How Does Your Company's Nexf President Learn His Job?

by Frank M. Butrick Akron. Ohio

E VERY MAN is more or less a lr teacher at heart. Each of us enjoys the ego satisfaction of showing others, of advising, of putting our thoughts and ideas into other minds. And every businessman with a young son plans on teaching his boy what he thinks he has learned about all the great mysteries of life: about women. business, politics-and how to grade lumber or display carpenter's tools, or what have you. I hope this is normal; it's too prevalent (and satisfying) to be abnormal.

But is it a good idea? George Bernard Shaw once observed. "He who can does: he who cannot, teaches." The opposite side of this coin would be. "He who can do cannot teach." Of course. Shaw was a famous cynic-but was he not also a realist?

Can you teach business methods, how you run your business, how it should be run (you think), and how management should change with time and as the firm grows? And if you cannot do this, then who can teach your son-who can show him how to become a president? For that matter, can presidenting be taught?

The commonest reaction to these questions is, "l'll do whatever teaching is necessary-where else can my son learn to run my business ? "

So most owners' sons play at work in the business during summer vacations, go to college, perhaps back for an MBA, and finally arrive ready to step in and "learn from dad." With the emotion stripped aside, does that really make much sense? "Dad" doesn't need a student-he needs help. He is much too busy to do a thought- ful, well-organized teaching job. Look at how it works out in practice:

CASE HISTORY NO. I

Major midwest home-improvement center with three stores. The father, now in his late 60s, has become wealthy and a leading community citizen, well-known for his civic and charitable activities. A man of boundless energy, he heads up a half dozen committees, two fraternal lodges, is director of a bank, and a number of small businesses-yet puts in a 1O-hour day at work. He owns a yacht but charters it out because he (realistically) has no time for vacations and similar frivolities.

His son is almost 50-and has worked for his father, full time, for 28 years! By now he not only knows the business, and his father's way of doing things, but he has become steeped in it. Unfortunately, as is frequently the case with such a strong-willed father, the son merely does what and how he is told.

After three decades of "experience", the son knows all he needs to know-except how to think for himself, or to be a president. He knows nothing about meaningful responsiblity, idea generation. venture management, risk taking, or decision making. He has not been permitted mistakes-so he has never had the chance to learn from theml he has never known the pleasure of a good decision nor the educational value of a wrong one.

He was not taught by his father-he was drilled. He has become a professional second fiddle.

OBSERVATION:

This is a bad situation. carried to the ultimate. Eventually, the son will doubtless become president, and be utterly unprepared for the responsibilities of the position. Unless the firm runs itself, the son would appear to have only three choices: First, try to find a consultant, advisor, or director who could guide him in learning the responsibilities and decision-making which a president must know. Second, resign and let the fire-ball grandson take over. Third. sellthe firm. Whatever the future of this firm, the father has come perilously close to wasting his son's entire life.

CASE HISTORY NO.2

A similar beginning, but here the father let the son 'try out' in the various departments, getting a smattering of each, and then select the area which he liked best. The firm is a lumber mill and dealer, working with contractors and the (Please turn to page 63)

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