10 Reasons You Should Treat Your Employees Like Family

“I don’t care if they like me as along as they respect me.”  I had numerous people make this statement to me as a young leader.  It is a statement I have come to strongly disagree with from a leadership perspective.
I have never truly respected someone I did not like.  Also, I have never worked for someone I did not like AND respect who I did not break my back for.  The best leaders have people have employees who CAN help them and WANT to help them.
I was reminded of these truths when I read about Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s approach to leadership.  In a March 26th ESPN article by Kevin Van Valkenburg, he profiles Harbaugh and how he views his players as a family.  You can read the full article by clicking HERE.
After the reading the article, the following are 10 Reasons You Should Treat Your Employees Like Family I gleaned from the article:

1. Treating Your Employees Like Family May Lengthen Your Tenure – People are more forgiving of people they like.  Harbaugh is entering his 9th year as the team’s coach.
2. Treating Your Employees Like Family Is Not A Sign Of Weakness – On the field, Harbaugh is tough, demanding and holds everyone accountable.
3. Treating Your Employees Like Family Does Not Mean An Absence Of Conflict – Early on Harbaugh had clashes with safety Ed Reed.  He said, “We had a lot of clashes early on because Ed didn’t like the way we were doing things.  I wouldn’t talk to him because I didn’t really appreciate the way he was treating me.”
4. Treating Your Employees Like Family Means You Assume A Greater Leadership Responsibility – Harbaugh goes on, “If they’re on your team, you’re their dad.”
5. Treating Your Employees Like Family Is The Right Thing To Do Because They Deserve It –  Harbaugh continues, “They deserve your love. And if you can’t like them, or love them, either you shouldn’t be the coach or they shouldn’t be on the team.”
6. Treating Your Employees Like Family Means Loving Them Unconditionally – Harbaugh explains, “Every player should know that you love them, and you care about them, even when they act crazy. Even when you discipline them. Even when you tell them it’s not OK, that you’re going to be there on the end of the bench. But I still love you. I still love you.”
7. Treating Your Employees Like Family Must Be Done Consistently – Because this is such an usual leadership style, if you are inconsistent, people will think you lack authenticity and are simply being manipulative.
8. Treating Your Employees Like Family Gives You Influence Beyond The Job – Leadership is influence.  Why would you want to limit your scope of influence?  This often reveals itself during times of crisis.  Coach Harbaugh’s eulogy of Tray Walker after his recent fatal crash is shown above.
9. Treating Your Employees Like Family Builds A Sense Of Community – After Walker’s passing, Harbaugh wrote a letter to his entire team.  In it he said, “Let’s look out for one another. Be a great brother and friend. Inquire. Listen. Ask. Investigate. Reach out. Be There. Take a Step. Go For It. Remember, We are Brothers in Arms. And, again, take care of each other.”
10. Treating Your Employees Like Family Points Them To Jesus Christ – Harbaugh also wrote, “Live your life fully and with purpose. Have fun and share your happiness. Find your Faith, and allow God to Grow Your Faith.”

In the remaining years I have in leadership, I pray my teams will always be filled with people I consider family.  I no longer feel the need to bless people by setting them free (otherwise known as firing them).  Hopefully, no one will force me to bless them in such a way.
Rather I want to take long and meaningful journeys where my teammates and I see people meet their spouses, raise their kids, send their kids to college, watch each other walk our daughters down the aisle, go through hardships together, laugh together, cry together, make wonderful memories together, and accomplish great things for God together.
I want to work with people I respect.  I want to work with people I like.  I want to work with people I consider family.
Why would a leader want anything else?

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