If you run a company, you need to bust balls (when needed).

In this new-age of excessive lovey-doveyness, too many bosses are too shy to upset anyone. I know you want a workplace that has positive morale. I know you want a strong relationship with employees. But sometimes you need to lay down the law.

Business isn’t a happy go lucky thing. Ultimately you are responsible for the success of your company (or division, or whatever segment). And no relationship is perfect all the time. If you’ve ever been married/long-term commitment, you know it ain’t always easy. There will be arguments. Disagreements. Its part of the relationship (it becomes unhealthy when it becomes too common).

I value my employee’s opinions a lot. New employees really need to be goaded before they open up - disagreeing with me is perfectly fine (as long as there is reasoning behind it). I’m wrong frequently - sometimes I am focused so on the bigger picture that I miss the nuances that could spell disaster. But the opposite is just as true - as an employee, you are usually focused on one aspect. You can lose sight of the bigger picture on what is going on.

I’ve yelled at my employees. I’ve told them I’m not happy with their work or effort. I’ve overridden them on a smorgasboard of things. I don’t want to sound like a dick, but there is a fact of the relationship - you are the boss.

I’m now at roughly employee #25. We incorporated over four years ago, and I’ve been working with my #2 (think Austin Powers) since 1999.

I’ve had one employee quit. In over 50 months of being a business. I’ve fired half a dozen people and I’ve sold off a division (the purchasing company, with a lot deeper pockets than me, gave the employees more money and even hired 4 volunteers). But by-the-by, my employees stick around.

It’s easy. I treat them with respect. I value their opinion. But when it comes to crunch time, I am there to make the decisions (when it comes to decisions, a team has to be behind it, or things start to breakdown). And if the team isn’t behind it - ball busting ensues. No other way around it.