...and Why Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Isn’t Getting You There (Part 3 of 3)

Richard Pierce Thomas
Leadership and Small Business Consultant

CONTINUING FROM PART 2 WHERE WE HEARD FROM BRIAN, THE INCOMING GENERATION IN A FAMILY MANUFACTURING BUSINESS, FRUSTRATED WITH HIS DAD’S RESISTANCE TO CHANGE. AFTER MEETING ONE ON ONE WITH BOTH, THEY AGREED TO A JOINT OFFSITE MEETING TO WORK THROUGH THE ISSUES. FOLLOWING ARE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DISCUSSIONS:

“I feel like I’ve been hitting a brick wall for the last six months. Dad fights me on everything...” “Ed, what’s your perception of Brian since he’s been back in the business?” He stared at the table for a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Entitled.”

“What do you mean by entitled?” I asked Ed immediately, not giving Brian the chance to respond.

“He wants all the perks of ownership but he doesn’t understand what it takes to be one. I worked my tail off for this business, sacrificing a lot. I don’t see the same level of commitment from him.”

I created two columns on a flip chart titled Perceptions, with Ed’s and Brian’s names as the headings. I recorded Ed’s comments in Brian’s column. “Okay, what else Ed?”

“He hasn’t gained the trust of the employees.

He’s moving so fast they can hardly keep up with him and they don’t know where we’re going. Hell, I don’t know where we’re going!”

“Is that all?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to bring this up, but…I might as well, seeing as we’re putting it all on the table,” Ed said, looking directly at Brian.

“Your mother thinks you and Crissy (Brian’s wife) don’t want us around. We haven’t seen our granddaughter in over a month. She’s pretty busted up over it but doesn’t want to say anything.”

“Oh, for crying out loud, dad!” Brian finally exploded, “just call and come on over. I can’t believe we’re talking about this,” Brian said rolling his eyes at me.

“It’s not that easy, Brian,” Ed continued.

“You know how sensitive your mother is. She can tell we’re not getting along and she gets all worked up and blames herself.”

“Like it or not,” I weighed in as I added Ed’s comments to Brian’s column, “this is reality in a family business. There are not clear lines that separate what goes on at work versus home.”

Ed nodded affirmatively while Brian fidgeted with his phone. “Is that everything Ed?”

“Yeah, that’s enough for now.”

“Okay, Brian, your turn. What’s been your perception of Ed since you’ve been back in the business.”

“He cares more about his employees’ opinions than mine. It doesn’t seem to matter what the issue is; if I come to him with an idea, he always tells me why it won’t work and then he’ll ask his cronies what they think. It wears me out just trying to convince him to implement the simplest changes.”

“What else?” I asked as I added the comments under Ed’s column.

“He’s a clock watcher. It doesn’t seem to matter that I probably get more done around here than anyone else. If I’m not here before the employees arrive and after they leave, dad thinks I’m slacking on the job.”

“It’s not just what I think, Brian,” Ed snorted in disgust. “It’s what the employees think. All they see is your truck loaded up with the boat or the snowmobile and the door doesn’t hit you in the backside after four o’clock.”

“Yeah, well they don’t see all the hours I put in at home working remotely at all hours of the night,” retorted Brian.

“Brian’s got the floor now, Ed,” I said, staring him down as he looked away. “Let’s let him finish.”

“Dad’s got his head in the sand about the future of this business. We need a major change in strategy or we’re sunk. We can’t keep expecting business to come from the same markets we’ve relied on. They’re drying up and we don’t have any strategy for how we are going to find new ones.”

For once, Ed nodded his head in agreement. “That’s why I brought you into the business in the first place,” he said, softening his tone. “I was hoping you could figure that out for us.”

They both looked at me at this point for direction. Seeing that I had their attention, I used the opportunity to make some observations.

“Okay, we have some disconnects on perceptions but they’re not outrageous. We can get alignment on these; however, there are some key issues to address.

“The first is making sure you are on the same page in where you want the business to go and what role you are going to play in getting it there. Second, let’s define the rules of engagement. In other words, how will you work together, and in particular, how will you make sure you are dealing with conflict in a healthy way.

Lastly, is getting the rest of the crew on board.” We spent the rest of the day diving into the vision both Ed and Brian had for the business, landing on a common definition both could live with and promote in the company. A large part of it was Brian’s eventual role as President when Ed retires.

Regrouping the following week, we spent a morning defining behaviors both would commit to upholding in how they interacted with each other, especially when they didn’t agree on an issue. Finally, we mapped out a communication plan, defining when they would roll out the information with the various groups and production shifts, presenting the vision and discussing the challenges and opportunities ahead for the business.

Three months later I was in the conference room with Ed and Brian to follow up on their progress. “Okay, give me the highlights,” I said, settling into my chair.

“Well…” Ed started with a long pause. “It hasn’t been easy. But, I think we’re getting there.”

“Jeez, dad,” Brian laughed. “Is that the most you can say?”

“What’s your take, Brian?” I asked.

“It’s been nothing short of amazing. I used to fight for every inch on the lean manufacturing initiatives. Now, I just get out of the way.

They’re coming to me, pounding on my door to change things. It’s great.”

“What flipped their switch?” I quizzed.

“Brian stopped bringing his boat to work,” Ed interjected with more than a hint of sarcasm.

“Ouch. Okay, yeah,” Brian admitted.

“Leaving the boat at home removed the target from my back. I think more than anything though, dad and I are on the same page and that is what the employees are seeing. He listens to me now without getting defensive and is willing to discuss ideas. I’ve also learned not to push too many ideas too fast, but build on small successes and create momentum. Like I said, the crew is coming to me now with ideas and we are beginning to see huge improvements in our bottom line performance.”

“We still have some big issues to deal with,”

Ed offered. “Our market is shrinking and we haven’t come up with a plan yet to deal with it.” “But we’ll get there,” Brian added.

“Yes, we will,” Ed agreed. “Yes, we will.”

The formula for success with generational issues in any business, family or other, is unique to each. That said, as we have learned through Ed’s and Brian’s experience, it cannot be achieved without the solid foundation of common vision, a deep appreciation of perspectives each leader brings to the table (which doesn’t stop here by the way, but continues throughout the organization), and a unified message. Dogged effort to achieve this will create an organization built on bedrock principles and ensure its long-term success in the future.

Rick P. Thomas is President of Activate Leadership, a leadership development consultancy in Washington State. He consults and speaks to organizations across the country, focusing on individual and organizational achievement.