What twelve units taught me about hiring managers who stay

I have opened twelve locations and I have lost count of how many managers I have hired. For years I hired the way most operators do, for the strongest first impression and the best resume. The ones who looked best on paper were often gone inside a year. The work of replacing them quietly ate every gain we made.

Hire for the second year, not the first week

The managers who stay are rarely the flashiest in the interview. They ask about the boring parts. How does scheduling work, what happens when a shift falls apart, who do they call at 7pm. I started weighting those questions instead of being annoyed by them.

Give them one number and real authority

A manager who owns a single outcome and has the authority to move it stays engaged. A manager who is asked to babysit a checklist someone else built leaves. The systems we run now exist to give that person room, not to replace their judgment.