Challenges faced by area managers in the trade's front line deserve attention, says Peter Linacre
Are there any easy jobs in the pub trade these days? It certainly doesn't feel like it. There can be no doubt that the man or woman at a pub's front line is the most important person in our whole industry, upon whom all its challenges and opportunities ultimately rest.
But the difficulty of their tasks is matched by the level of challenge undertaken by the area manager, regional manager, business development manager, and business relationship manager - they may have many different names but all have fundamentally similar jobs in managed or leased estates.
As the conduit between sites and head office, they have to be policemen, creative managers, psychologists, trainers, motivators, crisis managers... whichever way you cut it, that's a long list of tasks.
And for managers or tenants they can be motivators or killjoys.
For head office, the main focus is success or failure - seldom an in-between. For managers and tenants there are many awards and structured training initiatives which have been run for years and years. But for area managers there is only one industry-wide award process, run by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).
For several years the ALMR has run a competition for Area Manager of the Year for managed and leased estates. About 60 candidates compete for three awards: one each for tenanted and managed estates and an overall award for the rising star.
The long, gruelling competition lasts three months, involving a questionnaire which is among the most extensive I have seen and demands considerable initiative and commitment to complete. The competition concludes with a two-day workshop at Ashridge Management College, and the whole process is like an area managers' mini-Masters in Business Administration (MBA), from which stars emerge and through which peoples' lives are changed.
Some companies have made significant commitment to supporting their area managers in competing.
But what surprises me is that this award is not more widely known, appreciated or supported. With the pressure on every area manager to perform, it seems that companies, irrespective of their size, would wish to put candidates forward.
However, some of the major managed and tenanted pubcos still don't support this award. The opportunity exists to continue to develop this award into a major industry standard, recognised and fêted by all, but it requires support from all major managed and tenanted operators to ensure that it continues to thrive.
Without more commitment, it is feasible that this valuable award could perish from lack of interest - and that would be an enormous shame.