It’s no secret that strong managers play a vital role in fostering employee engagement, impacting an organization’s success from the ground up. Despite this, many hiring teams struggling to identify what traits a strong manager should possess to drive effective engagement and retain top talent. Most of the time, the combination of innate qualities required by managers is hard to define, leaving organizations looking for someone with strong leadership skills, without making it clear what those truly entail.
Studies show that managers and employee engagement are tightly connected. Management alone accounts for 70% of employee engagement, and with employee engagement increasing profitability by 21%, managers are directly responsible for making your organization profitable, or not. Yet, the reality remains that 82% of employees are likely to leave a role solely because of poor management. These statistics only reinforce the saying, “People don’t leave companies–they leave managers.”
How Managers Drive Employee Engagement
In franchises, retail, and food service sectors, the link between managers and employee engagement is especially significant. Managers in these roles must balance operational excellence with top-notch customer service, which directly affects team morale and engagement levels. According to I/O Psychologist Robert Loy, “Hiring the right manager is about more than just finding someone with leadership experience. It’s about identifying a unique blend of adaptability, customer service, and operational skills—especially for high-pressure industries like retail and food service.”
Managers in these industries often handle diverse tasks, from balancing books to assisting front-line staff, all while navigating the demands of long hours, challenging customers, and entry-level team members. Strong onboarding, transparent communication, and comprehensive support are essential for reducing burnout and turnover, ensuring managers can consistently maintain engagement, brand integrity, and service quality.
Top Qualities That Drive Engagement
While all managers benefit from the below qualities, they are especially essential in high-pressure roles like franchise, retail, and food service, where burnout is common and keeping employees engaged and productive is critical.
Adaptability and Multitasking: Managers must juggle various tasks and responsibilities in fast-paced environments. In dynamic fields like retail and food service, they need to continually adapt, innovate, and improve to meet evolving customer needs and ensure employee retention.
Customer Service Excellence: Managers must effectively handle challenging situations while protecting the organization’s reputation. With ever-changing customer expectations, they need strong conflict resolution and communication skills to maintain brand standards and instill a customer-first mindset in their teams.
Strong Leadership: Managers should be able to motivate employees with a wide range of experience, building commitment and engagement within the team. They must lead by example, fostering a positive environment where employees feel valued and driven to excel.
Operational Know-How: They must successfully understand and manage everything from inventory and scheduling to hiring and financials. Effective managers optimize these operations to ensure smooth day-to-day functions and maximize profitability.
Cultural Fit: As the face of the organization, managers must align with organizational values and foster the desired workplace culture. They play a key role in promoting a positive atmosphere that reflects the organization’s mission and keeps employees aligned with its goals.
Effective Strategies for Hiring and Retaining High-Performing Managers
To ensure you select and retain managers who will thrive in these demanding roles and motivate their employees to do the same, consider the following strategies:
Utilize Comprehensive Assessment Tools: Effective managers possess a unique combination of innate talents and skills that make them successful. By using a mix of behavioral, cognitive, cultural, and situational assessments, organizations can gain a holistic view of each candidate’s potential and fit in the role.
Leverage Data-Driven Hiring Solutions: A data-driven approach helps eliminate bias and ensures a fair evaluation of all candidates. Organizations should use data to identify essential traits for managerial success and analyze which candidates have what it takes to thrive in the role.
Implement a Structured Interview Process: Clearly defining the competencies and traits needed for managerial roles ensures a focused and effective hiring process. Developing targeted interview questions and a standardized rating rubric helps hiring teams objectively assess which candidates align with these criteria.
Onboarding and Leadership Development Programs: Providing structured onboarding and clear development paths helps new managers integrate smoothly and grow within the company.
Conclusion
Attracting high-performing managers who can juggle operational excellence, customer service, and team leadership is a challenge–especially in high-pressure industries. But hiring managers who actively drive employee engagement yields lasting benefits, boosting productivity, morale, and profitability across your organization.
HighMatch simplifies the hiring process with data-driven assessments that provide clear insights into a candidate’s innate skills and leadership potential. Our assessments, developed in close collaboration with your team and guided by our workplace psychologists,, can also include customized situational judgement questions to reveal exactly how candidates would handle real-world scenarios relevant to your business.
Paired with our Industrial-Organizational Psychologist-led interviews, HighMatch provides a thorough evaluation of each candidate’s leadership qualities and how well they align with your organization’s values and goals. We ensure your best-fit candidates are equipped to handle the unique demands of your role.
With HighMatch, you gain the confidence to build a strong, capable team of leaders who can drive your organization, and your bottom line, forward.
