We were starting into a critical phase of succession planning on a family farm, and the farmer had something he wanted me to know. His son wasn’t cut from the same stuff that he was, Paul told me. “He will never be able to succeed like I have.”
Paul’s pride, unfortunately, had reached an unhealthy and destructive level. He was a 60-year-old farmer who started with nothing and built a prosperous company, attaining impressive success. That is all to his credit, but the problem was that his ego was as developed as his business.
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There’s nothing wrong with that, you may think. What happens, though, when that ego swells out of proportion?
The results are often tragic. The “one-man show” inevitably leads to failure during a transfer. The qualities that helped the entrepreneur achieve success can also lead directly to a farm’s collapse. It’s an outcome we see time and time again in family businesses from many sectors, where some failures are directly attributable to the founder’s style.
Just think of the traits associated with successful entrepreneurs: being independently minded, needing to get their own way, making all the decisions alone, having a strong need to be personally identified with the success of the business, not consulting with others, having an authoritarian and dominant approach, doggedly pursuing their objectives, and being competitive.
In some contexts, those traits may lead to success, but we can also imagine the havoc they create in partnerships involving either family members or others.
Ironically, some entrepreneurs who have achieved major professional success may have perpetual doubts about their own worth. In some cases, it is more important to the father that his children not outdo him than it is to ensure the success of the business, even when that implies significant financial loss.
Often, the ego wins because human beings tend to be more emotional than rational.
Exactly how does a “one-man show” type of father interact with his children? Here is how Paul’s son responds to that question:
“He never congratulates me or recognizes my accomplishments, or my successes, but takes all the credit when they work and puts me down when I make a mistake. I have the impression that he is constantly trying to find fault in me. He has no interest in my needs, my expectations or my interests. He doesn’t discuss anything with me, but he makes all the decisions and then makes demands of me. I’m 35 years old, and he treats me as if I were still 15.”
Of course, the “one-man show” isn’t limited to parent-child relationships. It is also common in employer-employee relationships. As the leader of your company, your job is to lead well, making the business effective and efficient so that it achieves its goals without wasting time, money, or resources.
Here is the formula that all leaders should remember:
Right PEOPLE + right POSITIONS + right ACTIONS + right REASONS + right TIME = EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION
A leader should not be blinded by his omnipotence. He should care for and listen to others. He needs to ask questions and be concerned about others’ motivations, needs and fears. He should leave his ego at the door.
The “one-man show” types should avoid partnerships because they will sabotage their businesses and their relationship with their family, often unconsciously. Often this type is only interested in continuing his show alone and waiting for the curtain to fall so that he can sit back and revel in his achievements. However, he needs to know that after the show is over and the applause dies away, he will be alone in his dressing room without anyone to celebrate with him.
Ironically, while no one person can single-handedly build a great company, one wrong leader can single-handedly cause its demise.
As we know, cemeteries are full of people who thought they were irreplaceable.
