What is a General Manager?

Published
28 Jan 2020

28 Jan 2020

If you’ve got a drive for success, love the responsibility of being in charge and you are a natural born leader, a general manager position may just be for you. Although this career comes with some downsides, such as long working hours, there are many perks to this job. Managing a team and seeing great results as a consequence of your hard work is extremely rewarding.

What does a general manager do? 

A general manager has the duty of directing and coordinating a team of employees. They are responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the business. This involves delegating, coordinating, staffing, organising and decision-making. You’ll be in charge of many teams, which means ensuring staff discipline is maintained. This job role requires a lot of hard work with long working hours.

Main Responsibilities of a General Manager

So, what will your main responsibilities be as a general manager?

Duties typically include:

  • Planning, coordinating and managing business operations to achieve corporate goals
  • Assisting with budget preparations and expense management
  • Oversee and assist with the marketing plans
  • Develop strategies to improve productivity
  • Schedule regular team meetings to discuss concerns, recommendations and company updates
  • Assisting with recruitment, training, promotion and performance evaluation
  • Ensuring all employees follow procedures and policies
  • Generating company reports and sending them to management
  • Providing employees with direction and support within their job roles
  • Payroll
  • Health and safety management

What skills do General Managers need/have?

Want to know if you’ve got what it takes? These are the skills you’ll need for the role.

General managers are often the highest level employees in a business and it is important to be able to juggle a range of skills in order to become a great GM.

Firstly you’ll need to be a great natural leader. You will also need to be:

  • Highly organised
  • Responsible
  • Authoritative
  • Have great time management skills
  • Budgeting skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Highly organised
  • Responsible
  • Authoritative
  • Have great time management skills
  • Budgeting skills
  • Analytical skills

You will need to have extensive knowledge on the company and live their vision and mission every day, in order to achieve company goals and objectives. In order to be successful, it is important to be a great listener and to communicate well with the team.

What is a general manager’s salary?

Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty…

The average starting salary based on full time hours range from £25,000 to £35,000. A highly experienced general manager working with a large team can earn up to £86,000.

What’s great about being a General Manager?

Yes, being a general manager within a pub, bar, restaurant, hotel or in-fact ANY establishment is going to be tough but the hard work is sure to pay off. Getting a general manager position can be a great way to turn your current job into a career. Many general manager go on to become area managers, overseeing multiple sites. Some even move on to suit-and-tie corporate jobs. As an added bonus, your management experience can be used anywhere. Even if you decide, for instance, to go from the food service industry to the retail world, you'll be valued for your ability to lead a team.

If you can see yourself in a high-powered role like this, take the plunge.. this could be the perfect career for you!