I’m a nice person, are my staff taking advantage of this?

I remember meeting a HR Director when I was at college (many many years ago!). She was invited to talk to us about her journey in HR and to provide us with inspiration of how if we all worked hard in our chosen path, one day this could be us.

I sat there thinking, but she’s horrible. Surely if you’re the boss you don’t have to be a bitch.

Now I am not saying that there haven’t been times in my career when my staff hated me. I have made some unpopular decisions and have had to have some very difficult conversations with my team over the years. But equally I’ve not tried to be a bitch and I fundamentally believe you can be friendly and still the boss.

It’s not uncommon for us to work with Business Owners who are really nice people. Sadly sometimes that can get in the way of them achieving what they need to do for their business. There have been many occasions where we have felt that a business owner has let his/her team take advantage of their business owner’s personality in order to manipulate a situation. So yes, you can be too nice!

It’s all about balance.

Its your business, and no one will ever feel about it the way you feel about it.

We can’t expect our team to love our business as much as we do, to care as much as we do, to be as invested in our business as we are.

However it is reasonable to expect that they will remember it is your business, that certain decisions may be made that impact them, that you will always do what is best for the business.

We can do this and remain friendly but still fair. Fair to us as well as our teams.  Business is hard, and harder if you allow your feelings towards your team to cloud your judgement about what is needed to best meet the needs of the business. In the coming months it is reasonable to expect that many of us will have to take some big decisions about our businesses. Can we do this in a supportive, caring way? Absolutely. We do not need to behave in a way that is not us in order for us to appear cold and uncaring.  Fair bosses also have to make hard decisions.

Always remember when you make a decision about one employee’s employment whether it be to hire someone, fire someone, not promote someone, to demote someone. We do so for the good of the business. The bigger picture. We do so to protect the livelihoods of the majority, including ourselves. Placing what we need at the forefront is not selfish. Its good business.

If we can be of any assistance with any aspect of managing employees, please call us on 01527 306066.