Decision Making

It has been my experience, both when I owned my own business and while working with clients, that the Decision Making process is arduous, difficult and sometimes gut-wrenching and very time consuming.

One example is the termination of long time employees.

I found this to be the most difficult of all decisions. People who had been with me for many years were just not able to perform as the business grew. They had reached their “Peter Principle”. They were dragging down their co-workers, slowing growth and causing co-workers and themselves not to receive bonuses. 

The decision to terminate comes after working with them for significant periods of time to get them to change were fruitless, but sometimes you still just can’t do it.

Well, you finally decide it has to be done. When it’s over and they are gone, you look yourself in the mirror and ask “why didn’t I do this a long time ago?” Everything is running a lot smoother. My team is happier, productivity has increased dramatically and teams are receiving bonuses again! Why did I wait so long?

There is no easy answer, and I am not advocating “pulling the trigger” too soon. However, putting off too long can cost you a lot on the long run. I know, I’ve been there.


Here are some tips on handling this unfortunate, but sometimes necessary function.

Family Businesses That Work Well Together

I recently read a good article on the FastCompany.com site titled How Great Family Businesses Skirt The Feuds, And Other Pitfalls, on how three different family businesses have managed to run successful organizations without the resentments and turf wars that often infiltrate such situations.

This article discusses the importance of trust and collaboration, and clear delegation of responsibility.  While these are not radical concepts in the business world, they often become more challenging within the family dynamic.  It's interesting to read how these businesses navigated these issues.

If you work in a family business, I'd be interested in hearing how you have dealt with the complexity of running an operation and keeping peace in the family.