Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

Chapter 25. Treat Them Like Family

"How do I get my leaders and managers to understand the importance of this?" Nancy asked.

"Well, you do what we do here," Grandma said. "You encourage them to treat their team members like family."

"That's a little clichéd, don't you think?" Nancy had heard that too many times in the business world, only to see the promise unfulfilled.

"Well, let me clarify," Grandma said. "Treat them like a functional family. The difference is trust and love. In functional families, people trust one another and care about one another. Sure, they fight and have disagreements like most people, but the trust and love keep them together. In dysfunctional families there's no trust, love is not put into practice, and therefore the disagreements break down the bond. Functional families communicate a lot with each other. They are open and honest with one another. They are transparent and authentic. They trust one another. And they share their love with one another," she said as one of their employees walked over to say good-bye to Grandma and Peter. She had to leave work early to attend an afternoon college class and Grandma gave her a big hug good-bye.

Grandma then sat back down and continued, "So the message of treating them like a functional family speaks volumes, and it's one that almost everyone can understand and relate to. Best of all, seeing people as members of your family changes the way you treat them. You see them as people who deserve your trust and love and ...