Loyalty
Although it can sometimes be hard to believe, on average, family members tend to demonstrate a greater sense of loyalty to their business and to one another. They are usually also more committed to the business’s success and more passionate about what it really stands for. In other words, family members are ready and willing to go the extra mile, whether that means running errands, coming in early, staying late, or even filling in for others.
I saw a great example of this with one of my clients. The father, who was president of the family business, had asked his son, its vice-president of operations, to fill in for an employee in the shipping department. I recall getting a phone call from the son around 9 a.m., his frustration clearly audible in his voice. “Can you believe it?,” he said. “Dad asked me, the vice-president of operations, to work in the shipping department today! I can’t believe it! As if
I have nothing better to do.”
What made me laugh was the fact that in the midst of our conversation, I could hear a lot of noise in the background at which point I realized he was already in the shipping department. I asked him what made him go there if he was so upset about it.
He said simply he knew it was the best thing for the business, despite not liking the idea. You would be hard-pressed to find a vice-president of operations of a non-family business filling in for any employee in any other capacity. In a family business, though, this is often done without a second thought. This loyalty and flexibility can lead to a major competitive advantage.
