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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.
Silver Fox Advisors History Corner
Silver Fox Advisor's History Corner
The Silver Fox Advisors organization is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, and over the course of the 2026 calendar year, we will be sharing with you some of our history and memories in our Monthly Newsletter. Each month we will feature a brief write—up on some of the more historical high points of the past 40 years in this “Silver Fox Advisors History Corner”. We hope you find this information of interest, as you will probably know or have heard of some of the individual Silver Fox Advisors who made the organization what it is today.
This month we are highlighting the Silver Fox Advisor Newsletter. For more than 25 years, the Silver Fox Advisors have been publishing a monthly newsletter in which we focus on what we hope are interesting, informative, and thought-provoking articles designed to help, educate, assist, and provide guidance for small and mid-size business owners.
In the beginning, the articles that appeared in the newsletter for the most part were obtained from a third-party service that provided newsletter content for numerous service organizations like the Silver Fox Advisors around the country.
Then, about fifteen years ago, several Silver Fox Advisors members formed a group that started authoring articles about business experiences that they had either heard about or lived through themselves. With the number of Silver Fox Advisors members, the organization had, real-life business advising, coaching, consulting, and mentoring articles seemed to literally fly off the presses. Thus, for the past fifteen years, all articles and content in the Silver Fox Advisors Newsletter have been written and authored by Silver Fox Advisors, something the organization is very proud of.
In August of 2025, a “Leadership Training” article was started. These Leadership Training articles are designed to provide readers an opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills so they can become better leaders of their respective businesses.
If you do not receive this Silver Fox Advisor monthly newsletter, we encourage you to sign up to start receiving your free copy today. Just visit our website at www.silverfox.org or call 713.467.5900
Silver Fox Advisors are proven business leaders and entrepreneurs who for 40 years have been giving back to businesses and communities by advising, coaching, consulting, and mentoring in Outreach Programs across the Greater Houston Area.
Silver Fox Advisors are celebrating 40 years in operation in 2026. Our members are proven business leaders who advise, consult with, and mentor other business leaders, CEO Roundtables, and entrepreneurship programs. We would love to be of assistance to you and your business. For more information, visit: www.silverfox.org or call 713.467.5900
