The role of a Branch Manager within the electrical industry is far from simple. Their responsibilities are all-encompassing and include areas such as sales, finance, HR, purchasing, customer service and mentoring.
In essence, being a Branch Manager is just like running your own business. However, many of the skills required for a Branch Manager to be successful aren’t taught to them as they climb their career ladder.
Many Branch Managers are promoted into their position because first and foremost they are a great salesperson. Being a talented salesperson, you would think, puts them in a good position to lead the growth of a business. However, successfully managing a team and driving a high-performance branch, is quite a change from a purely sales driven role.
The electrical industry is becoming increasingly competitive and demanding and taking a sink or swim approach isn’t going to cut it. Companies who invest in developing their current and future managers and equip them with great leadership skills will be more effective and successful.
A business isn’t going to be profitable if it doesn’t have a good Branch Manager who can set the right atmosphere in their branch, motivate their team and set an example for customer service excellence. Additionally, staff retention and productivity will be much higher with a great manager in place.
No one is born a great leader, we all have to develop the skills and knowledge that enable us to grow into one. Business owners and senior managers need to recognise this and ensure they have a structured succession plan in place to secure the future success of their business.
Trying to implement training when you need new managers is going to be an uphill battle. Instead, you should aim to develop a generation of future managers who are ready to step up before they are required to. For example, hiring driven graduates with management potential and offering them leadership training as they progress is a good strategy for developing future managers. Training should also be on-going, and progress should be reviewed and measured.
Bringing it all together
Providing excellent training and continued professional development opportunities for your team is extremely important. Not only will this ensure the future success of your business, but it will also make your employees feel valued and happy.
Branch Managers need to learn a lot including how to delegate and empower their team, how to set expectations and objectives and ultimately how to develop and grow a business.
About Bridgewater Professionals
Bridgewater Professionals specialise in recruitment for jobs within the wholesale, distribution and manufacturing industries, recruiting highly skilled individuals at all levels across the UK and Ireland.
If you’re an electrical wholesale, distribution or manufacturing professional interested in developing your career, get in touch with us today.
