It's a Performance Family, Not a Blood Family

                  In many organizations around the world, the word “family” is used as a form of self-description by the leaders.  Organizations do have aspects that are similar to family.  People spend a lot of time together.  They share a lot of experiences together, some mundane and some quite intense and meaningful.  They develop strong affections for and loyalty to each other. 

                But there is a critical difference between a blood family and a work family, particularly a business family.  Most blood families allow for a wide spectrum of behaviors on the part of their members.   There is an implicit understanding that you’d have to do something way out of bounds for a blood family to eject you.   A business family’s bottom line is not blood but performance.  It is a performance family.  There is an explicit understanding that underperformance is grounds for dismissal.  In corporations, this applies to the CEO as well as the lowest paid front-line employees. 

                In conducting dozens of educational seminars and town hall meetings in businesses, I have always emphasized this point, especially in those smaller businesses where the owners are emotionally closer to their workforce.   I usually say something like this:  “No matter how much your owner loves you, you have to perform.  This is a performance family, not a blood family.  Now, it is management’s responsibility to make sure that you have a very clear picture of what constitutes a good job in your position so that you know if you’re doing well and can self-correct or ask for help when you know you’ve fallen short.  But we all have to perform.  As your company coach, that applies to me as well.  If I don’t deliver the value the boss is looking for, our relationship is likely to end.  So let’s be clear that the boss can love you as a person but not love you as a worker in your particular position.  If necessary, he may have to love you right out the door.  So let’s not mistake a performance family for a blood family.   But on the other hand, let’s celebrate that this is a place that cares about you and actively works to listen to you and nurture you so that you can perform well and experience the benefits of job stability, being part of a great team and hopefully traveling a path toward increasing competency, responsibility, income and joy in your work.”