I met with a new client yesterday. Kathy is the President and CEO of a very successful family owned business with two of her sisters working for her.  Kathy finds she is doing a lot of the work and wants to hire but does not know how because she has never done this before.

Set in Their Ways

As we spoke it became clear the problem is more complex than simply hiring.  Because this is a family business that has been around for over 30 years many of the staff have been on board for 20+ years.  Loyalty is a great asset but it only works when the long-term staff is willing to develop new skills, allow change and grow professionally.   Kathy feels her staff are “stuck in their ways”, not interested in learning new technologies, changing systems or changing their roles.  They have gotten into routines and habits that keep the company from growing. Kathy cannot fire them because they are loyal employees.  They are LIKE family. Then there are her two sisters who are not about to have Kathy tell them what to do.  She can’t fire them.  They ARE family.

New Vision of Success

Kathy wants to take the business to a new level.  She is creative and has a new vision for their success. She is the CEO but finds no one else wants to change.  She even finds herself doing a lot of the day-to-day work assigned to staff and her sisters that somehow bounces back to her.

New Organizational Design

I took an intuitive perspective on this with Kathy.  Her father made all of agreements with staff when he ran the business.  They are not her agreements (spiritual or other wise).  It was time for Kathy to develop her own vision for the staffing of her business.  For Kathy it begins with letting go of the energy and pictures that say there is no hope, that she is saddled with her dad’s agreements and sisters who don’t share her vision to grow the business.

As an intuitive I know the power of a clear vision so Kathy’s first step is to meditate on the kind of staffing she knows she needs to manifest her vision.  This is not about specific people but rather the ideal structure, positions and  functions – an org chart.

When Kathy is clear in her mind’s eye of how she sees staffing the business to achieve her vision then we agreed that she would it down – not to be shared.  This is just for her work as the visionary/CEO of the company.  She would also write down her vision of the business in three years.  This she would share with her sisters first seeking their input then the staff inviting everyone to work toward this vision.

Who Fits In?

Once she has a clear vision of the business and the staffing then she must take her attention off and stop resisting her current staffing and her frustrations with everyone.  It is my experience that when an owner begins in this way everything starts to change.   Kathy will start to assign work to her current staff in a way that fits her vision, slowing creating change.  As she does this she will see a change in the staff.

Don’t Resist What Is

By creating a vision of what she wants it begins to manifest.  This is different than resisting what is.  (Resistance perpetuates what you don’t want.)  Intuitively staff will feel the change. Staff who is in agreement with her vision will begin to fit into one of the positions on her org chart.  Staff who are not in agreement will suddenly find a new job, decide to retire or force themselves to be fired.  This is not a coincidence. That is just how a vision manifests.

Steps To Create Change

This is a story about a family owned business but the intuitive principles apply to every business.  If you are a business owner take the time to meditate on your business.   First see clearly the vision you have for the next three years.  Write it down. Be clear in present time.  Now meditate on the ideal staffing to get you there.  Write this down.  Finally begin to act in ways that support your vision.  Read and meditate on this everyday then watch this vision manifest.

Best wishes on your success, Kay