Throughout my business career I've read a number of books and articles about leadership that include works by  Peter Drucker, George Odiorne and Jack Welch. In addition, I've had the opportunity to be in management and executive positions for a  number of companies. I also worked for executives that I would follow anywhere and some who I had little respect for. This wealth of experience has helped me to formulate my principles of leadership, which haven't changed over the years. I would suggest these  practices should be employed by all who lead be they franchisors or franchisees.

These are my leadership practices:

• Identify and communicate clearly defined goals and objectives to all subordinates
• Confirm that everyone understands these goals and objectives
• Ensure that all have the knowledge, tools and resources needed to meet their individual responsibility in meeting the overall goals and objectives
• Be able to measure individual and team performance
• Identify problems before things get out of hand and communicate honestly to the employee
• Report results to everyone on a scheduled basis. Employees deserve to know how well or poorly they performed. 
• Reward success and address failure. Provide help when needed and terminate if necessary. Above all be honest when appraising performance.
• Finally, avoid getting too close to subordinates. Relationships between a manager and subordinate that become friendly will often lead to trouble when performance falls short.