back,” Schulte said.
Seek Out Their Problems
Griffith said she cares about what her managers have to say, and they value the opportunity to be heard. “Their opinion matters and what they do matters,” she said. “I want to know what they have to say and the ideas they have. I think that makes them feel good.”
Address Problems
When an issue does arise, Schulte recommends general managers address it and then move on. “Great leaders know when there is a problem, you address it head on and then you move forward,” Schulte said. Decker said he empathizes with his managers when an issue arises. “If they have a problem, it needs to become your problem. Then they realize you really do care,” he said.
Be Realistic
Profit center managers have to have the right tools to be successful, and part of that includes having realistic expectations placed on them. Sometimes leaders are tempted to give someone too much to do because they’d be happy if the person met even part of the expectations, but that can be demoralizing, Schulte said. “By giving someone a list of things they can’t execute properly, they become frustrated. We can’t overload them with expectations if they aren’t going to be able to achieve them,” he said.
Be Transparent
While money isn’t the only thing that matters to managers, it is a motivator. Being clear on expectations and accountability as well as how raises and bonuses are handled can improve performance. “People perform much, much better when there aren’t any surprises for them,” Schulte said.
Being upfront in explaining the company’s goals and how outlining to get there helps managers understand what they are supposed to be doing and gauge how well they’re performing. “The procedures and policies must be clear and transparent,” Schulte said.
Reward Results
Creating the right incentive program and making it part of the culture can engage managers, Wade said. “The incentive program needs to be part of the culture to the point that it becomes something your managers discuss amongst themselves and make it kind of a game to continue trying to meet those numbers,” he said. “Money talks. That tends to work.”
As a thank you, Decker hands out gift cards at the end of the year to show he appreciates his managers’ hard work.
Recognize Their Needs Outside Of Work
Employers have to understand the work/life balance, Schulte said. “You have three priorities: faith, family and job. It is important and incumbent on owners and companies to try and help managers find that proper life balance,” Schulte said.
If a manager is working all of the time, the owner or general manager should consider talking to the manager and encouraging that person to strike a better balance, Schulte said.
Photo Credit: Dodge City Petro
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