Franchisees who routinely threaten or attempt to take the Franchise off its chosen course are more than a nuisance. They are actually in effect saboteurs. Not only do they sabotage the well-considered direction of the company but also the precious people resources that are relied upon to propel the company forward on its chosen journey.

I regard these “loose canons” as being similar to children who are constantly vying for attention…threatening to “throw their toys out of their cot” unless they are allowed to have their own way.

At company conferences, they are often the loud opinionated “show stealers”. Where national promotions are concerned, if they don’t agree with the product mix or price points that have been determined then you can be sure that they will broadcast their dissatisfaction throughout the company – and the same reaction can be expected from these people where conference agendas that they disagree with are concerned.

A Board of Directors – in conjunction with the CEO – needs to weigh-up the time/ effort/ financial cost of managing the disruptive behavior of such a Franchisee versus the Franchisee’s contribution towards the operation of the company and the brand awareness/ market penetration that the given Franchise business unit has achieved; and at some point make the decision to either persevere with managing the difficult individual or bring the Franchise relationship to an end.

I suggest that these “weighing-up” decisions are not procrastinated, for if the unwanted disruptive behavior endures this can adversely impact the forward movement of a company as governance finds itself being pulled into the dilemma – and away from considering more positive situations/ opportunities which have the potential to benefit the vast majority of Franchisees.

Helpful Hint –

To minimize the disruption that can be caused by a “hot headed” or highly vocal Franchisee in a conference forum, I have found that by inviting the individual to air their views in a Board meeting forum works wonders to diffuse the intensity of their emotional charge.