Why “Helping” Isn’t Always Helpful
- jantimms3
- Apr 14
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 17
How jumping in to solve problems can backfire and what high-performing franchisee support teams do instead.
Franchisee support teams are under pressure to deliver value. Franchisees hit roadblocks. Time is short. So it’s easy, even instinctive, to step in and solve the problem on the spot.
But here’s the reality:
Fixing the problem for a franchisee might feel helpful… but it’s often the exact opposite.
In many franchise networks, support teams unintentionally take on the role of firefighters, rushing from issue to issue, solving problems that aren’t theirs to own. It looks like support. It feels like value. But over time, it creates a culture of dependency, disempowerment, and stalled performance.
By contrast, high-performing brands take a different approach. Their field teams don’t rescue, they coach. They don’t default to doing, they develop franchisee capability. They know that growth happens when franchisees are supported to think, decide, and act - not when someone steps in and does it for them.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Why the “rescue reflex” is one of the biggest hidden barriers to franchisee success
How high-performing networks coach for growth instead of solving for convenience
Practical strategies to shift your support team from helpful… to high impact
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between doing the work and building the capability.
Why Rescuing Is a Trap
Jumping in to solve franchisee problems is often driven by good intent. It feels efficient, it feels supportive and sometimes, it’s faster than coaching someone through it.
But here’s the problem: every time the field team takes over, the franchisee misses an opportunity to build capability.
What starts as a quick win can quietly create long-term setbacks.
In some franchise networks, I’ve observed support teams gradually become the unofficial fix-it crew - constantly responding to urgent requests, chasing up what franchisees haven’t done, or redoing work that was never owned properly in the first place. Over time, this pattern undermines accountability, confidence, and growth.
Instead of empowering franchisees to think critically, solve problems, and take ownership, the support team becomes a crutch.
The unintended result?
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In high-performing brands, franchisee support teams were more deliberate. They resisted the urge to jump in, even when it would have been quicker to just fix the issue themselves. Instead, they coached franchisees to reflect, prioritise, and act, building the very skills needed to reduce future reliance on support.
It wasn’t about doing less. It was about doing the right kind of support - the kind that drives self-sufficiency, not dependence.
The Difference Between Coaching and Fixing
There’s a fundamental difference between helping someone solve a problem and solving the problem for them.
Fixing is faster. Coaching takes more time. But only one of them builds capability.
In franchise networks where performance was consistently strong, franchisee support teams understood this distinction. Their job wasn’t to be the hero, it was to help franchisees become confident, capable business owners who could drive their own results.
Let’s break it down:
Fixing Looks Like... | Coaching Looks Like... |
Giving answers | Asking questions |
Solving the issue | Guiding the process |
Taking ownership of the outcome | Letting the franchisee take the lead |
Focusing on what’s urgent | Focusing on what’s important |
Doing the work | Supporting the learning |
High-performing field teams had a clear coaching mindset:
They asked before they told
They used structured tools to guide problem-solving
They didn’t jump ahead to solutions they created space for reflection and growth
They made franchisee success the franchisee’s responsibility, not theirs
This wasn’t about stepping back entirely. It was about stepping back just enough to let franchisees step forward.
In lower-performing networks, that mindset wasn’t consistently present. Franchisee support teams often felt pressure to be the source of answers, either because they had the operational experience or because franchisees expected it. But that only reinforced the dependency loop.
The shift from fixer to coach doesn’t mean doing less, it means doing differently. It’s the difference between a short-term solution and long-term growth.
What High-Performing Franchisee Support Teams Do Differently
Building a great support system is only half the equation. The other half? Making sure your team can actually deliver it.
In high-performing networks, franchisee support teams weren’t just equipped with tools - they had the capability, attitude, skills, and knowledge (CASK) to use them well.
Here’s a framework to help achieve that:
1. Identify the CASK Gaps Before Launching |
Before expecting franchisee support teams to coach franchisees, take stock of where your team is at. That means assessing:
Capability – Do they have the foundational strengths to coach rather than just check compliance?
Attitude – Do they believe in the system and see franchisee growth as their mission?
Skills – Can they ask powerful questions, guide conversations, and support change?
Knowledge – Do they know what “great” looks like in your franchise — and how to help others get there?
Don’t assume the team is ready. Observe, listen, and build capability development into the system design from day one.
2. Use the System to Strengthen the Team |
The Franchisee Success System isn’t just a framework for franchisees, it’s also a development opportunity for your support team.
Many teams already have deep operational knowledge, but may need support in areas like:
Translating knowledge into coaching conversations
Using planning tools confidently in live settings
Managing resistance or shifting franchisee mindsets
Applying commercial understanding to improve business performance
Build this capability before launching the system at scale, not after it falters!
Create safe spaces for practice. Use internal roleplays. Debrief after visits. Encourage knowledge sharing across the team. The stronger your support team becomes, the more consistent the franchisee experience will be.
3. Define the Role and Reinforce the Purpose |
Franchisee support is not about being helpful. It’s about driving performance.
Make it clear: their role is to coach franchisees through the system, build confidence, and guide them to deliver results.
Job titles can help signal this shift. Some networks have reframed the role as Franchisee Success Coach or Franchisee Success Manager — sending a clear message that their purpose is commercial, not just relational.
But titles only matter if the behaviour follows. Reinforce the mindset in every team meeting, training session, and planning conversation. Equip your support team to lead not chase, fix, or carry franchisees.
Value the Franchisee Support Role or Risk Losing It
You can have the best system in the world but if your franchisee support team doesn’t feel valued, it won’t deliver at the level your network needs.
Field support is one of the most critical and most challenging roles in franchising. Yet, my research showed a consistent theme: it’s often undervalued, under-supported, and misunderstood.
Franchisee support professionals often operate solo, navigating complexity on the ground while balancing expectations from both the mothership and the starship pilots. When they don’t feel seen or appreciated, morale drops, results stall, and the risk of “going native” increases (where their connection with franchisees outweighs their connection with the franchisor).
This isn’t about loyalty. It’s about belonging.
If you want to retain top talent, boost effectiveness, and create true commercial impact, you need to:
Invest in their development
Acknowledge their wins
Recognise the role they play in every Five Star achievement
Celebrate them as part of the performance result as well as the franchisee
Intentional communication matters here. Check in weekly. Ask about visits. Invite their input into how the Franchisee Success System is working. Adjust based on their feedback - because they’re the ones actually using it!
And when a franchisee reaches Five Star status? Celebrate it as a shared win. It’s just as much a reflection of the support team’s effort as it is the franchisees.
If you want to create Five Star Franchisees, start by building and backing Five Star franchisee support teams.
Final Thought: Systems Don’t Deliver Success - People Do
The Franchisee Success System isn’t just a toolkit. It’s a high-impact rhythm that relies on the people delivering it.
And that means:
Identifying and addressing CASK gaps
Coaching with clarity, not rescuing by default
Defining the purpose of the franchisee support role and backing it with action
Valuing and recognising your franchisee support team as key drivers of network performance
If you want to create more successful franchisees, start by building the team who can make it happen!
If your support team is flat out but not focused or if you’re about to launch a new system and want to get it right the first time let’s catch up. |
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