Why
are some business owners, managers or leaders just so stubborn, especially when
it comes to making intelligent business decisions? A large number of owners,
managers, and leaders consistently refuse to accept other people’s opinions,
views, and intelligent reasoning.
As
a public relations specialist, my work continually takes me inside the heart of
many business operations. I am asked to identify the nature of current problems,
and to also analyze for potential future problems, that are relevant to
conducting business. Would it surprise you if I told you, that the majority of
my findings start and end with owners, managers,
and leaders?
Most
of the business owners, managers, and
leaders, I encounter, simply believe that their expertise warrants no other
need for outside opinions. They consistently believe that because they are at
the top, that naturally they know what’s best. It is becoming rare finding
leaders who know how to listen, adapt, and who understand the requirements of solving
problems.
Do
you work in a place where you frequently hear your employees, or others, offering
suggestions concerning change? This is a sign, a sign that say’s maybe you or other leaders aren’t managing
problems correctly. Nobody wants to hear that, but, think about it, if you were
making correct decisions, you wouldn’t be getting so many suggestions. Are you
listening to those suggestions, or are you dismissing those suggestions?
I
had an opportunity to study a local business very closely during the summer of
2016. My primary goal was to study and analyze why some business owners,
managers, and leaders, consistently ignored the suggestions of their employees,
friends, or that of others.
The
business I had selected was a perfect match for exactly the sort of questions I
set out to analyze. It had about ten employees, it was family owned, and it managed
a lot of customers. The business is considered to be a highly mechanical
structure business; meaning; it takes a lot of moving parts to operate it
efficiently. It had been in business for nearly ten years, and just recently
changed hands with new ownership. This was the perfect breeding ground for
problems, and it was the perfect place for a problem solver to perform research.
My
first impression of the business; was that it had initially been run into the
ground. Literally, every square inch of the facility had been damaged, by what
appeared to be from the workings of a disgruntled employee. There was garbage
thrown about everywhere, and all of its employees did whatever they wanted, and
whenever they wanted to do it.
Within
two weeks I realized an atmosphere that was very strange and foreign to me.
Nobody had a supervisor. Every employee did exactly what they wanted to do, and
they did it whenever they felt they wanted to do it. Every employee was essentially
their own supervisor, yet, no one actually supervised anyone, except for the
owner, of course.
My
research concluded that this business was operating under the “Holacracy”
governance structure; instead of the traditional “Hierarchy” system. Holacracy;
allows all employees the same authority; it grants them all a leadership role.
This, allowing them to make any decision on their own and concerning any business function while unsupervised. The
traditional “Hierarchy” system differs by placing members within ascending order and provides supervision at each level, normally
towards the top of each team. Here, in
this business, no one knew what type of business structure they were even working
under, not even the owner.
The
bigger problem from the adoption of the “Holacracy” structure; was that nearly every
employee was between the ages of 16 and 23, and they were working for the very
first time. Also, the sheer fact that they were all hourly employees did not
help. Their actions were apparent, and it did not include loyalty to customers,
the business, or anything other than their paychecks. This was a perfect
example of making some serious mistakes
and would lead to some serious problems.
The
most troubling aspect neglected by this owner
was not providing adequate understanding, guidance,
and the proper management. This owner operated and managed her new business, not from the office that was built
into the facility, but rather, from a cell phone that included an occasional
weekly visit. Most of her visits came with complaints about her growing issues.
But more troubling still, the owner’s daughter would take claim to the office
and promote herself as the new head honcho; that was, of course, when she
decided to come to work.
The
other immediate problems this business had besides its teenage employees all
acting like bosses, was the rampant lying; the cheating; the leave it for tomorrow
attitude; the I’m going home early; or I’ll come in when I decide to attitudes.
When people say that their workplace reminds them of high school drama, this
one took first prize every day.
After
a couple months of observation, it was apparent that this business was only
headed towards further despair; they just could not get it together. I began informing
the owner of my findings and making positive
suggestions that would solve all of their problems. Not one single suggestion
entered into acceptance or implementation. You see, some business owners, managers, and leaders, just will never
understand their own perils, until it is too late. The owner did not feel as
though anything was wrong, even though catastrophic problems erupted daily, and
customers were angry all of the time.
The
ability of a business owner, manager or leader to accept and understand problems,
suggestions, and ideals, is a vital part of
business. The decision to hear, accept, and adapt to changes is better than
thinking you know what’s best for everything. Flawed egos can jeopardize
business success plans faster than a poor economy. Attempting to operate a
business without accepting the guidance of others into your own decisions
making, says one thing very loudly, that your business success will come by way
of a very bumpy road if it comes at all.
It is very true to say that people just cannot learn unless they have something
to learn from. But, if you consistently encounter the rough road and not the
smooth road, you really need to ask yourself - what you are doing wrong? It is a
very basic ability to ask others for their opinions on what you may be doing
wrong. Don’t ask, don’t listen to others, and you may never know until it is
too late to fix things. This very basic ability will allow you to adapt to change and will guide you towards the smooth
road, and it will help you solve problems before they ruin you.
Today
this business continues to fail at keeping good employees, it fails to maintain
good customer relationships, and it’s failing in every other aspect as well. I
laughed when the owner purchased a vending machine and said, that’s how
employees will get their water in her workplace. I politely told her that OSHA
would probably disagree. This is an outdoor job, each employee works in the
full heat or cold of the day, and now they get to pay $1.50 for a single bottle
of water. That situation is only one heat-stroke lawsuit away from fixing the
problem for good.
It
is sad to think that people operate their businesses that way. But, it is true;
there are plenty of businesses running themselves into the ground every day.
The majority of the problems come directly from the owners, managers, and
leaders that choose to do it their way or bust, and the problems come from never
accepting the suggestions of employees, friends or others. In this case, a
business owner rejected the professional advice of a public relations expert,
how silly was that, and it was free advice. Maybe I should have charged her. I
suppose some people feel as though money speaks more of truth than common
sense.
For campaign plans, more information,
or to get a diagnosis of your business
Contact:
Outstory Public Relations Group
A Modern Public Relations Agency
Solving Problems, Changing
Attitudes, Creating Understanding, and Influencing Behaviors.
Outstory PR Group solves business
and public relations problems. We serve organizations of for-profit,
non-profit, governmental authority, and well-known persons. We develop and
manage creative problem-solving campaigns for businesses small and large, both
nationally and globally.
Call Outstory PR Group Today:
704-904-0682
Website: http://outstoryprgorup.com
Shawn Stoffel
Shawn@outstoryprgroup.com
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