What Are You Doing to Win Respect as the Business Heir Apparent?
If you are the heir apparent in the family business, then you can count on the fact that every eye in the business is placed squarely upon you.
You are being measured every day.
The weight of that measurement, in many ways, is unfair but nonetheless it is yours to carry.
What are your work associates, and even family members, trying to assess? There are many specific answers, but generally, what people are looking for is your ability to carry the heavy load as chief leader!
In the corporate American, CEO is a coveted title—Chief Executive Officer. Much is written about what makes a successful CEO but one sure quality necessary for success in this role is Leadership.
Are your shoulders wide enough to carry the essential role as Chief Company Leader?
Leadership comes somewhat naturally to some, but most of us must work at it.
For heir-apparents, what people are quietly assessing, before you become Chief Company Leader, are predictors for your leadership success. It will include, among many items too long to list here, some of the following:
Work Ethic
- Do you get to work on time or early every day, or do you roll in thirty minutes or an hour after everyone else is starting?
- Do you work a full week, or are you golfing every other afternoon starting at 2:00?
- Do you have meaningful job assignments where people count on your output, or are you dusting up the easy stuff that is needed but not critical to your company’s success?
- Do you work through lunch, with a brown bag sandwich, or are you off every day eating lunch on the company card?
- Do you put in a few hours early Saturday morning, or are you sleeping in every weekend and never thinking about work until mid-Monday-morning?
This stuff gets measured big time! If you think the A/P clerk is not talking about your lunch money you would be wrong.
The good news here is that hard work, especially when your company peers see it in action, works magic to overcome inexperience and natural fears that come with the lonely spot on top.
Respectable work ethic is sometimes all you need to win your company employee’s respect.
How do you handle stress?
- Are you emotionally engaged in the company struggles, or are you unaware of the mood in the office?
- Can you handle constructive criticism from your Father or others without becoming angry or withdrawn, or do you quietly complain about your Father’s choices behind his back?
- Can you deal with angry customers, or do you always give that burden to others in your company to manage because, “That ain’t your job?”
- Can you manage conflict, fire or layoff employees or discipline employees, or do you leave that heavy work to others?
- Can you go to work when the chips are down and work hard, or are you paralyzed by fear of failure?
Again, your siblings, your father, your company employees are watching closely to see how you handle tough emotional issues. You won’t handle them correctly every time but being willing is good enough. Being willing to get yelled at, being willing to have hard conversations without becoming angry or defensive, being willing to show some vulnerability—all of these are critical in your leadership role.
What is your attitude at work?
- Are you positive and upbeat about the future, or are you negative about life’s journey?
- Do care deeply about the success of the company, or are you indifferent when facing upset customers or employees?
- Are you the kind of person people want to be around or avoid?
Attitude is often a choice and fake it ‘til ya make it are verses we often hear repeated—and for good reason! People have a hard time following a hater—that is just a fact!
Leadership is about convincing others that we will make things better. I like the adage, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t you are probably right!”
The bottom line is that leadership is what makes or breaks effective business owners and managers—especially in family businesses where leaders are often selected merely because they are in the family line.
Work on the three areas above and you will be shocked at how easy people will begin to think…yes, yes, this son has what it takes to keep our jobs safe and our business alive.