Family Tag

Yesterday we had a great day with my wife’s family. It’s already a tradition. Every year we still spend a week in the mountains of Austria (before it was Switzerland but the prices are now on another level) for hiking. For the past few years, we have all been together in a big house. This year we are all in separate apartments but in the same building. So the kids can play with my wife’s brother’s family and spend most of the day with their older cousins.

The trip we did yesterday was short (three hours) but it inspired me for this post.

Your pace is set by the slowest member

Our youngest, who is already six years old, almost always passes through my hand. Generally when things go uphill it doesn’t mind being pulled a bit to make the trail smoother. He is the one who gives the rhythm to the whole group. On average, it’s the slowest. When we calculate the arrival time according to the distance, we must take into account your speed and your motivation. It’s not always about what he is capable of, but about how to motivate him to go a little faster or a little further. Today pulling the little one is an investment. When 30 years have passed and we will continue to spend our holidays in the mountains, I hope that he will be the one who will pull me to the mountains the fastest.

• My lesson to start: when you have a new member in your team, you must remove it. This slows down the speed of the whole company. It is he who sets the pace. Over time, he must become one more member who pulls the car to go faster with everyone.

You can take risks if the consequences are not serious

Before leaving, we had heavy rain. It made our way muddy everywhere. Within 30 minutes my feet were soaked. He was the only member of the eleven who was not wearing hiking boots. I wore what I always wear. My running shoes. Then I noticed the other people’s pants. There was an inverse relationship between risk affinity and the amount of mud the pants were covered with. While the others didn’t have a single drop of mud, mine showed more brown than blue around the ankles. It also had to do with her entering what she thought was a patch of grass that turned out to be a mud hole. It was the first time in years that I had been soaked like this. My shoes were definitely my weakness but the consequences weren’t serious either. I’m too stingy to spend money on hiking boots to wear once a year for a week or less. Instead, I prefer to use the resources I already have. In my case, when I got home I changed my shoes, socks and pants and I was like new.

• My lesson to start: Investing more can help you take better action. If the consequences are not serious, you can choose to spend a little less on taking care of the mattress. Every euro must be well invested and even more so if you are a start-up with limited resources. You have to spend money on things that are really worth it.

Have a plan and imagine the worst

When you go hiking, you need a plan. The map is the route you want to take. You have to take into account the level of difficulty, the skills of each member of the group, the physical condition, the amount of food you will need, the time and the arrival at the starting point of the route. The most important part of all is time. In the mountains, the weather can change quickly and especially with storms, it is dangerous to be there. Yesterday we had a complicated day because rains were announced from 2 p.m. That’s why we left early. We weren’t 100% clear on the route and then decided to fly off depending on the weather. There was a point on the route where we had to choose between a longer and more complicated path, but more beautiful in terms of views, and a short and unattractive path. My wife’s brother’s family and ourselves wanted to choose the most difficult first. My wife’s father got angry because the weather was going to deteriorate and the sky showed nothing promising. He went out to protest with the grandmother and both of them were already out of sight when we decided to take out the laptop to review the weather on the laptop. The rains were going to start earlier than expected. With this in mind, we opted for the best for the group. Go after Grandpa and Grandma. We returned at noon. A few meters from the apartment, it started to rain heavily as grandfather had announced. Fortunately, soon after we were home and not in the mountains.

• My lesson to start: You must not make decisions that endanger the company. You can think for the best but plan for the worst. When the consequences are serious, do not take risks that you cannot compensate for.

It’s been a while since I made a post like this. In the end, it took longer than expected. Let’s see what the last days on the mountain have in store for us.

Stay tuned.

Whether the entrepreneur embarks on the difficult path of entrepreneurship or encounters difficulties on his journey, we must not hide his face, he will need support, if only to advance better. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. There are still many stress factors and it is essential for any leader to know how to channel and reduce these sources that can lead to burnout. Far from being invincible, he must know how to take a step back so as not to back down and sometimes know how to make difficult decisions. In this context, the family and spouses play an essential role.

Contrary to what one might think, the worst source of stress for the entrepreneur resides in the family and the spouse. If they thought souvent that the difficulties encountered in the business peuvent affect the morale of the entrepreneur, the plupart des entrepreneurs who rose a burn-out you diront: the pressure exerted by the family or the conjoint demeure souvent l’ trigger. Entrepreneurship calls into question your abilities, your social status and the entrepreneur’s self-confidence because it is the conviction/faith in the project that led him to undertake. Furthermore, in this context of constant questioning and where the company can experience ups and downs, to say, oh how much, the support of the family continues to be fundamental.

When she plays the wrong role

“Why did you leave your job?” Within In this context, the family and the spouse may react badly. First, there is the worst version: some play with the guilt of the leader. It may seem unthinkable, but some spouses complain about the change, either in terms of money or schedules. They do not hesitate to point out that any change in habits will not be accepted and that it is up to the employer to make his choice and maintain the family’s standard of living. Others put an ultimatum to a reestablishment of the previous situation (which is the one that the leader wanted to leave for good reasons). This category does not hesitate to ignore the change in the number of hours in the distribution of tasks, particularly in pairs.

“It will never work.” Then there are those who sow doubt in the head of the entrepreneur. They do not believe in the business and do not hesitate to point out his doubts about the viability of the business. They look for every flaw and try to rush through it to show that the project is not holding water instead of looking for solutions to the various flaws. Any difficulty the leader encounters is a source of joy for them. It is not uncommon for them to think that they are acting for the good of the entrepreneur.

“It’s your box, it’s your problem.” Finally, and this is perhaps the most common, there are those who are completely unaware of the case and act as if the manager had a traditional job. This category rarely (if ever) gets involved even when the leader is overwhelmed. This even if they have the knowledge that could help the manager. Ironically, they ask you to listen to his problems.

Worse still, they often represent a constraint for the leader who must “respect” their way of acting that will not change. For example, they can stay up late when you live in the same room and prevent you from turning on the light to work in good conditions or try to distract you when you have an urgent and stressful task to do. Why would he get up to help you? Is your problem !

This category, which completely ignores the fact that the entrepreneur must manage a business, does not hesitate to add stress to the manager by creating conflicts over insignificant things, even when the entrepreneur tries hard. They also often look more at what is wrong than what is right. Ironically, they are often the ones who benefit from the ruler’s generosity when he can afford it.

When she plays the good part

It is not uncommon to hear successful leaders say that they were lucky to have the support of their family. Talking with them, you will realize that, contrary to what you might think at first glance, financial support is rarely essential but rather moral support. While some receive financial assistance from their family through investments or simply accommodation for a time, it is more through the positive words and deeds of their family that this support is illustrated.

Spouses or family members are often quick to pitch in, especially when they feel the workload is too heavy for the employer to handle alone. They do not hesitate to get up earlier and help the entrepreneur with his tasks by regularly asking what they could do to help. If they cannot get everything, they help whoever embarks on the adventure according to their know-how.

Beyond that, the support of the family is above all a moral support. It illustrates the ability of the family to help the entrepreneur. The latter may doubt the relevance of their business model, their ability to carry out their project or to achieve their objectives. Family members can then support in different ways: they can simply listen and take news, encourage, remain understanding in different situations (even when they don’t fully understand), and become proactive. To help, they can also avoid complaining, make the manager feel guilty when he has little time available, and take over certain tasks.

Above all, and this is perhaps the decisive point: they avoid representing a source of stress for the entrepreneur, in particular by creating conflicts. Spouses avoid, for example, bouts of jealousy when the employer has to go out for business meetings/see his coach or when he has to go out on business. They also understand that the schedule is subject to change and that the scheduled departure may have to be postponed until the following day.

The other day I was thinking about it. What three priorities should a person have?

My answer would be this: family, friends and money. I think on the first and second points we all agree. Perhaps the third can lead to further reviews. My point of view is very simple. Money is so high on my list because it addresses other issues that are also important but not in the top 3. A change would do the trick though.

In my particular case, I have to adapt and expand the list: family, friends, team, money.

When you are an entrepreneur and you have a team, you have a responsibility. There are people who depend on the well-being of the business activity you conduct. Ultimately, it’s also to your credit that your business exists.

Let’s start the week.

Stay tuned.