Starbuck Academy · Grow
Franchise Leader Pathway: Site Leader
Lead your site well, inside the franchise system
A practical online programme for the people who run franchised sites. Ten short video lessons, each with a workplace task, so what you learn on a Monday shows up on the floor by Friday.
Written for franchising from the first lesson
Franchise leaders face pressures that general management training does not cover. Every lesson starts from their day-to-day reality, and every lesson ends with something to do at work that week. The programme finishes with a 90-day site leadership plan.
Who it is for
Managers running a franchised site, and owner-operators who manage staff day to day. Many have been promoted from the team they now lead, often quickly and with little training.
What you will be able to do
By the end of this programme you will be able to:
- Make the move from team member to site leader with confidence and clear boundaries
- Explain why the franchise system works and lead your site within it
- Run a well-organised shift and hold standards without micromanaging
- Recruit, induct and settle in new starters so they stay
- Give feedback people act on and handle harder conversations fairly
- Look after customers and the brand locally, and build a practical plan for your site
Ten lessons
Stepping Up: Leading the Team You Came From
Whether you took over your site last week or have been running it for a while, this lesson looks at the moment many site leaders find hardest: the day you stop being one of the team and start leading it.
Why the System Works: Leading Within a Franchise
Every franchise has its standards, its operations manual and its way of doing things.
Running a Great Shift
Most of your leadership happens one shift at a time.
Standards Without Micromanaging
Every franchise site is measured: checklists, audits, field visits, mystery shops, reviews.
Hiring and Settling In New Starters
In many franchise sites people come and go quickly, and every leaver costs time and energy.
Feedback That People Act On
Feedback is one of the simplest and most powerful tools a site leader has.
The Harder Conversations
Every leader has a conversation they have been putting off.
Keeping Good People
In many franchise sites the site leader has little say over pay or rota rules.
Customers and the Brand on Your Doorstep
To your local customers, your site is the brand.
Your Site, Your Plan
The final lesson brings everything together.
What is included
Ten short video lessons you can watch on any device, a workbook page and a practical task for every lesson, a five-question knowledge check per lesson, a certificate of completion showing 10 estimated learning hours, and 12 months’ access. Optional live group coaching with Starbuck coaches, the Leadership Diagnostic and a network report are available for franchisors rolling the programme out across their estate.
How your learning time adds up
Your 10 estimated learning hours are made up across ten lessons of about an hour each:
- Watching the ten lesson videos: about 50 minutes (about 5 minutes each)
- Reading the lesson notes and completing the workbook page: about 4 hours 10 minutes (25 minutes each)
- Planning and carrying out each weekly workplace task: about 4 hours 10 minutes (25 minutes each)
- Completing the five-question knowledge check after each lesson: about 50 minutes (5 minutes each)
Total: 10 estimated learning hours.
Knowledge checks: every lesson or module ends with a short multiple choice knowledge check. The pass mark is 80% and you can retake a knowledge check as many times as you need.
Who designed it
This programme was designed by ICF credentialed coaches at Starbuck & Associates, led by Paul Starbuck, our Founder and CEO and an ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC). Every lesson draws on our coaching and leadership development work with organisations in the UK, Europe and around the world, and each programme is reviewed regularly to keep it current.
Before you start
Some lessons touch on performance, conduct and compliance. They teach conversation skills only. Always follow your own employer’s or franchisor’s policies, and take HR, legal or financial advice on formal matters. This programme is general learning and development content and is not professional advice.
