Founderology Forum

Founderology Forum introducing blog series: 'Developing front-line managers' leadership skills'

Dr. Felicia White's blog series will reveal results from her research study exploring the connections between front-line restaurant managers receiving training in emotional intelligence, delegation, communication and conflict management.

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May 19, 2025 by Felicia White — President, CHART

Topics in a typical front-line manager training program in the limited-service restaurant industry include hiring, employee management, restaurant technology training, customer management, inventory, safety, marketing and financial management. While these skills are all essential in managing the daily operations, they have little to do with leadership development, therefore, organizations that want to be more successful must invest in the leadership skills development of their front-line managers.

Front-line managers in any industry are expected to have strong communication skills, build and motivate their teams and solve problems. These managers directly surpervise 80% of the overall workforce.

To simplify, front-line managers are responsible for the overall customer and employee experience. Senior industry leaders agree that front-line managers are key to the overall success of the organization, however some of those same leaders note that organizations do not sufficiently invest in the development of these individuals as reported by the Harvard Business Review.

This shows us that if front-line managers do not receive proper leadership skills training and cannot effectively lead their teams, there could be an impact on the customer experience. I conducted a research study to introduce the connections between front-line quick service restaurant managers receiving training in emotional intelligence, delegation, communication, and conflict management and improvements in the overall management of the individual business unit.

This blog series, "Developing front-line managers' leadership skills," will provide an overview of the research conducted and the results of the study. I look forward to engaging with your comments and questions.

Check back next week for the first one!

Staffing

About Felicia White

Felicia White is an experienced leader in the hospitality industry, supporting individuals and businesses with achieving operations excellence, exceeding goals, and managing change. Felicia serves as a volunteer and board member with CHART (Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers), and President for the 2024-2025 service term. She also serves on the advisory board for Women in Restaurant Leadership (WiRL), and is a member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum. Felicia is also a sought after subject matter expert in Front Line Leadership Development.

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