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The Leadership Training/Mentoring Corner - September Situation
THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING/MENTORING CORNER
In the August 2025 Newsletter, we started a series called “The Leadership/Mentoring Corner” in which we posed a thought-provoking situation for you to think about and put yourself into, asking yourself, “What are your next steps?”
September LEADERSHIP SITUATION
Charlie is a Vice-President at a small retail service business, a position he has held for three years. The business’ sales have been flat for the last five years at around $3.0 million a year. The President of the business has been in his position for about five years, and he and Charlie work well together. The owner of the business started the business some 30 years ago. The owner knows the specific retail service inside and out, but is not necessarily good with finances, marketing, or business planning. Over the 30 years the business has been in operation, there has been a high employee turnover due to the owner’s management style and lack of big-picture business strategy focus.
The business just lost one of its largest clients that represented 30% of the total annual sales. The business owner blames the business’ President and terminates the President on the spot.
Charlie is afraid the owner is going to ask him to move into the President’s position, and Charlie is not sure he even wants the position. Charlie has his resume out to a couple of placement firms and has a second interview scheduled this afternoon.
- Should Charlie go on the second interview, and why or why not?
- What should Charlie do if the owner offers him the President’s position?
- What else should Charlie be doing or thinking about?
Please provide us with a brief write-up of what Charlie’s next steps should be. Send your write-up to Lynn Rosado at [email protected]
In our October 2026 Newsletter, a team of Silver Fox Advisors will provide responses to what they would have recommend to Charlie that he do based on the situation detailed above.
If you need assistance in becoming a better leader, I recommend you start by contacting Silver Fox Advisors. Silver Fox Advisors are former or present business owners themselves, and they have leadership experience in running a business, and in some cases several businesses, and have dealt with unforeseen and unplanned situations throughout their careers. We encourage you to visit our website at www.silverfox.org to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.
August 2026 Response - Leadership Training/Mentoring Corner
THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING/MENTORING CORNER
In the August 2025 Newsletter, we started a series called “The Leadership/Mentoring Corner” in which we posed a thought-provoking situation for you to think about and put yourself into, asking yourself, “What are your next steps?” Below is the situation that was in the August 2026 Newsletter.
AUGUST LEADERSHIP SITUATION
George works for a service provider business that has been in operation for more than thirty years. The owner of the business knows the service that is the main source of revenue inside and out, but he is not good with operations, finance, or marketing. The owner has told George he will sell the business at some point, and he hopes that George will consider purchasing it with some potentially favorable terms. On occasion, the owner frequently lashes out at employees over small or meaningless issues, which has caused a number of good tenured employees to leave the business over the past thirty years.
Most currently, revenue has dropped year-over-year for the last three years in a row. Expenses have remained relatively flat, but with revenues being off, profitability has reversed and turned into operating losses. The owner has become frustrated that the business is not doing better and has increased his outbursts with employees to the point that a number of the key management team employees have recently left the business. George and the owner are the only employees left on the management team.
The owner has put some personal cash into the business but does not have much personal liquidity left and has openly talked about filing Chapter 11 or maybe even Chapter 7.
George has a family with a non-working spouse and two children ages 8 and 10. One child needs costly medication, so George can’t be without a family health insurance plan.
What actions or steps should George be taking short-term
- If George does not have an employment agreement or any other kind of non-compete agreement in place, he may want to explore leaving the company and starting a business on his own, and possibility not even in the same industry.
- George might want to suggest to the owner that he shuts down the business using the proper legal processes and start all over again with a new entity.
If you need assistance in becoming a better leader, I recommend you start by contacting Silver Fox Advisors. Silver Fox Advisors are former or present business owners themselves, and they have leadership experience in running a business, and in some cases several businesses, and have dealt with unforeseen and unplanned situations throughout their careers. We encourage you to visit our website at www.silverfox.org to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.
