The Meaningless Boardroom
Tinashe Moya
Talent Acquisition Consultant with HR Metrics and Staff Retention & CV Writing expertise
The successful story of being an entrepreneur is measured by how many job opportunities one gets to create.
It’s a great thing to be a source of refuge for the crying populace in your village.
?How can a family member not be employed when the owner is a shareholder, the chairman/lady of the company?
?When the business started, it was run by the family members from the back of the house
?It was ok because the business was small and cutting costs.
Only a few were employed on merit, the rest were out of pity.
Dinner was the best business meeting time
What could stop the meetings when the business owner provided food, accommodation, transport, and, a salary?
It’s like an ownership arrangement, an employee is owned by the employer because he/she is providing the basic needs for them
The relatives don’t mind, after all the chairperson is their senior in the family circles
It’s now a Lordship relationship which is marinated by a salary
Whether the salary is enough or meets the minimum requirements, that’s a story for another day
They are employed without any skill, their loyalty is to the owner or the business, or both, who knows?
The business grows, skilled people are employed
Management is now highly full of intellects who are not of blood
Just to try to keep the close relatives close, the most loyal relative is given a management post
They have to advance and satisfy the wishes and demands of the owner
They are placed in a strategic position that controls the finances
The skilled are employed in the running of business operations
Finance supports them get projects done, the same finance receives the customer payments
It’s the perfect setup in theory for any business
You sow first, then you reap plenty later
The boardroom is a circus, the level of unprofessionalism is alarming
No one in management has authority besides the shareholders
Thrice a week management has to meet and share business strategy in an unstable economy
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They sit down for hours debating and pitching up a viable solution
These people have worked elsewhere, experience and exposure are what they bring to the table
On the other hand, those who show more loyalty are upgraded despite a lack of knowledge
The loyal become the meeting chairperson
The shareholders demand minutes of the meeting thrice a week
It becomes just a routine attending the meeting, there is a clear lack in decision-making
Why waste time sitting for something you can’t steer in the direction you see fit?
The boardroom becomes a place to eat and get on with work life
The Finance person or signatory to the bank knows where his/her bread is buttered
The owner brought them there, hence there should be impressed with all they have
Priority is on the owner, then the business operations
The operations team can as well be incapacitated, as long as the owner receives what is theirs
The board passes that finances in the company account be directed to the operations team bringing revenue
The finance team transfers it instead to the owner
Their reasoning is, if the boss says he needs money, we send it to him/her
It’s a case of marinating the important thing to them whether clients complain or not
Unprofessionalism thrives
Patronage politics take over in the boardroom
Businesses lose its key clients because of red tape and priorities
The owner blames the skilled for failure to run a business already established
The terrain of running the business is different then and now, but the owner can’t take it
A meeting is called, and management go up to the boardroom
It’s a room to undress management without taking ownership of some business mistakes
Instead of becoming a place to brainstorm and help the company swim out of debt
The boardroom becomes a place of demotivation, thus
The meaningless boardroom!
Hr projects/ ERM/IOP candidate/ Gallup Certified Strength coach/ Trainer by BQA/ Positive institutions consultant
8 个月this is organisational politics , where rituals such as dinner and coalition strive, ultimately resulting in toxic environment , low employee morale, job disatisfcation, poor performance , loss of sales ,low employee engagement , low organisational commitment. Effects on this are many , but management or the leadership should accept that change has come and must embrace it.
--Dental Therapist
8 个月Very interesting and thought provoking
World Aid Foundation
8 个月"The Meaningless Boardroom" by Tinashe Moya critiques a family-run business that struggles with nepotism and mismanagement as it grows. Initially hiring based on familial ties rather than merit, the company later employs skilled outsiders but still prioritizes loyalty to the owner. This dynamic results in a dysfunctional boardroom where decision-making is undermined by patronage, leading to operational inefficiencies and client losses. Despite experienced managers, meetings lack substance, focusing more on ritual than strategic planning. The finance function prioritizes the owner's demands over business needs, further hindering operations. The boardroom, instead of being a hub for innovation, becomes demotivating, perpetuating a cycle of mismanagement. Recommendations include establishing clear governance, promoting meritocracy, empowering competent management, and aligning financial practices with business goals to restore professionalism and effectiveness.
Machine Operator at Saltrama_ Plasticss
8 个月Thanks for sharing