MARCH 2018 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
4 always wanted to be a businesswoman . I When I told my father ( a longtime entrepreneur ), he gave me advice , lots of it . His favorite jewel was , “ Never hire your friends , ever .”
That made me sad because , growing up , I dreamed of having a business staffed by brilliant , fun , witty friends — like all the great workplace sitcoms of the 20th century — The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Designing Women , Cheers , The Dick Van Dyke Show , M . A . S . H ., and WKRP in Cincinnati . They all had fun , they watched each other ’ s backs , their conversations were filled with witty , hilarious , interesting banter and their problems were all solved in 30 minutes or less ( that included commercials ).
When my dad advised me to avoid hiring friends , I said , “ That ’ s the main reason I want to be in business , so I can work hard and have fun with my friends .” His reply was , “ Yeah , well , that sounds great . But , I ’ m warning you , they ’ ll break your heart .”
Since that time , I ’ ve had mostly great success in hiring good people , lots of longtime friends , most of whom I knew from working with them in the past . Friends like Mel Rhodes , Misty Browning , Crystal Brown , and Kathy Jones are truly a joy to work with . They were all friends before they came to work for me . My partner in life is our art director . He is a kick , talented , weird and fun . We watch each other ’ s backs ; I can always depend on him .
A Letter From The Editor
Never Hire Friends ?
But , I have tried to heed my father ’ s advice , really .
I have hired a number of people I didn ’ t like at all . One guy used to work for one of our competitors . He was never a friendly competitor . He was actually more of a nemesis . He strolled into our office one lovely spring morning and asked me for a job .
“ Interesting ,” I thought . “ This is just the kind of employee that my father would approve of . We aren ’ t friends at all . In fact , I really don ’ t even like him . Daddy would have been soooo proud of me .”
Silence hung in the air as I pondered this possibility . I actually played out a conversation with my father in my head . “ I hired someone today that I actively dislike .”
“ Excellent ,” I imagined him saying . “ He won ’ t be able to manipulate you as easily and it will be easier for you to maintain boundaries . Great job .” This scenario was interrupted by a strange coughing sound .
“ Should I leave ?” dislikable guy said , bringing me back to my office on the Planet Earth as my father ’ s approving image faded from sight .
“ Sorry . I was just wondering about something ,” I said , “ Why do you want to work for me ? I ’ ve always thought you hated my guts .” Without blinking an eye , he said , “ I do . But I need a job .”
Somehow that tickled my odd little funny bone and I laughed and laughed . I looked up and noticed that he wasn ’ t laughing at all . He wasn ’ t smiling . Ooooppps ! He was dead serious .
So , I took the logical course — I hired him . Thinking I was heeding my father ’ s advice , I hired the guy who hated me , the guy who didn ’ t even try to hide his disdain for me .
I think I must suffer from a business-related version of Stockholm Syndrome . I ’ m guessing that Sarah Jessica Parker suffers from the same malady , although , clearly it makes her lose weight . Let me just say , hiring the guy that proclaimed his hatred for me during his job interview — that really didn ’ t go well .
As it turned out , I grew to sort of like him , so when he left without giving notice and took most of my team with him , it still hurt my feelings .
Like most people , I tend to judge others by myself . Call me a sentimental fool , but I ’ ve always been grateful to those who believed in me enough to give me a job .
So , when I left their companies , I ’ d refrain from trashing them , I gave them plenty of notice . I expect others to treat me the same way . This is a basic element of etiquette accepted as the norm in the business world — or it has been . Today , it ’ s a novelty .
I find this basic business etiquette is breached more often these days , not just with small businesses like this one but also with larger , high profile companies .
An interesting example of a modern working relationship is the one between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall . Ms . Cattrall was hired by Darren Star , creator of the series and head of Star Productions to co-star in the HBO series , Sex and the City . Parker was the first choice of Star ’ s to star in the series and had a lot of say in the show . Ms . Cattrall , not so much .
As I recall , Sex and the City was about friendships between four women at the turn of the 20 th Century , which is why I find this whole story to be ironic .
The series began in 1998 , Ms . Cattrall and crew ran through six seasons , until it ended in 2004 . Then there were two commercially successful movies . A third was planned , but it never went into production . Rumor had it that the third movie died on the vine , the victim of one cast member ’ s refusal
Continued on page 80
A Letter From The Editor
Never Hire Friends?
I
4
always wanted to be a business-
woman.
When I told my father (a long-
time entrepreneur), he gave me
advice, lots of it. His favorite jewel
was, “Never hire your friends, ever.”
That made me sad because,
growing up, I dreamed of having
a business staffed by brilliant, fun,
witty friends — like all the great
workplace sitcoms of the 20th
century — The Mary Tyler Moore
Show, Designing Women, Cheers,
The Dick Van Dyke Show, M.A.S.H.,
and WKRP in Cincinnati. They all
had fun, they watched each other’s
backs, their conversations were
filled with witty, hilarious, interest-
ing banter and their problems were
all solved in 30 minutes or less (that
included commercials).
When my dad advised me to
avoid hiring friends, I said, “That’s
the main reason I want to be in busi-
ness, so I can work hard and have
fun with my friends.” His reply was,
“Yeah, well, that sounds great. But,
I’m warning you, they’ll break your
heart.”
Since that time, I’ve had mostly
great success in hiring good people,
lots of longtime friends, most of
whom I knew from working with
them in the past. Friends like Mel
Rhodes, Misty Browning, Crystal
Brown, and Kathy Jones are truly
a joy to work with. They were all
friends before they came to work
for me. My partner in life is our
art director. He is a kick, talented,
weird and fun. We watch each
other’s backs; I can always depend
on him.
But, I have tried to heed my
father’s advice, really.
I have hired a number of people
I didn’t like at all. One guy used to
work for one of our competitors. He
was never a friendly competitor. He
was actually more of a nemesis. He
strolled into our office one lovely
spring morning and asked me for a
job.
“Interesting,” I thought. “This is
just the kind of employee that my
father would approve of. We aren’t
friends at all. In fact, I really don’t
even like him. Daddy would have
been soooo proud of me.”
Silence hung in the air as I
pondered this possibility. I actually
played out a conversation with my
father in my head. “I hired someone
today that I actively dislike.”
“Excellent,” I imagined him
saying. “He won’t be able to manip-
ulate you as easily and it will be
easier for you to maintain boundar-
ies. Great job.” This scenario was
interrupted by a strange coughing
sound.
“Should I leave?” dislikable guy
said, bringing me back to my office
on the Planet Earth as my father’s
approving image faded from sight.
“Sorry. I was just wondering
about something,” I said, “Why
do you want to work for me? I’ve
always thought you hated my guts.”
Without blinking an eye, he said, “I
do. But I need a job.”
Somehow that tickled my odd
little funny bone and I laughed and
laughed. I looked up and noticed
that he wasn’t laughing at all. He
wasn’t smiling. Ooooppps! He was
dead serious.
So, I took the logical course — I
hired him. Thinking I was heeding
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