Double Dependency
When most people think of a business hierarchy, they usually think about their position relative to the top. A good business owner thinks about their position relative to the bottom. Not because he is on top, but because of the number of people who depend on him. You see, in business, dependency works both ways. We rely on our employees for the necessary work done to make the company great. They depend on us for their livelihood in most cases since we are their primary source of income. This dual tension is what allows most good business owners to be smart in their hirings and firings.
For those of you that do not know, firing people can be very difficult to do, even if you don't like them! It gets even harder if you do. Yet, you recognize the need the company has and allow the best things to happen to it. Even if this means removing certain members from it.
Hiring should also be difficult. We create a difficult environment in hiring to avoid difficult environments in firing. When I oversee people, I think of 2 questions in my mind. Is this company good for this employee, and is this employee good for the company? If the answer is yes to both questions, it is a very simple solution. That goes the same if the answer is no! The difficulty arises when these answers perceive to conflict. However, both of these can be resolved by asking other, more difficult questions.
What can this company do to become better for this employee? If the answer is nothing, don't worry about it. The employee might leave the company, but you have done what you need to do. If there is something that can happen, it is often a good thing to work on if you are in a position to do so.
The second question, what can this employee do to become better for the company, is one that is asked the most often, and resolved the least. How can we help our employees desire to become better? We must create a great work environment that gives them not only the desire to be there, but the desire to strive for their best - not for recognition or pay, but for the good of the company. A companies values is the sum of the employee's values, and we need to seek the right employees to create the value that we want. If these are the people we are hiring, helping them to become better is easy. And if these are not the people we are hiring, there really is only one question left: Why not?
I am in the process of starting my own LLC. One of the great things about LLC's and the one that is giving me the most difficulty is the freedom to set up the format of the company as you choose. Will I be a CEO or a president? How will my employees relate to me or fall under me? The companies success will come from this decision. I have to critically think about those employees that will depend on me, as I depend on them! I have come to the conclusion that their financial security is more important to me than them having a say in the going of the company. I am a very democratic style of leader and can allow that to help those employees run the company, but at the end of the day, they will be getting a paycheck and I will see to it that they will. This also creates another dependency. I will be getting paid only if the company is doing well, so it is in my best interest to ensure that my employees are doing well!
For those of you that do not know, firing people can be very difficult to do, even if you don't like them! It gets even harder if you do. Yet, you recognize the need the company has and allow the best things to happen to it. Even if this means removing certain members from it.
Hiring should also be difficult. We create a difficult environment in hiring to avoid difficult environments in firing. When I oversee people, I think of 2 questions in my mind. Is this company good for this employee, and is this employee good for the company? If the answer is yes to both questions, it is a very simple solution. That goes the same if the answer is no! The difficulty arises when these answers perceive to conflict. However, both of these can be resolved by asking other, more difficult questions.
What can this company do to become better for this employee? If the answer is nothing, don't worry about it. The employee might leave the company, but you have done what you need to do. If there is something that can happen, it is often a good thing to work on if you are in a position to do so.
The second question, what can this employee do to become better for the company, is one that is asked the most often, and resolved the least. How can we help our employees desire to become better? We must create a great work environment that gives them not only the desire to be there, but the desire to strive for their best - not for recognition or pay, but for the good of the company. A companies values is the sum of the employee's values, and we need to seek the right employees to create the value that we want. If these are the people we are hiring, helping them to become better is easy. And if these are not the people we are hiring, there really is only one question left: Why not?
I am in the process of starting my own LLC. One of the great things about LLC's and the one that is giving me the most difficulty is the freedom to set up the format of the company as you choose. Will I be a CEO or a president? How will my employees relate to me or fall under me? The companies success will come from this decision. I have to critically think about those employees that will depend on me, as I depend on them! I have come to the conclusion that their financial security is more important to me than them having a say in the going of the company. I am a very democratic style of leader and can allow that to help those employees run the company, but at the end of the day, they will be getting a paycheck and I will see to it that they will. This also creates another dependency. I will be getting paid only if the company is doing well, so it is in my best interest to ensure that my employees are doing well!
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