People Friction
June 21, 2025
We recently took a survey of business owners at a business expo in the Dallas area. We asked what the biggest challenges were for their business. The top two answers were:
Owner Reliance: The owner did so much of the work that the business could not run without the owner. Read my earlier article on that topic here.
People Friction: There was always some kind of problem between the employees, with the employees, or between the employees and the owner, etc.
The Cause
What causes people friction? On the surface the issue seems to have multiple causes. It would be nice if the source of the problem could be traced back to one simple source. Well, actually it can. Most often these problems can be traced back to leadership. Why?
Small businesses are created by the founder and they grow to someday include employees. Growth is good of course, but like anything, growth without adequate planning leads to problems. The truth is it doesn’t occur to most business owners that they might need to create a leadership culture within their company. It’s not their fault. They just don’t know any better. Yet.
Think about how most owners start a business. First it’s a solopreneur type business. Then at some point employees need to be hired. Has that founder had any leadership experience or training? Most often they have not. It usually doesn't occur to a business owner that there's a need for it until it becomes a problem. That need extends to the employees as well.
Trial And Error
Often times employees are put into leadership positions with no experience or training in leadership. They're learning as they go so trial and error is their most common method of learning.
Here’s a good example of that exact situation. My wife provides leadership coaching and training. She was an oncology nurse for 24 years and went up through the ranks to nurse manager and then practice director. Nurses are not typically given leadership training. They are thrown into leadership positions with no experience or training. So in the past, some of her clientele have been nurses in management/leadership positions. They became better leaders and managers because of her coaching and training.
Your People Friction
So if you own a business and you are having issues with people friction (and according to our survey you most likely are), you will need to promote a leadership culture in your company.
Many business owners are hesitant to do this for whatever reason. Maybe it’s fear of losing control. Maybe it’s ego. Maybe it’s cost. Or maybe they just don’t know better.
One of our mentors, John Maxwell, has authored nearly a hundred books on leadership and is thought of as the top leadership expert in the world. He once told us that he had a client who said to him-
“What if I train my people to be leaders and they leave?” His answer to that was “What if you don’t train them to be leaders and they stay!”
Leadership is the art of influencing others. Leadership is for everyone. A company that has no ongoing leadership development program is limited in all things. Without leadership there is confusion and lack of direction.
It's Time
When your business experiences people friction ask yourself: Am I a leader? Are my employees leaders? Or have I simply given them a title that implies they are a leader? A title does not make a person a leader. A leader must be developed.
If you own a business and you want it to be more than it is today, set aside your fear of losing control, set aside your ego, and find a way to get past your fear of cost. A good leader develops other leaders. It’s time.