What Family-owned Business Can Learn From the Queen
The Queen’s decision yesterday to strip Prince Andrew of his royal and military titles and duties may from the outside looking in seem to be a clear and binary business decision to protect the royal family’s brand. For leaders, business owners and especially family business it is a quiet but well understood fact that rare are the decisions that are not laced with complexity.
Sources speculate that the Queen has been funding Andrew’s legal defense from her private accounts and it is believed she will continue to do so. Cavalier and pious we can read these news reports and shout “off with his head” but we do not have the painful luxury of absorbing every variable, considering every prediction of outcome, every ripple effect, every relationship inside and out. This is the unseen hardship of a leader that exists without gratitude and with a dome of eager eyes poised to criticize.
Business leaders of family-run business are next level complex, but I do believe that as humans employing humans we must validate the complexities. Likewise, those employed must acknowledge the difficulty of leadership and the pain of decisions that may seem so black and white. Decisions are rarely, rarely, rarely simple and binary.
This move by the Queen is more than a grand display of brand protection. She has drawn the line for the royal family of what can touch their principles. How close is the gray line. Difficult or otherwise, the line was boldly drawn in a time of very public crisis. Our deepest cares and inner thoughts are revealed when we are forced to respond in crisis.
Who are we when faced with a decision that has reaches into the far corners of our heart, our outward reputation and the state of our business?
The Queen’s decision reminds us the need to have a mastered skill of swift, calculated decision making; to protect principles that we claim to stand upon; to advocate for what is right; to endure the pain of every decision with a face of dignity, giving comfort to those we lead; keeping in the hearts of our followers that all is well or will be soon.
The devastating moments of public scrutiny, or death, or crisis are natural opportunities that cause us to pause. To check in. What do I stand for? Where are my deepest concerns. What do I live for and what will I be known for.
In the face of crisis, who will I reveal myself to be.
Business leaders of family-owned companies can take stock of their principles, of their people and of the unresolved issues. Whether in the public eye or not you are still being watched. Though the eyes may feel like scrutiny, in reality it is the unspoken understanding that you have the power to do the right thing and those eyes are your accountability. Respect the power. The Queen reminds us that the decisions we make reveal our true selves to the ones who trust us.
