Multi-unit leadership

You lead managers you cannot see every day. The work happens on the visit, on the call, and in the gap between them.

These pages give you the questions, checklists and worksheets for that work. Print one before the visit. Use it again next week.

For area managers, district managers and directors of operations.

23 live guides. Prices are in US dollars and the Etsy listing is the final word on price.

Not sure which one? Take the one-minute quiz.

Where to start

You just took over a territory or a group of units. Start with New Area Manager Questions for Your Boss, or with Taking Over a Role Kit, which holds three guides for your first weeks.
You visit restaurants and want each visit to land. Start with District Manager Unit Visit Checklist.
You have more restaurants than visit time. Start with Director of Operations Visit Frequency Guide.

Kits

A kit gathers several guides for one stretch of the job. A START-HERE guide shows which one to open for which moment.

Taking Over a Role Kit

21 pages. $24.

Three printable guides for your boss meeting, your first one-on-ones and the promises you inherit.

For area and district managers who have just taken over a territory or a group of units.

What is inside

Three guides in plain words: questions for your boss, first one-on-ones with the managers you now lead, and a worksheet for what you inherit.
Card sheets for two of the guides, to cut on the marks and carry into the room.
A merged PDF of every guide, plus each guide as its own file in US Letter and A4.
A START-HERE guide that shows which one to open for which moment in your first weeks.

Beyond Reach Kit

61 pages. $29.

Ten guides for leading managers you cannot watch every day, from visit time to succession.

For area managers, district managers and directors of operations who lead several units through their managers.

What is inside

Ten guides: visit frequency, weekly call, area meeting, pilot, peer teaching, manager development, placement, hiring, succession and retention
A card sheet for the Retention Questions guide
One merged PDF plus each guide as a separate file, in US Letter and A4
A START-HERE guide that shows which guide to open for which moment

Working With Head Office Kit

20 pages. $24.

Three guides for briefing your managers, mapping who to ask and raising what you see.

For district and area managers with a head office or owner above them.

What is inside

A meeting guide for briefing managers on something from above, a question set for mapping who at head office your units depend on, and a one-pager for raising something upward
A card sheet for the question set, cut on the marks
Merged PDF plus each guide as a separate file, in US Letter and A4
A START-HERE guide that shows which one to open for which moment

Single guides

One guide for one job: the visit, the call, the one-on-one, the hire, the handover.

Area Manager Questions

8 pages. $14. With a card sheet.

Eight steps of open questions, fill-in lines and a silence guide for your first conversation with each manager you now lead, plus a group record.

For area managers, district managers and operators adding a unit who now lead managers they did not pick.

What is inside

About fifty open questions in eight steps, from before you sit down to what you write afterwards.
Fill-in lines with bracketed blanks for [unit], [manager's name] and [the date].
Openings for a guarded manager, an eager one and one loyal to the last leader.
A branch guide for silence, one-line answers, blame of the last leader and the question of what you will change.
A blank group record table, and a card sheet of 16 questions to carry into the room.

New District Manager Worksheet

5 pages. $10.

A worksheet for a district or area manager taking over a role: sort what you inherit, name what changes, list what you learn and let go, and plan your first calls.

For district and area managers about to take over a role from someone else.

What is inside

A step to list and sort every open promise and open matter you inherit
Prompts to name what changes in your role, what stays and what leaves
Lists for what you must learn, who teaches you and what you let go
A plan for who you call first, what you say and what you do not promise yet
A blank record table that tracks who else was told each promise

New Area Manager Questions for Your Boss

5 pages. $10. With a card sheet.

Questions to put to your own boss before you start and just after you take over a territory, with a fill-in record page.

For area and district managers taking over a territory with a boss above them.

What is inside

Five sets of questions for your boss, in the order you will need them
Fill-in lines for the messages and promises you have already inherited
A short lead-in under each set on what to listen for and what to do with the answers
A fictional one-on-one example with notes on what to notice
A card sheet of 16 questions to carry into the room, plus a blank record table

District Manager Unit Visit Checklist

8 pages. $14.

A fill-in checklist for planning a restaurant visit: read the last visit, set one purpose, choose type, focus, length and warning, keep a check apart, and write a pre-brief.

For district and area managers who visit restaurants.

What is inside

Step by step plan to work through before every unit visit, with brackets to fill in
Questions to read the last visit's notes and see who else touches the unit's results
A rule for cutting a long list to one purpose, and a short test for it
Branches for visit type, focus, length and whether to announce it
A decision step to keep a standards check apart from a development visit
A pre-brief to fill in, a plain pre-visit list for any brand, and a record table

District Manager Struggling Restaurant Diagnosis

8 pages. $14.

A decision aid for district and area managers: look outside the manager, record what was tried, list the levers you hold, rank the gaps, look underneath the ones that stay and write down your decision.

For district managers, area managers and directors of operations with a restaurant that is struggling.

What is inside

Questions to look at the site, the market, the concept and what the manager was handed, before the person
Fill-in lines to record each fix already tried, what it changed and how long it held
A list of the levers you hold yourself, to mark used or untouched before you name a cause
A way to rank the three biggest gaps as new or recurring, then look at the routine and hand-off underneath
Four named outcomes for the decision and a blank record: will do, will not do yet, will look at again

Area Manager One on One Template

8 pages. $14.

A weekly one-on-one guide for area managers with a 30 and a 45 minute plan: open with the person, agree the time, listen by branch, work through a general manager, and keep a running line.

For area and district managers who meet each restaurant manager every week.

What is inside

A time plan in minutes for a 30 and a 45 minute meeting
Openers grouped by what you want to know, and a one-sentence script to agree what the time is for
Branches by what the manager says: a short answer, a problem, a number, someone else's name, fine
An optional step for working through a general manager, with questions for them and for the junior managers
A close, a follow-up routine and a blank running line of what came up again and what changed

District Manager Coaching Questions

8 pages. $14. With a card sheet.

Six steps of open questions for coaching a restaurant manager whose habit holds the unit back, with fill-in lines, a blank record table and 16 cards.

For district managers, area managers and directors of operations who coach restaurant managers.

What is inside

Six steps, from naming the habit by what you see it do to one small thing the manager will try
About thirty open questions, split into what to ask yourself and what to ask the manager
Bracketed fill-ins such as [unit] and [manager's name] so the page reads as a worked tool
A one-on-one example and a blank record table to fill in for each manager
A card sheet of 16 questions to carry into the conversation

Director of Operations Visit Frequency Guide

8 pages. $14.

A decision aid for directors of operations and district managers: count your real hours, sort units by need, see who each manager turns to, and agree a visit and call rhythm.

For directors of operations, district managers and area managers with more restaurants than visit time.

What is inside

A step-by-step decision aid for dividing scarce visit time among your units, with fill-in arithmetic for your real hours
Questions on who each manager turns to when you are away, with what to do for each kind of answer
Three piles (more, steady, less) with questions for sorting each unit and a rule for moving it
Separate prompts for visit rhythm and call rhythm, and for the few problems that would pay most if fixed
Questions for agreeing the rhythm with each manager, triggers to look again, and a one-page record table

Area Manager Weekly Call Agenda

5 pages. $10.

A meeting guide to decide whether your regular manager call is needed, set ground rules, run it in a fixed order and record what managers said to each other.

For area managers, district managers and directors of operations who run a regular call with unit managers.

What is inside

Five short sections in meeting order, from deciding the call is needed to closing the loop
Ground rules for the group, ready to send with the first agenda
A fixed running order with a round, items in flight, an idea slot and a close
Signs the call is standing in for a conversation, and what to move to a one-on-one
A blank record table for decisions, owners, parked topics and routines stopped

District Manager Area Meeting Guide

5 pages. $10.

A six-step area meeting guide with ground rules for fair fighting, roles and outcomes, 25 plus questions and a record table.

For district managers, area managers and directors of operations who run a meeting of unit managers.

What is inside

Six steps in meeting order, from deciding the meeting's use to the follow-up
Written ground rules and fair-fighting rules to send with the invitation
Over 25 questions for the owner, the peers and you
A speaking chart to see who spoke to whom and who did not
A blank record table for action items, owners and dates

Area Manager Pilot Worksheet

6 pages. $12.

Six steps from naming the change to a decision to stop, change it or take it on, with trial and comparison units, a stop rule and a blank record table.

For area managers over several company-owned units.

What is inside

Six working steps, from naming the change to the decision
Over thirty open questions with bracketed fill-ins for your own units
A stop rule and a what would prove me wrong line
A fictional one-on-one example with what to notice
A blank record table for trial and neighbouring units

District Manager Peer Teaching Worksheet

6 pages. $12.

A six-step worksheet for choosing topics, matching each to one manager, briefing them, running the session and following up, with a blank ownership record.

For district managers, area managers and directors of operations.

What is inside

Six steps in working order, from choosing topics to follow-up
More than 40 questions and fill-in lines with bracketed prompts
Ownership questions built on the indicators each manager owns
A worked one-on-one example
A blank record table of who owns which topic and who they teach

Director of Operations Manager Development Worksheet

6 pages. $12.

A six-step worksheet for directors and area managers: gather evidence on one manager, name the gaps together, choose the learning route and write a plan with a date to look again.

For directors of operations, district managers and area managers who lead several unit managers.

What is inside

Six working steps from evidence to a written plan, with fill-in lines and questions in each
Questions that find what a manager does not yet know they lack
A step for naming the gap between what a manager says matters and what they do
A route choice between technical and behavioural learning
A blank record table for tracking each manager's plan

Director of Operations Manager Placement Guide

5 pages. $10.

A decision aid for choosing which manager goes to a vacant, new or refurbished restaurant, with questions for the team, fit checks and a placement record.

For directors of operations, district managers and area managers placing managers in restaurants.

What is inside

A step-by-step decision aid in six parts, from what the unit needs to the placement record
Over 20 open questions with bracketed fill-ins for your own units and managers
A page for what each candidate would bring and what they would inherit
Questions to ask the team the manager would join, and what to do with the answers
A blank decision record table and a short swap-of-two-managers checklist

Director of Operations Hiring Decision Aid

5 pages. $10.

A decision aid for appointing a unit manager: a written picture of the seat, signs and questions, a hold-out plan, a candidate pool and a decision record.

For directors of operations, district managers and area managers choosing a unit manager.

What is inside

A written picture of the unit manager you want, built before you meet anyone
Signs to look for and a question to ask for each quality
A plan for holding out and covering the seat, plus a standing candidate pool
A way to widen the interview and check references the same way for every candidate
A blank decision record for each candidate

Director of Operations Succession Worksheet

7 pages. $12.

A worksheet for a manager leaving suddenly and for your own seat: cover plans, what pulls people away, a named successor, growth steps and a record table.

For directors of operations and area managers who run several restaurants through their managers.

What is inside

A cover plan for each manager: who steps in and what the first week looks like
A page on what would make each manager leave and who else it would reach
Questions for naming who could take your own seat
A growth plan for that person: what, how and by when
A look at what ran, what waited and who decided while you were away, and a record table

Director of Operations Retention Questions

4 pages. $9. With a card sheet.

Open questions in five steps for asking your managers and crew why they stay and what they value, with a worked example and a record table.

For directors of operations and multi-unit leaders who want to know why people stay.

What is inside

Five steps: open, what they like, what they hope for, who they stay with, close
Open questions with bracketed blanks for your units and people
A worked one-on-one example with what to notice
A blank record table for names, hopes and your follow-up
A card sheet of eight questions to carry into the conversation

District Manager Rollout Meeting Guide

7 pages. $12.

A meeting guide for district and area managers: learn the message, write a balanced account, run the briefing, fix materials that arrive wrong and lead a short drive.

For district managers, area managers and franchise operators who brief managers on something from head office.

What is inside

A step-by-step guide from learning the message to closing the briefing
A four-part balanced account of what the message is meant to do
A telling part and a talking part, each with a clear end
Lines for a local fix and for telling the sender
A blank record table for what each initiative displaces and who is affected

District Manager Head Office Questions

5 pages. $10. With a card sheet.

Questions to map who at head office each of your units depends on, what each person is measured on, and who can unblock a stuck unit, with a blank record table.

For district managers, area managers and operators who run several restaurants.

What is inside

Five question sets, one for each step of the map
Fill-in lines with bracketed blanks for your units and people
A worked one-on-one example with what to notice
A blank record table: unit, dependency, person, want, measure
A card sheet of the best bracket-free questions

District Manager Report Up One Pager

5 pages. $10.

A one page template for district and area managers to record what head office can and cannot see, suggest one change early, credit a manager by name and word the ask.

For district and area managers over company-owned units or an independent group.

What is inside

A fill-in page for each thing you raise upward
Prompts for what the report shows and what it leaves out
A step for crediting a manager in the manager's name
Wording for the ask: noticed, suggest, need, by when
A blank record table of what you raised and what came back

Read the answers buyers want before they buy: Questions district managers ask.

Buying for a team or several units? See licences for teams and organizations.

Read the disclaimer for these guides.