HE’S MY FRIEND

Steven Cesare, Ph.D.

A business owner from Virginia called me the other day to talk about some challenges he was facing with his workforce. Having reached $4,000,000 in annual revenue, the owner has now reached that threshold where he believes his company has a sustained sense of viability, and as such, is pivoting his focus onto establishing a desired company culture that will help his 35 employees leap forward to the next level.

The desired culture is directed at accountability, more than results. Rather than engaging in “Summit Blindness” by only focusing on company revenue at the expense of the process, the owner has chosen to implement standardized practices, that when executed correctly will necessarily improve company results.

As a capitalist, I really like the perspective of creating a long-lasting foundation bred for success.

To date, the business owner has instituted forthright accountability as the key tenet of his professional mindset, company culture, and employee performance expectations by instilling: a real employee handbook, organizational chart, job descriptions, performance evaluations, wage and salary scales, one-one-one meetings, and specific employee development goals. Taken collectively, these mechanisms embody responsibilities that every employee must meet, for the entire company to move forward uniformly.

One such aspect was requiring his seven Foremen and Director of Field Operations to attain their OSHA 10-hour credential within a 30-day timeframe. Interestingly, the business owner offered a $500 bonus to the first three Foreman to achieve that standard within the first week of the requirement. They did.

Two other Foremen earned their certificate within the timeline. However, the remaining two Foremen did not meet the expectation. Emblematic of accountability, they received a written reprimand for “failing to meet performance expectations” and were given two weeks to complete the safety class or be terminated.

They completed the course, on time.

Unfortunately, the Field Director did not meet his performance expectation. When pressed, the owner told me the Field Director has had a lot of issues going on in his personal life, and “simply didn’t have the time” to secure the OSHA certificate. Skeptical, I pursued the point further. The owner humbly intimated that the Field Director has been underperforming for the better part of 15 months: not walking job sites, not leading employee training programs, not tracking timesheets, not submitting enhancements proposals, not doing timely follow-up with clients, and coming to work late, leaving early, and missing 1-2 workdays each week. All of which placed additional undue responsibility onto the business owner to pick up the slack accordingly.

I then said, “And…” The business owner responded that he can’t hold the Field Director accountable because “he’s my friend.” Predictably, he then narrated a lengthy trip down memory lane spanning a decade, that actually illustrated the business owner was more of a friend to the Field Director than the other way around. In any event, his connection to the Field Director was real, deep, and emotional; a true friend.

Our extensive conversation then centered on professional roles, not personal relationships, and the need for the owner to make that valid distinction. I explained, at work we are united by goal achievement, customer service, and teamwork, not on mutual hobbies, historical memories, or common vacations. At work, a business owner compensates his employees for being together; off duty, the responsibility is voluntary, casual, pleasurable. I reminded him that his unwillingness to separate these very different roles would thoroughly jeopardize his company-wide credibility, personal accountability, and company success.

The next week, the business owner re-explained the job expectations to the Field Director, who said he did not want to work that hard anymore. The owner terminated his friend, I mean Field Director, on the spot.

Regarding accountability, only one question remains for you to answer.

What would you do if the Field Director was a family member?

Now who’s accountable?

If you have any questions or comments about this topic or anything else related to human resources, Sign Up for Steve’s HR Helpdesk!