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
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