Dave,
I run a small residential tree service company. Last year he made just over $300,000, and this year he’s expected to make about $750,000.
We have 5 employees and one of them is my brother. He’s a really nice guy when he’s on the right track. But when he’s not, he’s hostile and he can be difficult to be around. For the most part, everyone just shakes it off, but I’m starting to wonder if his inconsistent attitudes and actions are having a negative impact on the culture I’m trying to create within the company. May I ask your opinion on this?
— Mo
Mr. Mo
It’s great to see your company growing like this. Congratulations!
Well, are you ready? Because he hits a pretty hard jab. It is neither mercy nor mercy, it is cowardice to allow one’s loved one to do wrong. Grace and mercy means loving the other person enough to approach their wrongdoing.
If I were in your position, I would have a serious and frank discussion with the man. I want to tell him that I love him and will always be my brother, but I can’t allow him to upset the company with his attitude. I will give him a chance to address the behavior and fix the problem, but if he can’t or won’t try, I will tell him I am no longer in the business.
A lot of people might say it’s mean and you shouldn’t treat your family like that, but they’d be wrong. If other employees don’t like him, don’t respect him, are unreliable, or are causing other problems within the company, the job or type of work may not be for him. If so, continue to love him and tell him that you intend to help him in any way you can, but you won’t let him continue to be a thorn in everyone’s side. So he is your brother. But now he is both an employee and a colleague.
Please understand I’m not saying the guy is bad. Maybe he has a lot of good things inside him. But he thinks he has the card to get out of jail just because he’s your brother. And now it’s time to deactivate that card.
Let’s walk with him in the process. Tell him that he doesn’t have to be perfect from now on, but that you want to see clear signs that he’s changing and improving in some ways about himself. Because, no matter what he does or where he works, he cannot live his best life unless he addresses these negative behaviors.
Good luck, Mo!
-Dave
Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored several best-selling books, including ‘The Total Money Makeover’. The Ramsey Show is heard by over 16 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms.Follow Dave on the web daveramsey.com and on Twitter @Dave Ramsey.
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