What does a General Manager do?
A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.
General manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real general manager resumes:
- Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
- Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
- Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
- Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
- Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
- Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.
- Minimize monthly complaints by 55 percent by providing superior customer service and increasing punctuality.
- Spearhead implementation of POS system to improve accuracy, efficiency and speed of restaurant operations.
- Maintain facility operations including daily operations, cleanliness, hiring/training, inventory management, and client relations.
- Monitor daily operations of facilities to maintain high level of customer service, cleanliness and equipment maintenance.
- Promote to oversee comprehensive operations for the furniture manufacture, which includes oversight of sales and business development activities.
- Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
- Operate dollies and forklift when moving heavy items.
- Organize all orientation and training for all area MIT's.
- Instruct and coach kids on baseball skills to become better players and individuals.
General manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of General Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Cleanliness, and Food Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Management skills.
We break down the percentage of General Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 20%
Managed catering events personally to ensure excellent customer service to establish a catering revenue stream and increase off-season sales.
- Cleanliness, 18%
Maintained facility operations including daily operations, cleanliness, hiring/training, inventory management, and client relations.
- Food Safety, 7%
Ensured food safety procedures are executed according to company policy and health/sanitation regulations and take necessary corrective actions.
- Guest Service, 4%
Outperformed competing properties by leveraging Four- and Five-Star/Diamond rating guidelines to establish brand standards and initiatives for guest service excellence.
- Payroll, 4%
Supervised all operational activities including payroll, ordering, shipping and receiving and benefits procedures.
- Math, 4%
Train the instructors on the curriculum and how to teach Math, Science, Technology, and Engineering through robotics.
Most general managers use their skills in "customer service," "cleanliness," and "food safety" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential general manager responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a general manager to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Additionally, a general manager resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "maintain communication with district manager, loss prevention manager and corporate partners to stay abreast of company initiatives. "
Leadership skills. Many general manager duties rely on leadership skills. "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources.," so a general manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways general manager responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "created exceptional leadership team to deliver strong results in overall sales, customer service scores, and improvement in loss prevention. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain general manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a general manager rely on this skill, as "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what general managers do: "performed inventory controls, ordering, counts, and resolved loss prevention issues. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a general manager to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what general managers relies on this skill, since "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." How this skill relates to general manager duties can be seen in an example from a general manager resume snippet: "manage all aspects of store operations including a team of 25 employees in a high-volume workload and deadline-driven fast paced environment. "
The three companies that hire the most general managers are:
- MMcDonald's4,100 general managers jobs
- DDomino's Pizza3,331 general managers jobs
- TTarget2,668 general managers jobs
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Compare different general managers
General manager vs. Manager on duty
A manager on duty's role is to oversee operations in a store or a particular department, ensuring efficient workflow and workforce performance. They mainly evaluate and delegate tasks among employees, arrange schedules, set goals and budget, handle issues and concerns, and impose disciplinary actions. Moreover, a manager on duty may also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports, processing paperwork, maintaining an inventory of supplies, reporting to supervisors, coordinating with other managers, and implementing the company's policies and standards.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between general managers and manager on duty. For instance, general manager responsibilities require skills such as "cleanliness," "food safety," "math," and "ladders." Whereas a manager on duty is skilled in "safety procedures," "cpr," "front desk operations," and "sales floor." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Managers on duty earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $36,308. On the other hand, general managers are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $74,849.managers on duty tend to reach similar levels of education than general managers. In fact, managers on duty are 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.General manager vs. Multi-unit manager
A multi-unit manager is responsible for supervising multiple departments and overseeing various process sectors within an organization. Multi-unit managers handle the budget limitations for each unit, allocating adequate resources to support business functions and client requirements. They recruit and train new staff, review compensation details with the human resources department, respond to employees' concerns, and facilitate training and programs that would maximize the staff's productivity and efficiency. A multi-unit manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in determining and achieving goals for the team and ensuring the highest customer satisfaction.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real general manager resumes. While general manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "math," "ladders," "cash handling," and "punctuality," multi-unit managers use skills like "work ethic," "product knowledge," "excellent interpersonal," and "employee development."
Multi-unit managers may earn a lower salary than general managers, but multi-unit managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $63,109. On the other hand, general managers receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $74,849.In general, multi-unit managers achieve similar levels of education than general managers. They're 0.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for General Managers in the next 3-5 years?
Eric Olsen
Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business
General manager vs. Associate manager
Associate managers are responsible for overseeing the support and clerical staff of the company. They recruit and train employees who perform different tasks that include greeting customers, answering phones, and faxing documents. They also perform other duties, including keeping employees' motivation, ensuring that everyone understands the company's guidelines and policies, and supervising other staff members. To be qualified as an associate manager, one should have a high school diploma, leadership skills, and a strong work ethic. One should also have the necessary computer skills, bookkeeping skills, and customer service skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from general manager resumes include skills like "cleanliness," "food safety," "math," and "ladders," whereas an associate manager is more likely to list skills in "pet," "sales floor," "product knowledge," and "store opening. "
Associate managers earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $93,690. Comparatively, general managers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $74,849.When it comes to education, associate managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to general managers. In fact, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.General manager vs. District manager
District managers oversee the operations of a group of stores or areas covered by the assigned district. They are responsible for ensuring that the sales, marketing, quality control, and people management of their community align with the company's direction. They review the district's financial statement, draft ways to improve the district's key metrics, and mitigate any challenges that may come their way. They are also responsible for hiring store or area managers and training them to ensure that they will be significant contributors to the organization.
Types of general manager
Updated January 8, 2025
