Having met many family business owners, I know there are many, many ways to look at them.
We are not going to be able to take every possible look at them in this article.
What we will do here is list some of the most valuable ways to look at your family
Lovingly and critically
Then we will take a longer look in future articles. I am sure some of your looks have been quick.
While others have been long and questioning because you know your family better than we do.
Your family is not the complete story of your business, but your family is part and parcel.
Our purpose is to give you clues and let you look more. Contact us with your questions.
No family is all good or all bad
But, the bad tends to overshadow the good. Has that been your experience?
If so, this article hopes to change your focus.
Building new is more productive than repairing.
Yes, mistakes do happen. And they should be corrected in a positive and not angry way.
Because the future of a mistake-less effort is more important repairing the inaccurate past.
And kind change gets things fixed more quickly and profitably than blaming any or everyone.
Yes, those responsible for the mistake must be found and addressed.
But please do not make it a witch hunt. Make it a lesson for everyone who could do the same.
Learning makes cleaning up more fun than a sorry guilt changes anything negative to positive.
With family, you have few guilt trips available to you
Before you are the one in the doghouse.
Rather than blaming poor behavior, demonstrate how it can be done correctly, yourself.
This way you earn good points for being the one who is the critic and gives smiling rewards.
Things you can demonstrate:
- How to greet and engage customers
- How to ask a customer to wait
- How to say goodbye to those who buy nothing
- How to say goodbye to those who buy
- How to make a customer a friend
- How to hand off a customer to someone who knows more than you do
- Describing which tasks require specific and accurate behavior to perform
- How to handle a customer who calls on the phone
- How to handle a customer who has a complaint
- How you see your business changing or growing
- How to do something you are handing over for someone else to do
- How to be positive with other family or employees
- How to receive a positive yes when you ask for help
- How to approach others who need to ask for help
- How to be positive in dealing with delays or mistakes by family or employees
- How to introduce and train non-family employees
- How to build winning teams for business improvement or growth
- How to encourage a family member to be or not be in the business
- How to hire non-family members for your business
- How to fire family or non-family members
- How to be a manager of family or non-family
- How to give work appraisals to family and non-family
- What belongs in an orientation for new employees (family, non-family)
- How to hold meetings with employees
- How to deal with differences (pay, discipline) between family and non-family employees
- Reconciling disagreements between the two top decision makers in your family business
If you have other questions about how to lead in your business, we’re here for you.