Employee Guide

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

JOB DESCRIPTION

Crew Member

Role Snapshot

  • Role Title: Crew Member
  • Reports To: Crew Lead
  • Leads: N/A (individual contributor)

Core Purpose

Your job is to get the work done right, safely, and at a good pace, following your Crew Lead’s direction. Every job Green Garden completes happens because of the hands-on work you do — this role is the foundation of everything else in the company.

Trucks, Tools & Equipment

  • Use tools and equipment correctly and safely
  • Report damage or issues right away
  • Help keep the truck and tools clean and organized
  • Follow your Crew Lead’s load/unload instructions

Operations & Job Services

  • Execute your assigned tasks (mowing, edging, bed care, pruning, irrigation checks, construction labor) exactly as trained
  • Follow the property-specific instructions your Crew Lead gives you
  • Ask questions when you’re unsure instead of guessing

Client Relationships & Communication

  • Keep a professional appearance and behavior on every property
  • Send client questions or concerns to your Crew Lead
  • Don’t answer scope, pricing, or scheduling questions with clients yourself — that’s your Crew Lead’s call

Communication & Admin

  • Clock in/out correctly
  • Follow crew procedures for breaks, job notes, and reporting issues

People & Culture

  • Participate actively in safety talks and trainings
  • Speak up with ideas to improve efficiency or quality
  • Live out Green Garden’s core values on every property — respect, reliability, care for properties

Decisions You Get to Make

  • How you pace and sequence your own tasks during the day, while staying aligned with your Crew Lead’s direction
  • When to speak up if something seems unsafe, unclear, or below standard

Go-To Guide

Go to your Crew Lead when:

  • You need direction on task order or daily assignments
  • A client asks you something beyond a simple greeting
  • Something needs sign-off on job quality at a property
  • A truck or piece of equipment needs diagnosis or repair

What You Own vs. What You Support

Task assignment, daily sequencing across the crew, client communication beyond a greeting, quality sign-off, and equipment repair decisions all belong to your Crew Lead (and Shop, for repairs). Your job is to execute well and flag what needs attention — not to make those calls yourself.

Growing in This Role

Area Where most people start Where you want to get to
Task executionDoing the task correctly when someone’s watchingDoing it correctly every time, watched or not
PaceKeeping up, but needing direction to stay on paceSelf-pacing and moving to the next task without being told
Tool careUsing tools without damaging themNoticing a tool getting dull, loose, or worn and flagging it before it fails
Following instructionsFollowing instructions as givenAsking a clarifying question before starting when something’s unclear, instead of guessing
SafetyFollowing safety rules when remindedCatching an unsafe situation and speaking up before it becomes an incident
Property careNot damaging the propertyTreating every property like a client could walk outside any second
TeamworkDoing your own jobHelping a teammate catch up, sharing what you noticed on a property, speaking up in safety talks
ReliabilityShowing up and doing the jobShowing up early, ready, and being someone your Crew Lead doesn’t have to double-check
GrowthStaying in your lanePicking up new skills, cross-training, becoming someone who could step into a Crew Lead role one day

What separates the two columns is initiative and consistency. Growing in this role means turning “doing what I’m told” into “doing what’s needed before I’m told” — without stepping on your Crew Lead’s calls.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Crew Lead

Role Snapshot

  • Role Title: Crew Lead
  • Reports To: Route Supervisor 
  • Leads: Crew Members assigned to your crew

Core Purpose

You’re the on-site owner of your crew’s truck, tools, people, and service quality at every property. Your job is to make sure each job gets done right the first time, on schedule, and safely — without needing the office or a supervisor standing next to you. You’re Green Garden’s front line for quality control and client experience, and how you run your crew is what clients actually experience day to day.

Trucks, Tools & Equipment

  • Do pre-trip and post-trip inspections on your assigned truck and trailer, every day
  • Verify all required tools and materials are loaded before you leave the yard
  • Keep tools organized and taken care of throughout the day — treat them like they’re yours, because how you treat them is how long they last
  • Report truck, or equipment issues to your Route Supervisor or Shop as soon as you notice them, not after they fail
  • Keep the truck’s interior and exterior clean

Operations & Job Services

  • Lead your crew through the full job checklist at each property — mowing pattern, edging, bed care, pruning standards, irrigation checks, construction tasks
  • Do an end-of-visit walkthrough at every property to confirm quality and that the property is left ready, before you leave
  • Adjust task order and pacing in the field to keep your crew on schedule without cutting quality
  • If something didn’t get finished at a property — whether it’s a task, a callback item, or something that needs a follow-up visit — make sure it’s communicated and doesn’t just get lost. Note what’s outstanding, why, and what needs to happen on the next visit so nothing falls through the cracks between you, the office, and the client.

Client Relationships & Communication

  • Handle polite, professional on-site interactions — greetings, simple questions, quick status updates
  • Escalate client concerns, scope changes, or complaints to your Route Supervisor or Account Manager, following protocol
  • Don’t commit to scope changes or pricing on-site — that’s not your call to make in the field

Communication & Admin

  • Clock your crew in/out and keep times and notes accurate in LMN
  • Submit end-of-day reports
  • Report incidents — safety, damage, access issues — to your Route Supervisor or Production Manager immediately
  • Know LMN well enough that it’s second nature: job notes, time tracking, and reporting shouldn’t slow you down or create gaps the office has to chase
  • Keep your Route Supervisor and the office in the loop — on progress, on problems, and on anything that isn’t done so nobody downstream is caught off guard

People & Culture

  • Train your Crew Members on company techniques and standards
  • Assign tasks based on skill level
  • Model Green Garden’s core values and address minor behavior issues on the spot
  • Escalate serious behavior issues to your Route Supervisor or managers
  • Be the leader your crew actually follows — not just because you’re in charge, but because you set the pace, hold the standard, and show up the way you want your crew to show up
  • Live out Green Garden’s values in how you run your day, not just when someone’s watching — respect, reliability, and care for the properties you work on

Decisions You Get to Make

  • Assign daily roles within your crew — who mows, trims, prunes, runs irrigation, handles specific tasks
  • Decide when work is “done” at a property according to standard
  • Decide whether to stay longer at a property or flag it for more time on a future visit
  • Handle routine on-site client questions without escalating

Go-To Guide

Go to your Crew Lead when:

  • You need direction on something outside your crew’s day-to-day
  • A client concern, scope question, or complaint comes up that you can’t resolve on-site
  • Something needs escalation — safety, HR, or equipment beyond a basic issue report

What You Own vs. What You Support

Client scope changes, pricing, and complaint resolution belong to your Route Supervisor or Account Manager. Route planning and scheduling across properties is your Route Supervisor’s call. Serious HR or disciplinary decisions go to your Route Supervisor or Harold. Truck and equipment repair decisions beyond reporting the issue belong to Shop or your Route Supervisor. Your job is to run your crew and your day well, flag what needs attention, and escalate fast when something’s outside your lane — not to make those calls yourself.

Growing in This Role

AreaWhere most people startWhere you want to get to
Job PacingFinishing the route, sometimes running late or rushing the last stopReading the day early and adjusting task order or staffing so the whole route lands on time without cutting quality
WalkthroughsDoing a walkthrough because it’s requiredCatching the issue a client would have called about, before leaving the property
Client InteractionsAnswering questions when asked

Proactively flagging a small issue to the client before it becomes a complaint, then reporting it in

EscalationEscalating everything, or escalating nothing and trying to handle it aloneKnowing the line, handling what’s yours, escalating fast and with the right detail when it’s not
Crew DevelopmentAssigning tasks based on who’s availableAssigning tasks to build skill, cross-training your crew, and knowing who’s ready for more responsibility
EquipmentReporting something is broken after it failsCatching wear and small issues on pre-trip before they become a breakdown mid-route
DocumentationClocking in/out with notes that are minimal or lateNotes that are accurate, timely, and specific enough that your Route Supervisor never has to ask “what happened here”
StandardsMeeting the SOPHolding the SOP even when short-staffed, behind schedule, or the client isn’t watching
OwnershipTreating the truck and crew as today’s assignmentTreating the truck, tools, and crew as your own operation — and it shows in condition and consistency

The differentiator isn’t extra tasks. It’s judgment. Growing in this role means making this same list of responsibilities look effortless, because you’re seeing problems a day early instead of reacting to them after the fact.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Route Supervisor

Role Snapshot

  • Role Title: Route Supervisor
  • Reports To: Production Manager 
  • Leads: Multiple crews (through their Crew Leads) within an assigned division or area

Core Purpose

This role makes sure assigned routes run on time and to Green Garden standards every day, and is the first line of field support when crews have access, equipment, or service questions. The Route Supervisor owns how routes are run in the field — this isn’t a ride-along role.

Role Responsibilities

Daily Route Execution

  • Makes sure crews follow the planned route order unless adjusted for operational reasons
  • Confirms all required services are completed on each property according to SOP and property notes in LMN
  • Monitors route progress and makes small adjustments — swapping property order, combining crews, redirecting support — to keep routes safe and on schedule
  • Flags any route that’s clearly falling behind and coordinates with the Production Manager on a recovery plan

Role Responsibilities

Field support and problem-solving

  • Is the first contact when a crew has access issues — locked gates, parked cars, hazards, a client on site
  • Helps crews resolve equipment or truck issues in the field, including basic troubleshooting and safe temporary workarounds
  • Supports service questions on site — irrigation controller settings, complex pruning decisions, unusual conditions on construction jobs
  • Decides when a crew can solve a problem with coaching versus when it needs to go to the Production Manager
  • Decides when to notify the Account Manager because client expectations, scope, or commitments are affected

Role Responsibilities

Trucks, tools, and equipment (in the field)

  • Does regular spot-checks on truck and trailer organization, load-out order, cleanliness, and securement
  • Checks fuel levels before and during routes to prevent avoidable delays
  • Inspects tool condition for assigned crews and makes sure critical tools are present
  • Enforces vehicle and equipment policies — safe parking, fueling, securing loads, pre-trip checks
  • Corrects unsafe or non-compliant behavior immediately, and documents repeated or serious non-compliance with dates and specifics

Role Responsibilities

Client touchpoints (on site)

  • Represents the company professionally when approached by a client on site
  • Answers simple service questions and confirms planned work based on SOP and job notes
  • Captures requested changes or concerns and relays them same-day through the right channel
  • Immediately informs the Production Manager when a property can’t be serviced as planned, with facts and a proposed alternative

Role Responsibilities

People, coaching, and culture

  • Coaches Crew Leads on route flow, time management, sequencing, client communication, and standards enforcement
  • Coaches Crew Members on technique, pace, and safety/property-care expectations
  • Models the standard for uniforms, appearance, language, safety, and respect for client property
  • Watches for morale and dynamics on each crew, and reports early signs of conflict, burnout, or disengagement to the Production Manager

Decisions This Role Makes

  • Makes small, same-day route changes — reordering properties, combining crews, trimming non-critical tasks — within Production Manager guidelines
  • Decides when a crew solves a problem on their own versus when it needs to involve the Production Manager or Account Manager
  • Decides on site whether work meets standard and is complete, or whether a crew needs to redo or finish tasks before leaving

Go-To Guide

Go to this role when:

  • You’re a Crew Lead or crew member with a problem or question affecting today’s route or properties
  • You need guidance on completing a specific task per SOPs and company expectations
  • You notice recurring issues with truck organization, equipment readiness, or safety habits

What this role supports but doesn't own

Final weekly schedule design, staffing assignments, and route creation across divisions belong to the Production Manager. Ongoing client relationship, pricing, contract scope, and renewal decisions belong to the Account Manager — though field input from this role matters there. This role’s job is to run routes well in real time and feed the right information upward, not to make those bigger calls.

Growing in This Role

AreaWhere most people startWhere you want to get to
Route monitoring

Checking in when a crew calls with a problem

Tracking progress across all routes proactively and catching a route falling behind before the crew even flags it
Problem-solving

Solving the problem in front of them

Solving the problem and fixing the pattern so it doesn’t recur across other crews

Escalation JudgmentEscalating late, after the issue has already cost time or damaged the relationshipEscalating early with clear facts, so the Production Manager or Account Manager has room to act instead of react
Coaching Crew LeadsCorrecting mistakes when they happenBuilding Crew Leads who catch their own mistakes, and knowing which Crew Lead is ready for more responsibility
Equipment and Truck ChecksDoing spot-checks when scheduledNoticing the small stuff — a dull blade, a disorganized trailer — before it becomes a delay or a safety issue
Client InteractionsHandling the client politely and moving onHandling the client, capturing the detail accurately, and closing the loop same-day so nothing falls through
DocumentationReporting issues after they’ve already repeatedDocumenting the first instance with dates and specifics, so patterns are visible before they become a real problem
Morale and CultureNoticing tension after it boils overReading early signs of burnout or conflict on a crew and getting ahead of it with the Production Manager
Ownership Across RoutesManaging the route they’re standing onThinking across all routes at once, moving people and resources where they’re needed most that day

The differentiator is proactive field intelligence. Growth in this role means thinking one property and one crew ahead of where the Route Supervisor physically is, instead of reacting to whichever crew calls first.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Account Manager

Role Snapshot

  • Role Title: Account Manager
  • Reports To: General Manager
  • Leads: No direct reports; informal leadership over crews assigned to their book of business (via Production Manager); works closely with Production Manager, Route Supervisors, Crew Leads, Construction Foremen, and admin team

Core Purpose

This role is the primary relationship owner for an assigned portfolio of clients, making sure their properties receive the level of care, communication, and quality Green Garden is known for. The Account Manager protects retention and growth by aligning client expectations with what production can deliver, and by proactively recommending improvements to client landscapes.

Role Responsibilities

Client relationships and communication

  • Serves as the single point of contact for assigned clients, responding promptly to emails, calls, and messages
  • Maintains a calm, professional presence with high-touch homeowners
  • Builds long-term relationships by understanding each client’s property goals and aesthetic preferences
  • Checks in regularly, not only when there’s a problem
  • Communicates upcoming services, schedule changes, seasonal recommendations, and project status proactively

Role Responsibilities

Property walks, quality, and plant health

  • Performs regular property inspections on key accounts and representative sites, focusing on quality, plant health, and seasonal needs
  • Documents findings (photos, notes, punch lists) and reviews them with the Production Manager and Crew Leads
  • Uses horticultural knowledge to recommend plant care, replacements, and enhancements suited to Seattle’s climate and the client’s garden style

Role Responsibilities

Scope, contracts, and renewals

  • Understands contract scope and frequency for each property and ensures work orders reflect what was sold
  • Participates in renewal discussions, protecting pricing integrity and margin while aligning scope with actual property needs
  • Flags scope creep or under-scoped properties early and proposes adjustments rather than letting quality slip

Role Responsibilities

Coordination with production

  • Translates client expectations and property needs into clear directives for the Production Manager and Route Supervisors (notes, photos, priorities)
  • Meets regularly with the Production Manager to review upcoming work, special requests, and properties needing extra attention
  • Coordinates a specific recovery plan with production when issues arise (missed items, damage, dissatisfaction) and communicates it clearly to the client

Role Responsibilities

Enhancements and growth

  • Identifies enhancement opportunities (bed re-work, hardscape additions, lighting, irrigation upgrades, seasonal color) during property walks and client conversations
  • Prepares or coordinates estimates and proposals, presents them to clients, and follows up to close the work
  • Partners with Construction Foremen and the Production Manager to ensure sold enhancements are scheduled, installed, and closed out smoothly

Role Responsibilities

Admin, budgeting, and reporting

  • Keeps organized records in CRM/LMN: client details, property notes, proposals, approvals, issues, and follow-ups
  • Reviews billing, extra billable work, and credits for assigned accounts, helping resolve discrepancies promptly
  • Monitors job costs and productivity on key accounts, discussing patterns with the General Manager and Production Manager when profitability or service level is at risk

Role Responsibilities

Leadership and culture

  • Models Green Garden’s communication and professionalism standards
  • Coaches Crew Leads on how to interact with clients on site
  • Provides performance input on crews and leads based on client feedback and property results, helping identify high-potential team members
  • Participates in seasonal planning meetings and shares field/client insights that should shape operations or service offerings
  •  

Decisions this role makes

  • Decides how often to physically visit each property in the portfolio and which accounts require higher-touch attention
  • Decides when concerns can be handled via simple crew adjustments versus when they require formal changes (scope, price, schedule) or escalation to the General Manager
  • Chooses which enhancement opportunities to pursue and how to prioritize them across the portfolio for client impact and profitability

Go-To Guide

Go to your Account Manager when:

  • A client has a question, concern, or request about their property, scope, or billing
  • A property may need an enhancement, renewal conversation, or scope adjustment
  • Production needs client context (goals, preferences, history) before making a call in the field

What this role supports but doesn't own

Day-to-day route execution and crew scheduling belong to the Route Supervisor and Production Manager. Final staffing and weekly schedule design across divisions belong to the Production Manager. Field-level equipment, truck, and safety enforcement belong to the Route Supervisor and Crew Lead. This role’s job is to own the client relationship and feed the right context into production — not to run the field day-to-day.

Growing in This Role

AreaWhere most people startWhere you want to get to
Client ContactResponding promptly when a client reaches outReaching out first, before the client notices a problem or has to ask
Property WalksWalking the property, noting what’s wrongWalking the property and connecting what’s wrong to a recommendation, a schedule fix, or a proactive client conversation
RenewalsRenewing at existing scope and price

Using the renewal to right-size scope, protect margin, and surface enhancement opportunities in one conversation

Scope ProtectionNoticing scope creep after it’s already cost marginCatching scope drift early and correcting it before it becomes a pattern or a client argument
Production CoordinationPassing along client requestsFraming requests with enough context and priority that production can act without a follow-up question
EnhancementsWaiting for the client to ask about a projectSpotting the opportunity during a routine walk and bringing a proposal before the client thinks to ask
Issue RecoveryApologizing and passing the issue to productionBuilding the recovery plan, setting the timeline, and closing the loop with the client personally
Portfolio ManagementTreating every account the sameKnowing which accounts are high-touch, which are stable, and allocating time accordingly
Team DevelopmentReporting crew feedback when askedProactively flagging a Crew Lead or crew member who’s earning trust with clients, feeding growth conversations before HR asks

The differentiator is anticipation. A high-performing Account Manager is managing the relationship ahead of the client’s next question, not responding to it after the fact.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Production Manager

Role Snapshot

  • Role Title: Production Manager
  • Reports To: General Manager
  • Leads: Route Supervisors, Crew Leads, Construction Foremen

Core Purpose

This role owns field production across all divisions — mowing, maintenance, irrigation, construction — and turns sold work into safe, efficient, high-quality execution. The Production Manager is accountable for how the entire field operation runs day to day, not just individual routes or crews.

Role Responsibilities

Production planning and scheduling

  • Builds weekly and daily schedules for all field crews
  • Designs and adjusts routes and crew assignments
  • Decides reschedules for weather, callouts, or breakdowns

Role Responsibilities

Field execution

  • Leads daily huddles, safety talks, and skill training meetings
  • Ensures crews are following company standards before, during, and after jobs
  • Ensures crews leave prepared and understand each job/task
  • Directs daily moves — who goes where, when, and with what
  • Leads recovery plans for missed work or delays

Role Responsibilities

Quality and standards

  • Sets and maintains service standards and SOPs
  • Runs site inspections, ride-alongs, and audits
  • Owns operational fixes for quality issues and callbacks

Role Responsibilities

Crew performance

  • Leads Route Supervisors, Crew Leads, and Foremen
  • Runs safety and production huddles and seasonal refreshers
  • Recommends promotions, demotions, and role changes

Role Responsibilities

Trucks, trailers, and equipment

  • Assigns vehicles, trailers, and key equipment to crews
  • Ensures daily checks, proper load-out, and fueling
  • Coordinates repairs and adjusts routes when assets are down

Role Responsibilities

Safety

  • Enforces field safety rules and PPE use
  • Leads toolbox talks and safety reminders
  • Investigates incidents and near-misses and implements corrections

Role Responsibilities

Systems and reporting

  • Ensures LMN time, job notes, and production data are accurate
  • Tracks labor vs. estimate, rework, overtime, and route performance
  • Uses data to adjust routes, training, and staffing

Role Responsibilities

Cross-team coordination

  • Serves as the operations counterpart to Account Managers
  • Provides status updates and field solutions for client issues
  • Communicates changes clearly to crews and office

Decisions this role makes

  • Builds and adjusts the schedule and route design across all divisions
  • Decides same-day recovery plans when a route, crew, or job falls behind
  • Decides operational fixes for recurring quality issues or callbacks
  • Recommends promotions, demotions, or role changes for field leadership

Go-To Guide

Go to this role when:

  • You need a schedule or route change
  • You need clarity on how a job should be executed
  • You need help with a field issue, safety concern, or equipment problem
  • You’re a Crew Lead or Route Supervisor needing feedback or direction

What this role supports but doesn't own

Client renewals, pricing changes, and upsell decisions belong to Account Managers. Company-level strategy, budgets, and structure belong to the General Manager/Owner. This role’s job is to run field production well and feed the right information to those decisions — not to make the client- or company-level call itself.

Growing in This Role

Area Where most people start Where you want to get to
Scheduling Building a workable schedule each week Building a schedule that absorbs a callout or breakdown without the whole day falling apart
Recovery Plans Reacting when a route falls behind Seeing it coming from the data and repositioning crews before it becomes a missed property
Quality Control Fixing the callback in front of them Tracing the callback to its root cause and fixing the pattern across all crews, not just the one job
Crew Leadership Managing Route Supervisors and Crew Leads Developing them, and being able to name who’s ready for more responsibility before HR asks
Equipment and Assets Reacting when a truck goes down Tracking asset health across the fleet and scheduling around known risks before they cause a delay
Safety Running the required toolbox talks Using near-misses and data to change behavior before there’s an actual incident
Data Use Reviewing labor vs. estimate after the fact Using labor vs. estimate, overtime, and rework data weekly to adjust routes and staffing proactively
Client Coordination Answering Account Manager requests Anticipating what Account Managers will need and getting ahead of the field-side answer
Cross-division View Managing each division separately Seeing where a crew, truck, or piece of equipment from one division can solve a problem in another
The differentiator is systems-level foresight. A high-performing Production Manager is running the whole field operation from the data and the pattern, not from whichever fire is loudest that day.

JOB DESCRIPTION

General Manager

Role Snapshot

  • Role Title: General Manager
  • Reports To: Owner (Derrick Chu)
  • Leads: Production Manager, Account Managers, and (indirectly, through them) Route Supervisors, Crew Leads, Construction Foremen, and admin team

Core Purpose

This role owns the overall performance of Green Garden’s operations, holding Production and Account Management accountable to a single set of standards, and translating ownership’s goals into a functioning, profitable business day to day. The General Manager exists so the Owner doesn’t have to run daily operations directly.

Role Responsibilities

Department accountability

  • Holds the Production Manager accountable for schedule, quality, safety, and crew performance
  • Holds Account Managers accountable for client retention, renewals, and portfolio growth
  • Resolves conflicts between production capacity and client commitments before they reach the Owner
  • Sets department-level goals and reviews performance against them regularly

Role Responsibilities

Company performance and profitability

  • Owns revenue, gross margin, and labor efficiency across all divisions
  • Reviews financial and production data (job costing, labor vs. estimate, overtime, AR) and directs corrective action
  • Makes or approves pricing, staffing, and resource decisions that affect company profitability
  • Flags material financial or operational risk to the Owner early, with options, not just problems

Role Responsibilities

Staffing and organizational structure

  • Approves hiring, promotions, and terminations for management-level roles (Production Manager, Account Managers, Route Supervisors, Foremen)
  • Owns org structure decisions: adding roles, dividing territories, restructuring reporting lines
  • Ensures compensation, scorecards, and role clarity stay current across the company
  • Steps in on serious HR or disciplinary matters escalated from Production or Account Management

Role Responsibilities

Cross-functional alignment

  • Ensures Production and Account Management are working from the same expectations on scope, standards, and client commitments
  • Resolves escalations that cross department lines — a client issue with a production root cause, a staffing issue with a client impact
  • Runs or oversees regular leadership meetings to keep divisions coordinated
  • Makes the final call when Production and Account Management disagree on a client or crew decision

Role Responsibilities

Systems, standards, and continuous improvement

  • Owns company-wide SOPs, standards, and the systems that support them (LMN, QBO, HubSpot, Slack workflows)
  • Identifies operational gaps or inefficiencies and directs the fix, whether that’s a process, a tool, or a training gap
  • Reviews recurring issues (callbacks, overtime, turnover, AR aging) for root cause, not just symptoms
  • Champions adoption of new tools, processes, or programs across the company

Role Responsibilities

Culture and leadership

  • Models company core values and expects the same from every manager
  • Coaches the Production Manager and Account Managers directly, and ensures they’re coaching their own teams
  • Owns the performance review and scorecard process at the leadership level
  • Protects company culture during growth, seasonal pressure, and staffing changes

Decisions this role makes

  • Approves hiring, promotion, and termination decisions for management-level roles
  • Makes the final call when Production and Account Management priorities conflict
  • Decides how to allocate resources (staffing, equipment, budget) across divisions
  • Decides which operational or systems problems get fixed now versus scheduled for later
  • Decides what gets escalated to the Owner versus handled at the GM level

Go-To Guide

Go to this role when:

  • Production and Account Management are in conflict and need a final decision
  • A management-level hiring, promotion, or termination decision is needed
  • A company-wide process, system, or standard needs to change
  • A problem has crossed department lines or has real financial or reputational risk

What this role supports but doesn't own

Company ownership decisions, long-term strategy, and capital investment belong to the Owner. Day-to-day route execution and field-level crew direction belong to the Production Manager. Individual client relationships and account-level decisions belong to Account Managers. This role’s job is to make sure those parts of the company work together and stay accountable — not to run them directly.

Growing in This Role

AreaWhere most people startWhere you want to get to
Department OversightChecking in on Production and Account Management when something goes wrongReviewing the data regularly and catching a department drifting off standard before it becomes a crisis
Conflict ResolutionLetting Production and Account Management work it out, or picking a side reactivelyMaking a clear, fast call that both sides can execute against, and explaining the reasoning
Financial OwnershipReviewing financials monthly, reacting to numbers after the fact

Using financial and production data weekly to catch margin erosion or labor drift early

Staffing DecisionsHiring and promoting based on tenure or availabilityBuilding a bench, knowing who’s ready for the next role before the seat opens up
Systems ThinkingKeeping existing SOPs and tools runningActively looking for the next process or tool gap that’s costing the company time or money
Escalation HandlingAbsorbing every escalation personallyCoaching Production and Account Management to solve more themselves, only stepping in when it’s truly cross-functional
CultureTalking about company valuesBeing the visible standard for company values, especially under pressure
Owner RelationshipReporting problems to the Owner as they happenBringing the Owner options and a recommendation, not just a list of issues
Growth ReadinessRunning today’s business wellBuilding the structure, people, and systems that let the company grow without breaking

The differentiator is ownership without ego. A high-performing General Manager runs the company like it’s theirs, catches and solves problems, and builds the bench and systems that make the business less dependent on any one person — including themselves.