My children have never held back and indeed have always been encouraged to tell me what they think about everything from my latest crazy business idea to a difficult HR issue or 'out of the box' marketing plan I am considering. And invariably they do!
My children are all grown up now and have their own amazingly successful careers but that doesn't stop them contributing to mine, and nor would I want them to. I want them to contribute to my own business and for good reason.
As an owner manager it difficult sometimes for me to be totally objective, my senior team will attest to that. Although I am lucky to have an excellent senior management team it is only small in number, as well as being relatively young. As a result their expertise in other businesses is unfortunately quite limited (although we are fast learners).
My family however can provide me with a wide range of expertise; my eldest daughter is a head hunter, my second daughter a content management expert and director of a major account, my son is a captain in the army and my youngest daughter has a senior role in marketing and product management company.
So, with all those skills combined, I have around me my very own fabulous family board who can cover all the necessary bases and back up my senior business team in areas they may have less experience in. In fact my youngest calls herself my outsourced HR and marketing department.
As a family, personally and professionally, we are all completely open and willing to hear others views and wow do my children make their views known! Sometimes this can lead to more difficult conversations than I would like, but the outcome is always better for the business that it would have been without sharing out thoughts.
Some of their words of wisdom:
- Don't send emails when you are tired or cross
- Empower the team
- Let them do it their way (or as one of my daughters has said "mummy, some people have to load the dishwasher their own way and just because it's not how you would do it, doesn't mean it's wrong!")
- Your kind of crazy isn't always right!
- Why are you trying to do everything now?
- It's the little things that matter to staff
- Your brand is everything don't put it at risk
- Not everyone will like you
- Be careful who you trust
- Don't lose your temper
- Apologise
- Run team events regularly
- Makes lots of regular small rewards to staff
- Involve your staff in your decisions and listen to them
- Keep your web site fresh
- Use social media very carefully
- Be friendly but be careful about becoming a friend
- Be available
- Be contactable
- Be honest but kind
- Accept that your staff do not own the business and as such have a life outside the company and won't worry ALL the time like you do but that doesn't mean they don't care
- You can't buy loyalty you can only support those who are loyal and look after them
Thanks Kids love you all
Love mummy / the boss