Intro

Performing a Turnaround Project is your final practical test at the Bar Manager Senior level. It provides an essential experience, as it challenges you to combine your learnings from Sustainable Processes, Situational Leadership, and 4-Wall Operational Performance into one project.

Once you are fully trained as a Bar Manager Senior, you are likely to be in the Pipeline to become either SWAT or Regional Manager in the future. In many cases, SWATs & Regional Managers are challenged with ‘turning around’ under-performing stores as a central part of their role. Therefore, this learning project is intended to prepare you for creating successful and Sustainable performance in your future operations.

There can be different reasons for why an underperforming store is determined as needing a ‘turnaround’. These may include; poorly trained Bar Manager, a new Bar Manager, a new team, or a store lacking basic structures. It will always be up to your specific Market Management to decide what a Turnaround Project entails.

Whatever the reason might be for you being assigned to such a project, the general approach should always remain the same. The following module will provide key leadership principles for you to utilize during your Turnaround Project and general guidelines for how to approach any new project. These methods have all been mastered through many years of experience in fine-tuning the optimal method for executing a successful turnaround.

What is key in any turnaround project is your ability to create Sustainable Processes. To do this you must adapt a Situational mind-set and have a clear understanding of all 4-Wall Operational Performance Principles. If the processes you implement are not sustainable, the store performance will decline back to the starting point as you leave the project. Therefore, you cannot create a Turnaround, without creating Sustainable Processes.

3 Types of Turnaround Projects

In an ever-growing market, the most common project is a Turnaround Task. More stores mean more maintenance work is needed to keep the entire operation performing well. However, there are also many cases where the objective will be to execute a New Store Opening or Bar Manager Training. Always remember that the specifics of a Turnaround Project is decided by your Country Management.  

3 general project types:

1. Turnaround of an Underperforming Store
In this type of project, you are assigned to improve the store’s performance by either; taking over the store as Bar Manager yourself, re-training an existing Bar Manager, or training a new Bar Manager.

2. New Store Opening
Here you are assigned to lead a successful opening of a new store, train, and position the team and then eventually train a Bar Manager to take over and sustain your processes.

3. Bar Manager Training
In this project, the task is to train or retrain a Bar Manager to run their own store well and independently.

Always start with back to basics

Regardless of which project you are trusted with, you always start your project by running through Back to Basics. Why? In these situations, first impressions count for everything. It is key to make a good start and get the team on board quickly otherwise it will take much longer to recover from a bad start and complete the project. So, even when the project has different objectives or tasks assigned, they will always require the same basic approach. The core approach is always to start with Back to Basics. The introduction you make to a new team or Bar Manager can be the difference between failing or succeeding with the overall project.

How to perform a turnaround project

A Turnaround Project is all about bringing forward everything you have learned so far in your development and implementing it into the new store which you are assigned to optimize. Per definition a turnaround project is based on sustainability – you must be situational and create a sustainable performance that is not reliant on your presence.

Back to Basics Step 1: EARN YOUR RESPECT

• During the first week, you should only focus on working hard and being part of the team. Engage socially to get to know each Juicer/Manager better = BUILD RELATIONS.

• Don’t act as BAR MANAGER: Don’t give instructions but work hard and do everything yourself = SHOW YOU ARE COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE STORE YOURSELF.

• Only work open/close and weekend shifts = SHOW PRESENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY TO THE TEAM.

• Get things fixed.

• Remember, that it is during this first week in the Store, where you are also making your Store Analysis based on the 4-Wall Operational Performance Principles. Use the 4-Wall Matrix Card to help you create an overview and determine what needs to be done to optimize the Store. Your analysis will then be the basis of the Action Plan which you create with your RM or TM.

Key Skills During This Stage;

Skill: Adaptability

Being assigned to a new project means it is very likely you will encounter many new situations which you need to adapt to quickly if you’re aiming to create a better, sustainable result. A Bar Manager Senior must be able to adapt to any situation: high/low turnover, Residential, Urban, Business, different demographic areas, guest behavior, and of course different Juicers and Bar Manager. This is where your mindset will be challenged, and you need to be situationally aware in every aspect of your own performance.

There can be many differences from store to store. For obvious reasons, it is very different working in a low turnover bar compared to a high turnover bar. In a low turnover bar, the workflows you need to consider will be more prioritized towards 2onTill, 2onShift, 1onShift, and regular intimate guest dialogue. Whatever situations you are challenged with when becoming Senior Bar Manager, you need to be flexible and show that you can perform consistently in the different types of stores.

Your ability to adapt helps you to blend into the different social environments and essentially makes you more likable. This is helpful since people tend to learn more from people they like and respect. It is your responsibility to position yourself in such a way, that you can accomplish your mission of training with high success rates. Considering this should help you to realize it’s not about the Trainee, it’s all about the Trainer.

When adapting to a new environment (a new bar or a new team) your approach is crucial. Every time you step into a new bar, the Juicers and the Bar Manager will be asking themselves “why is he/she here?” – all eyes are on you. If you do not adapt your approach from the beginning, you will never earn the Juicer’s and Bar Manager’s respect, and the project will not be successful.

The key approach is to be humble and open-minded when entering a bar/team. You need to position yourself on the Juicer’s level and see situations from their perspective. Think back to when you were a Juicer or new Bar Manager and a member of Senior Management entered your bar. How did they impress you or not impress you and why?

Observation Skills

Before starting to execute a Turnaround, you need to first understand the existing processes within the store, the team, and the Bar Manager. Usually, the first week should be spent working BTC to observe up close how everything is functioning and identifying what is out of place. Remember it’s important you do not take control of the bar, but rather ‘experience’ the bar by working with the team. Use the 4-Wall Matrix Card to identify which key principles need focus and which are working well.

Your aim is to collect true and unbiased information from inside the bar. The only way to do this is by ‘experiencing’ how it is while working with an open mind. If you go straight into looking for specific problems, the Juicers will recognize this and change their performance accordingly – which you don’t want. Instead, use your operational experience to identify areas and focus on building your overall awareness while working.

You need to observe the general workflows and common mistakes in the bar. Your aim is to learn how to become more observant and situational in the bar by experiencing whatever happens situationally. Step BTC and observe from different Perceptual Positions (Juicer’s, Manager’s, Guest’s…). Then when it’s appropriate, step out of the bar to write down key observations and priorities based on the 4-Wall Matrix Card. These notes will become your Store Analysis which is the foundation of your Plan of Action and Training Plan for executing the Turnaround.

How to make an Action Plan for a store Turnaround:

1. After the first week of observations using the 4-Wall Operational Performance Matrix, you should have enough notes to present a Store Analysis to either your Regional Manager, Training Manager or Market Manager (the one who has appointed you the project).

2. Based on your analysis, the Plan of Action can be agreed upon and you can identify how to successfully execute the Turnaround with a detailed Training Plan.

Back to Basics Step 2: SET THE STANDARDS

• Host a Team Meeting to align everyone and confirm new standards.

• Promote feedback and questions before finalizing the agreement. Remember how difficult communication can be and ensure that everyone understands and accepts the process you propose.

• Set clear expectations for everyone to follow going forward and schedule a follow-up Team Meeting 1 month ahead to evaluate the team’s progress with the initial goals.

Back to Basics Step 3: FOLLOW UP AND ACT – ONGOING

• Immediately after the meeting, focus on fully implementing structures across team BTC.

• Always recognize progress and good performance.

• Be ready to coach and direct the team if tasks are not carried out properly or forgotten. Remember it is your responsibility to make the process matter to the team.

• The more you follow up during the initial stages the better the structures will be implemented and sustained.

• Schedule 1 on 1 meetings to show extra care for those who struggle with your processes. Coach these Juicers/Managers with a situational approach, making the WHY matter and showing them how they are an important player on the team.

• Schedule Juicer follow-ups 1 month ahead to follow up on individual progress

Key Skills During This Stage

Skill: The Why

Entering a Turnaround Project usually involves working with a team of experienced Juicers, Shift Managers, and Bar Manager who might think they know everything already and question why you are there. In these cases, you must become master of “The Why”.

During any training, explaining ‘the Why’ is key for everything you teach a trainee. ‘The Why’ gives a clear reason for why we do things the way we do – it is the purpose behind every task. Without ‘the Why’ we cannot build sustainable processes. Purpose, participation, and progress are key triggers to create inner motivation within the Juicers and the Team. Processes are sustained not because you tell someone to do something, but because you create an understanding of the bigger purpose behind it. Provide ‘the Why’ every time you are training, there is always a reason behind everything we do.

Skill: The Good & Bad Circles

Using The Good & Bad Circles is an effective way to demonstrate ‘the Why’ to any trainee. It can be used to clearly illustrate how any good or bad action in the store creates a reaction and then a string of either positive or negative consequences and how these consequences eventually impact the bar, Juicers, and guests. The core message with Good & Bad circles, is that it always starts and ends with the Bar Manager – not the Juicer.

Good vs. Bad Cleaning

Good vs. Bad Leadership

Skill: Planting the Seed (Allow people to realize their own mistakes)

Generally, people tend to be more self-motivated about a goal if they are allowed to decide it for themselves. If you enter a project pointing out all the mistakes and instruct the Bar Manager to improve, the Bar Manager will improve for the sake of you, but not for the sake of his/her own development. This is not sustainable. Wanting to improve your own mistakes translates to a much stronger inner-motivation to change, and consequently, the learning will be much more successful and sustainable.

Therefore, a successful re-training of an existing Bar Manager or Juicer starts with you coaching them to identify their own areas for improvement. The challenge is to gently guide the Bar Manager/Juicer in the right direction = Planting the Seed. You do this by having individual conversations with the Bar Manager/ Juicer while asking the right questions:

“In what areas would you like to improve and become better?”
“What would you like to improve in your bar?”
“How can we make it smoother to work in the bar?”
“How can we ensure a good experience for guests?”

In this way you influence the trainee to reflect on his/ her own strengths and weaknesses, guiding him/her to become more aware of the operational processes. Brainstorm the thoughts on to a piece of paper – remembering your key aim is to guide the trainee through this with your questions and let him/her point out the areas by him/herself. Allowing the trainee full participation in this process empowers him/her and creates ownership of the necessary changes and enough agreed points to create the Action Plan together.

How to make an action plan for a store Turnaround (re-train existing Bar Manager);

1. Use the agreed Plan of Action and Training Plan as a guide for asking the ‘right’ questions to the Bar Manager. Remember that your goal is to develop your ability to conduct ‘Planting the Seed’-conversations with the Bar Manager.

2. Sit down with the Bar Manager without your Action Plan and ask for the Bar Manager’s perception of the problems within the store.

3. Then, explain your purpose for being assigned to the store and your goals for optimizing it together with the Bar Manager. – but not referencing your specific observations and the Action Plan you have identified.

4. Next, ask the Bar Manager what he/she thinks could be optimized and guide him/her to identify the areas which you already know need to be improved. Aim to ask open questions, which cannot be answered “yes/no”:

“What would you personally like to improve on?”
“How would you describe your Juicers training?”
“What can be done to improve their performance/ training?”
“Is your DCWF up to date? – how does it need to be updated?”
“How well is the DCWF implemented in the store?”
“Are the team following the DCWF? – why not?”
“How well are the Shift Managers performing/ trained?”
“Have you made any reflections regarding a pipeline in the bar?”

5. Let the Bar Manager self-reflect upon his/her own bar but guide the process.

6. Activate the Bar Manager to write down all relevant points in a brainstorming exercise. Here you start making the pre-determined Plan of Action with the Bar Manager for how to Turnaround the store.

7. Together with the Bar Manager finalize the Action Plan (It should be almost the same as the one you initially made with all the key focus points included).

8. Co-host a Team Meeting with the Bar Manager to present the plan and set the expectations going forward.

Back to Basics Step 4: TRAINING PLANS

• Once structures are in place, training gaps can now be clearly identified and planned to further the development of the team.

• When the store is well structured the team will be more motivated and capable to learn and develop new skills.

Turnaround Training Sequence;

• 1) TRAIN ALL JQs
First, you need to secure the workforce by training, re-training, assessing, and qualifying each JQ. Remember sustainable success is a team effort! The goal is for all Juicers to follow DCWF and deliver quality products in a clean, structured store with excellent guest dialogue. This provides the ultimate JOE experience for both our guests and the team.

• 2) TRAIN ALL JQ GRADs
Your next step is to develop top-performing Juicers, with extensive brand knowledge who understand how to represent JOE BTC = Brand Ambassadors. This creates top-line performance on the way to Operational Excellence and is the preparation for a healthy pipeline.

• 3) TRAIN SMs
Now you can start to focus on move developing a quality Pipeline for the store. This Pipeline will be responsible for continuing the processes you initiate. Train and position both a Shift Manager Prospect to handle e-Smiley, Cleaning and Care Nights, as well as a Shift Manager Junior to control Stock Handling and support Juicer Training.

• 4) COMPLETE BAR MANAGER PROSPECT TRAINING
The next step in securing sustainability is focusing on training and positioning the Bar Manager to be a successful 4-Wall Leader of the well-trained team. Always start with Back to Basics regardless of whether you are training a new Bar Manager or re-training an existing Bar Manager.

The goal is to create sustainability, ensuring that the positive development is not limited to your presence. Teach the BM prospect to manage independently, enabling him/her to carry on the processes you have initiated. Establish an updated DCWF with a solid implementation of it. Execute the training plan referencing the modules Assess & Qualify Training and Juicer Talks.

Back to Basics Step 5: TEAM POSITION

• Once all Juicers are fully trained, it becomes clear who are the most skilled, reliable, and responsible to be considered for SM training and further Pipeline positions.

• Once you have your team in place you can move on optimising the store further through assigning responsibilities (Elderflower Management), Team Positioning, Activating-on-the-Go, and Developing Clear Optics to drive performance up further.

Next Steps… Depending on the entire scope of the Turnaround project, the trainer at this point might exit for a period. This is so that the recently trained Bar Manager Prospect can independently run the store and further master their newly acquired leadership skills. Otherwise, when the timing is right, the next training steps for this project would be to take the Bar Manager Prospect to Bar Manager Junior level.

…Final Step of Training Sequence;

To fully complete the Turnaround Project, you must train the Bar Manager in all the tools needed to optimize the store ongoing. Teach the Bar Manager how to:

• Assign small responsibilities to each Juicer = Elderflower Management.

• Team Position every hour of every day with sufficient leadership presence and optimal time for training = Advanced Shiftplanning & Advanced Team Positioning.

• Balance the store in all situations throughout the day and create leadership presence BTC = Activating-on-the-Go.

• Develop Clear Optics within the team to create care and ownership of the store.

• Host Meetings to align the team’s purpose and further position the Bar Manager as the leader.

• Use weekly reports to keep momentum and direct focus = Team Communication.

Additional Key Skills for executing a Turnaround:

Skill: Energy – Inspire people around you
As a leader, you are the ambassador of JOE & THE JUICE. This means that both Bar Managers and Juicers look up to you and are inspired by your energy. No matter how bad of a day you have or what has happened in your private life, it is important to always promote being positive at work and spread energy around you – especially as a leader, because your energy ultimately influences the entire team. The energy you project creates a symbol to everyone that you can’t have a bad day no matter what – you choose your attitude!

Skill: Communication
A Bar Manager Senior needs to be able to constructively teach and influence other Bar Managers through the way he/she communicates. Some Bar Managers learn best by you being more direct towards them, others need a more supportive approach. Be a situational leader and choose the right approach for each bar manager. Overall, it is how and why you communicate that matters, not what.

Observe & Acquire New Abilities
Even though you are leading the projects and teaching the team, you should also focus on your own continued learning and development. Whenever you see someone who is better than you in a specific skill, you should acknowledge them and aim to absorb that skill to make it your own. This can be anyone – a Juicer, SM, BM, RM, or even a guest or a friend. You must be an open-minded leader who recognizes other people’s abilities and your own opportunities to develop. Always aim to become better and better, excelling you to the top of your field!

Management from a distance
Whenever you are supporting a poor performing Bar Manager in becoming a better leader with an optimized store, it is important that you do not overtake the BM position. If you take over, the Juicers will come to respect you instead of their actual Bar Manager – which is not sustainable. Remember that the key goal of the project is that the bar continues to perform just as well, if not better, after you exit.

Therefore, you need to manage from a distance by instructing the Bar Manager to instruct the Juicers. This way the Bar Manager will learn by doing and after a while, your teachings will become natural for him/her. This is the way to develop strong independent leaders and sustain processes.

Always Have an Agenda (Train)
As a Bar Manager Senior every minute is valuable. Always use your time effectively to optimize performance, whether it is executing a Performance Shift, training Brand Behaviour, 2onTill, or Bar Manager training. Everything you do should be valuable to the process of store development. Make a plan every week and have a purpose for each shift you take. This keeps the momentum of the training and overall project at all times. There is always something you can train!

The Wrap Up

The final step of any Turnaround Project is to assess how well you’ve managed to implement the agreed Action Plan. You do this with your Regional, Training, or Market Manager as you did at the beginning of the project. Using the 4-Wall Matrix Card you can compare your initial Store Analysis with an end analysis. This is an easy way to obtain a clear picture of the team’s development and store performance.

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