General Manager Responsibilities

Tap to Read ➤ Stephen Rampur

General managers devise strategies and policies for the effective functioning of the organization. The GM has to make sure that all departments and practices are working as anticipated by the company's annual plan.

The youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball is, Theo Epstein who held the position for Boston Red Sox at the age of 28.

The post of a general manager (GM) is one of the most significant in the top management of a company. Whichever industry he works in, his main responsibility is to manage and supervise all aspects of the company as a whole.

Normally, a GM has to report to and work under the supervision of the Vice President (VP) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO), depending on the top level hierarchy of the organization. In some cases, the company president or the CEO may as well carry out the duties of a general manager.

General Responsibilities

The duties mainly include managing and coordinating work of process managers working under the GM. His duties also comprise devising and planning of company policies, and discussing them with the top management for final approval. A general manager develops guidelines of operation for certain processes, which are directly under his authority.

He has to devise and set up an annual budget and fiscal plan, and present it before the board of directors. He has to prepare elaborate reports of the functioning of all the departments under his authority, and submit reports to the top management for performance review.

A general manager can even play an important part in recruiting and training the managers under him. Imparting training to new practice managers regarding how to increase employee performance, is also his responsibility.

Industry Specific Duties

Marketing

To carry out proper analysis on the market research data.

On the basis of the analysis report, to develop an effective marketing strategy that takes into account all the marketing mix aspects. To develop and maintain good customer relations. Managing and coordinating with the third party advertising and marketing agencies.

Finance

To review financial statements, sales reports, purchase reports and keep a track of the same. Analyze areas where cost cutting can be done.

To play an active role in purchase negotiations. To strengthen the company's funding base. To adhere to the company's finance policies. To conduct regular audits.

Information Technology

To keep updated with the latest MIS systems and also to train other employees. To develop and design new information systems that will help expand customer base.

To update the IT governance strategy and development process for keeping up with the market scenario. To negotiate and maintain the SLA (service-level agreement) of all the products of the firm. To conduct regular IT audits.

Hotel

To manage the overall lodging arrangements of the hotel. To initiate activities for improving customer satisfaction. To coordinate with the head chef for the catering menu and other related activities.

To ensure that the overall quality standard of the hotel is maintained. To conduct training sessions for the staff on regular basis. To closely monitor the daily financial activities.

Construction

To deal with the customers and maintain healthy relations with them. To present the company's proposal for a project and discuss it with the customer.

To monitor the construction project progress. To coordinate all the activities related to the project. To monitor the inflow of the raw materials needed for the project.

Production\Manufacturing

To plan the monthly production activities and monitor them. To supervise the manufacturing activities in the plant. To plan all the resources needed for timely production. To participate in the budgeting activities related to the plant. To coordinate with the other departments.

Skills and Salary

Skills

A GM should obligatorily have prerequisites such as good leadership and management skills, business communication skills, etc.

He also needs to be a quick, but cognitive thinker and decision maker. Problem solving skills are a must in handling complex responsibilities. He has to handle a lot of stress, while handling the overall management of the organization.

Salary

The salary of these top level executives undoubtedly makes a place in the higher range, and depends on how big the company is and what all operations are being handled. The mean annual salary estimate of a general manager as per Bureau of Labor Statistics is $100,410 , as of May 2017 .

The level of expertise, experience in management and industry are very crucial factors in determining the remuneration. Moreover, with the basic pay, GMs are also eligible for other benefits meant for top management personnel.