A family member fails to do their job at the expected level of performance, has a poor attitude, and behaves in a manner inconsistent with the family’s and the business’s core values.
They’ve been told their behavior is inappropriate, but what can be done to a family member?
At a different business, one of the employees does their job well, but is hard to work with, speaks inappropriately to coworkers and disrespects the leadership of the business.
Whenever someone confronts leadership about the issue, the answer is always the same: “I know they are hard to work with, but they will be hard to replace. We can’t afford to lose them.”
Both of these situations have gone on for years. The individuals have been “spoken to” about their behavior, but no change has occurred.
While some people might casually say that the situations are “mismanaged,” in a business sense, these are examples of a failure of leadership.
Management vs. leadership
In a business environment, management can be defined as “the process of accomplishing business goals through people and other resources.” A manager’s focus is on business goals and making the most of the available resources. Without this skill, the business will eventually succumb to inefficiencies, lack of production and dwindling profits.
By contrast, leadership in business is “the process of accomplishing goals through vision and personal influence.” See the difference? Business goals are still the main priority, but a leader’s focus is on the company’s long-term vision and their personal interactions with people. They not only seek what is best for the company but also want employees to reach their full potential.
When efforts to modify employee behavior fail, leaders must take deliberate action and not allow problems to persist. Leaders must lead. Family members and employees in the business watch to see how the leader responds to situations that affect them directly. When a behavior is first noticed and reported to a manager, if the behavior doesn’t change, the employees lose faith in the manager. If the situation continues unabated, eventually, employees lose faith in leadership.
Influence, integrity and humility
Leaders must be consistent in behavior, attitude, decisions and strategies, and ensure that they align with the company’s core values. Any deviation from this consistency reduces the trust and confidence that the managers and employees have in their leaders.
When asking groups of individuals about the traits of people who influence them, some of the most common responses are: wise, knowledgeable, experienced, see me as an individual, respected by others, humble, consistent, easy to trust and willing to confront me about things they see that I need to change, rather than just say the things I want to hear. Developing these traits is essential for developing influence.
Integrity is built by following through on the things one says they plan to do. Leaders with integrity don’t just stay aligned with the core values — their entire life is a prime example of all their values. They do the right thing regardless of the personal cost to themselves, or the financial cost to the business.
Humility is best defined as “a mindset that is focused on the needs of others rather than status, position or power.” Humble people define success as a collective pursuit rather than individual accomplishments.
Employees are tired of prideful, self-centered, egotistical leaders who don’t acknowledge the contributions of their people. A lack of humility in leaders makes it very difficult for most employees to be good followers, or to even desire to be a part of that team.
Leaders have to make difficult decisions for the benefit of the company, family, customers and employees. And they have to consistently do so with integrity and humility. Leaders who lack humility, integrity or the ability to affect changes will lose the trust of employees, managers and family members.
A leader who can successfully navigate difficult situations, including discipline, with the right attitude will gain respect and loyalty from their people and be able to influence their business in the right direction.