Want to know if you’re an arsehole – check the sick leave records

Being an arsheole can only get you so far

It takes a fair bit of stubbornness and ego to start a business and then nurse it on its way up.

You will need to provide leadership and vision at times when nobody knows what to do next and the future is seems so bleak that all around you deflate.

Providing certainty is your core job description. If people see you believe in the future of the company then they will have the courage to continue as well.

All strengths can also be a weakness.

As your company grows you will take on more and more people who have less experience with the stresses of a startup. You will need to lead, beg and cajole them to embrace the new working environment. 

Remember that the first few people willing to sign on with a startup are not the average employee. The willingness to embrace the uncertainty of a startup is quite rare, even with a generous employee share option plan.

When things aren’t working out when they should instead of taking it out on your employees take a bit of step back and turn a cold eye towards the situation.

Maybe you have chosen the wrong market, maybe your price is wrong, or just maybe you are holding the company back yourself.

One of the many dirty secrets of management consulting is that when called into a dysfunctional company they need to find ways to politely suggest that it is the behaviour of the founder and the management team that is causing the problems.

If you want to save yourself some money check the sick leave records for your companies. People usually get stressed and don’t come in for two reasons.

First, they may hate dealing with their boss and their co-workers. Basically nothing they do is valued so they feel sick at the thought of coming in to work. They may also be finding a way of avoiding conflict between other people – either so they don’t have to be part of it, or caught in the middle.

Second, they may be judging themselves on their own performance. This trait usually gets worse with higher intelligence and a strong sense of conscientiousness. These people may feel that the system or their boss won’t allow them to do what needs to be done.

I can’t tell you how many managers I have met who are friendly and seemingly competent to their equals or superiors, who are actually clueless idiots who damage their company all in the name of what they see as the right way to do things. You need to be vigilant for them.

The problem may be you, it may be your management team, and it may even be a few of the normal staff members. Patterns in sick leave are the early warning sign of imminent problems.