4 experts share their advice on how to be a fantastic manager

In the hospitality industry, amazing managers are both essential and hard to come by. Staff need to be managed by someone who not only can 'manage' well, but also someone they can rely on and trust, to create a happy work environment.

We have spoken to four experienced managers, and here is there advice on how to be a fantastic manager.

Nicolas Bergero – CEO and founder of Zeta Gastro

To be a manager in a hospitality business is neither easy nor straightforward. Therefore, once you take the decision and the responsibility of managing one of those establishments, there are some things that you should consider:

First of all, you should know what it is that you are offering and who your ideal customer is. Without these two main points being clear, you will hardly succeed. As a manager, you have the responsibility for everything. Everything is accumulating on your shoulders. That is precisely why the pillars have to be settled well. Being aware of this will give you stability in your mind and the advantage of taking decisions with rational thought.

Secondly, but also very essential: You definitely need a system to work with every day. I mean that you have to know what you are doing, where you are going, who is helping you, and what the next steps are. And of course what to do if it does not work out the way you expected it to.

Let me give you an example: If you know that your goal for the year is to increase the sales, you are going to put your energy and attention to it. While you need to keep everything else running smoothly, your decisions and new tasks and projects are focused on sales-increasing. In this way, you will save a lot of time, energy and money because you know what you are doing and what your objective is.

The third and last thing to remember is to keep your form of management simple. That means to set a goal, plan the path, put deadlines, and don’t hesitate to delegate tasks to others so that you can concentrate on managing the business. Once you reached your goal, set a new objective and repeat the whole process.

Povilas Karpius - Deputy General Manager at Five Guys JV

Surround yourself with great people; as people are the thing that makes this industry worth working in. Strong teams are crucial to your restaurant's success.

Lead by example and create a "family feeling" within your team - once your team feel like family, they will do wonders for you. If it wasn't for this feeling, I'm sure I wouldn't have lasted in this industry. This job requires a lot from you both physically and mentally. And who better to support you through those long rough shifts than your restaurant family?

A strong, stable, experienced team is the most important thing in almost any field, especially in hospitality, where we have one of the highest staff retention percentages compared to other fields.

Invest your time in your team train then well and treat them like family then they will truly shine and will stay with you for a longer time.

Cristina Loriga – Restaurant Manager at Stork

New managers need to be patient as they build their skill level in all areas of management.

What I suggest is to:

-Take time to understand the business in which you are operating.
-Learn to delegate effectively.
-Practice active listening skills.
-Don’t ignore the problem, identify and resolve!

Chris Law – General Manager at BaxterStorey

My first step into management was by far the steepest learning curve of my life, so the few bits of advice I would offer are:

-Be realistic about where you are and where you want to go to. Management isn't the easiest role in the world but can be by far the most rewarding.
-Guide your team, be clear on your expectation of them and of what they can expect of you. Lead them, involve them, develop the leaders of the future.
-Make eye contact.
-Be open and honest.
-More carrot less stick.
-Build trust, develop professional relationships.
-Be consistent.
-Be respectful.
-Have an open door.
-Remember that you are always learning.
-And most important of all, remember that we are managing people - people with lives away from work.