Season 3 is in the books for Duck Dynasty and if you're a big fan, you're probably sad. You're sad because it's over and sad because they still haven't agreed to terms for Season 4. But if you're a business owner or dream of owning a business you should have been paying close attention. Not just at the stupid things they did, but the way they conducted business. There's a lot to be learned. There's a reason they are a million dollar company.
Family Connections
For a lot of businesses, family can be the ultimate death. For others, such as the Robertson's, it could be the key to success. But if we learned anything, family can be successful.
To start, the Robertson's didn't hire people they didn't know and trust for important positions. As much as Willie can be a big pain in the rear, it was the best decision Phil made by putting Willie in charge before he left the business.
Willie is in charge of the family essentially. Not only that, but Willie brings the family together even when he's not liked very well. He's a natural leader and provides the qualities that Phil didn't have. In truth, Willie is much more like Miss Kay who is a leader and a central figure in the family dynamics. She also has saved the business a few times when Willie made poor decisions.
Right Job, Right Employee
Jase, who is the bigger fool of the brothers (and much more like Phil), makes a perfect mid-level supervisor. He's not afraid to question his superiors but also knows to keep the employees under him happy.
Too often in business mid-level supervisors become puppets of their superiors. In the case of Duck Dynasty, Willie is very much a business leader. He's stern, creates rules, and is very organized. Jase, on the other hand, is goofy and hates rules. He wants to have fun at work, not just work.
He's the perfect person for the mid-level position. He stays close to the people underneath him and cares about what people want to be happy. He respects leadership while questioning and asking for reasons.
They make the perfect leadership crew. It's something you could take from Duck Dynasty for your business. I'm not saying put people in positions who question everything and never does as asked, but people who will question and seek a reason. People who will stand up for their employees while respecting their supervisors.
Work Should Include More Fun
It's not that work should constantly be a place to goof around, but work should be somewhere people enjoy going. You can't make work boring. Boring work gets nothing accomplished and causes high turnover. Look at places like McDonald's. The work is boring, stressful, and not worth the pay it gives. If you measured the employee happiness at McDonald's, you'd see just how unhappy they are. Just because smiles are free it doesn't mean they are real.
You can tell a lot by a smile or by a person's body language. Go around to a few local businesses this weekend and just watch the employees. See how they interact with you, with others, and watch how they behave. If they seem depressed or upset, they probably are. It's not hard to realize the work world has become boring and a drag on our personal happiness.
Which brings me back to Duck Dynasty. They look, act, and seem happy most of the time. That's something you want to see more. If your employees look upset, then you're not keeping them happy. Regardless of what you say as a boss, it is your job to keep your employee's happy. Happy employee's = more productivity.
How Can I Keep Them Happy?
Don't tell me you're thinking contests or challenges. That doesn't make work fun, it makes it stressful. But something you could do is employee field days or cook outs. Those can be fun and entertaining, but don't show up in a business suit. Come relaxed, be ready to participate in games and activities. Don't be that boss that brags about how you paid for it either, it's silly.
Close your business on that day as well. 1 day closed is not going to kill your profit margin so long as you're thoughtful about it. If you're closed on Sunday, don't plan your event on that day. Your employees are already planning to be off and not do work associated things, planning an event for them will only upset them.
So when could you close? Pick the slowest day for business. That could be a Monday, a Saturday, or any other day of the week. Just pick a day you're typically open and give your employees a day off. They'll be happy that got something fun to do while also getting a day out of the office. You can still pay them for that day of work to be nice, just don't pay them if they don't show up.
What Did We Learn Then?
We learned that Duck Commander is successful for several reasons. However the most important reason is their structure of management. Willie, who's a natural leader and business person, is perfect for the position of CEO. Jase, who knows how to have a good time and can question Willie while not being disrespectful about it, makes a great mid-level supervisor. The management combination provides an excellent balance between being top-heavy and employee oriented. It provides happiness and a relaxed place to conduct business.
Not only that, but they staff at Duck Commander seem to have a lot of fun and enjoy being at work. If you can take anything away from this today, it's make work fun. The right people know when is the right time to work and the right time to have fun. You just have to stop being a stick in the mud and allow your employees to enjoy what they do. You'll soon realize that you enjoy it a lot more yourself.
The next time someone asks you where you learned how to run a business, tell them Duck Dynasty did. They might laugh at you, but they are missing out on a lot of good information.
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As promised, here's my song of the day:
Radioactive
Family Connections
For a lot of businesses, family can be the ultimate death. For others, such as the Robertson's, it could be the key to success. But if we learned anything, family can be successful.
To start, the Robertson's didn't hire people they didn't know and trust for important positions. As much as Willie can be a big pain in the rear, it was the best decision Phil made by putting Willie in charge before he left the business.
Willie is in charge of the family essentially. Not only that, but Willie brings the family together even when he's not liked very well. He's a natural leader and provides the qualities that Phil didn't have. In truth, Willie is much more like Miss Kay who is a leader and a central figure in the family dynamics. She also has saved the business a few times when Willie made poor decisions.
Right Job, Right Employee
Jase, who is the bigger fool of the brothers (and much more like Phil), makes a perfect mid-level supervisor. He's not afraid to question his superiors but also knows to keep the employees under him happy.
Too often in business mid-level supervisors become puppets of their superiors. In the case of Duck Dynasty, Willie is very much a business leader. He's stern, creates rules, and is very organized. Jase, on the other hand, is goofy and hates rules. He wants to have fun at work, not just work.
He's the perfect person for the mid-level position. He stays close to the people underneath him and cares about what people want to be happy. He respects leadership while questioning and asking for reasons.
They make the perfect leadership crew. It's something you could take from Duck Dynasty for your business. I'm not saying put people in positions who question everything and never does as asked, but people who will question and seek a reason. People who will stand up for their employees while respecting their supervisors.
Work Should Include More Fun
It's not that work should constantly be a place to goof around, but work should be somewhere people enjoy going. You can't make work boring. Boring work gets nothing accomplished and causes high turnover. Look at places like McDonald's. The work is boring, stressful, and not worth the pay it gives. If you measured the employee happiness at McDonald's, you'd see just how unhappy they are. Just because smiles are free it doesn't mean they are real.
You can tell a lot by a smile or by a person's body language. Go around to a few local businesses this weekend and just watch the employees. See how they interact with you, with others, and watch how they behave. If they seem depressed or upset, they probably are. It's not hard to realize the work world has become boring and a drag on our personal happiness.
Which brings me back to Duck Dynasty. They look, act, and seem happy most of the time. That's something you want to see more. If your employees look upset, then you're not keeping them happy. Regardless of what you say as a boss, it is your job to keep your employee's happy. Happy employee's = more productivity.
How Can I Keep Them Happy?
Don't tell me you're thinking contests or challenges. That doesn't make work fun, it makes it stressful. But something you could do is employee field days or cook outs. Those can be fun and entertaining, but don't show up in a business suit. Come relaxed, be ready to participate in games and activities. Don't be that boss that brags about how you paid for it either, it's silly.
Close your business on that day as well. 1 day closed is not going to kill your profit margin so long as you're thoughtful about it. If you're closed on Sunday, don't plan your event on that day. Your employees are already planning to be off and not do work associated things, planning an event for them will only upset them.
So when could you close? Pick the slowest day for business. That could be a Monday, a Saturday, or any other day of the week. Just pick a day you're typically open and give your employees a day off. They'll be happy that got something fun to do while also getting a day out of the office. You can still pay them for that day of work to be nice, just don't pay them if they don't show up.
What Did We Learn Then?
We learned that Duck Commander is successful for several reasons. However the most important reason is their structure of management. Willie, who's a natural leader and business person, is perfect for the position of CEO. Jase, who knows how to have a good time and can question Willie while not being disrespectful about it, makes a great mid-level supervisor. The management combination provides an excellent balance between being top-heavy and employee oriented. It provides happiness and a relaxed place to conduct business.
Not only that, but they staff at Duck Commander seem to have a lot of fun and enjoy being at work. If you can take anything away from this today, it's make work fun. The right people know when is the right time to work and the right time to have fun. You just have to stop being a stick in the mud and allow your employees to enjoy what they do. You'll soon realize that you enjoy it a lot more yourself.
The next time someone asks you where you learned how to run a business, tell them Duck Dynasty did. They might laugh at you, but they are missing out on a lot of good information.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As promised, here's my song of the day:
Radioactive
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