Joining a family-owned business

I recently joined as an HR Manager in a family-owned organisation. I have been working with the organisation for close to eight months. While I look forward to the opportunity I am well aware of the challenges including addressing aspects around culture, governance and working with an organisation where founder syndrome tendencies have started to rear its head too often. How do I manage this? Lucy

Hello Lucy, I think it’s interesting that the business has opened up to allow an “outsider” to come in and be part of the team. Given the challenges you’ve mentioned above, I commend you for taking this step in your professional career. In fairness, while family-owned businesses can be challenging, some of the most successful companies have been family owned, and their transition to success has not happened overnight. I advise you to keep that advisory in the back of your mind.

I don’t know if you have a seat at the decision-making table, so I don’t know what level of influence you can yield. The first advisory is to choose your battles carefully; you will only be able to address a few things. As you transition from the “probationary period”, I suggest you start looking at your docket. While I recognise that aspects of governance will impact you, I am sure you have challenges within your section that are addressed within your sphere of control.

The family may have opened the door, and opening the door may have been influenced by many factors. However, I suspect that the need for business growth and wanting to professionalise the organisation will likely be essential, along with the need to remain relevant in a competing market and enhance business growth. If the primary requirement is driven by business growth then your focus should be on how people are managed so that they perform for the business. It’s essential that you have fully understood why you brought it. I suspect aspects of fair and transparent employee management and wanting to abode by the law are crucial aspects that must be addressed.

It is crucial to show how HR is an important business partner. At a strategic level, your department must show how it’s a viable partner from the financial perspective, both in terms of cost and benefits. This also means that you need to show how human resources ( people) add value you bring to the business. The other critical aspect you need to focus on is setting up systems and processes that enable you to show the viability of the business partnership relations. I think these two aspects provide you with enough guidance on how you should approach the dilemma that you are in. Take

baby steps, and show how you add value and get the results. This will be a door opener in influencing the founder syndrome you are talking about. Good luck.

Caroline Mboijana,

Managing Director, The Leadership Team (U)  [email protected]