\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong \u2014 is the company going bankrupt? Are we being sold?\u201d For Charlie, who had joined his family\u2019s bakery business two years after getting his MBA and earning his stripes at another company, this question from the plant manager came out of the blue.<\/p>\n
He was eager to earn his colleagues\u2019 respect, rather than relying on his family name to provide it. So he went to great lengths to be just \u201cone of the gang\u201d in every possible way. This included parking in the back of the building and walking through the production plant, rather than zipping into the reserved space he\u2019d been provided near the executive offices in the front.<\/p>\n
It turns out, seven people had gone to the plant manager after seeing Charlie arrive that morning with a sour look on his face. They all wanted to know: Was something bad about to happen? The scowl had nothing to do with work, but until then it had not dawned on Charlie how closely people were watching him. When your family\u2019s name is on the door, you will never just be one of the gang \u2014 and everything you do could be fodder for the office rumor mill.<\/p>\n
The family business leaders we work with have echoed Charlie\u2019s experience. They have learned that their actions \u2014 positive and negative \u2014 are amplified because of their status as owners (or owners-to-be) of the company. But that doesn\u2019t have to be the case. Here are some of the most common traps we\u2019ve seen family business members fall into, and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n
Working at the company for the wrong reasons.\u00a0<\/strong>If family members act\u00a0as if they are there only to collect a paycheck, or because they have nowhere else to go, it sends a signal that all employees should push to get as much for themselves as they can. It\u2019s better to convey that you are interested in the business.<\/p>\n Expecting promotions without putting in the work.\u00a0<\/strong>When family members start at a level that is beyond their qualifications, or are promoted much faster than deserved, other employees are more likely to focus on patronage rather than performance as they look to climb the ladder.<\/p>\n