Global Franchise 10.3

books is Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey,” she says. “I think everyone in franchising should be required to read it. One of the ideas he talks about is the ‘four pillars of credibility’: integration, intention, capability and results. If any of those pillars are missing, relationships begin to fracture. I don’t worry when an FAC is bringing a complaint to us; I worry when they’re not talking to us, because that’s either because they think nothing will happen if they speak up, or that the franchisor doesn’t care.” “You cannot build a strong relationship without accountability, and you cannot have accountability without building a relationship,” concludes Mary. “When you state your intentions as a franchisor, you need to be able to say two things to your franchisee: “I seek your greatest good” and “I mean you no harm.” Some people say, “It’s not personal.” But it’s extremely personal!When I was a franchisee, I took all the money I had and put it into our first business. Failure wasn’t an option. So you can’t just tell your franchisees you care. You have to really care. It has to be something that keeps you up at night.” “You can’t just tell them you care. You have to really care. It has to be something that keeps you up at night.” -Mary KennedyThomson 45 GLOBAL-FRANCHISE.COM Ins ight