Insomnia: May 2005

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You're in Charge, Now Deal With Family Employees

By Georgene Waterman

Question
I was recruited two years ago to be the heir apparent for a CEO/president of a large mortgage company located in Sacramento. The board of directors wanted to have a transition plan in place for replacing the chief executive. I am 41.
    When the CEO/president came to the company, he hired two members of his family to work in the business. One of them was very capable, but the other was a young son without any management knowledge or skills.
    Two months ago the CEO/president unexpectedly died of a heart attack and the board of directors appointed me CEO/president. This was exactly where my career path was headed, but the circumstances cast a shadow on my new presidency. I decided to leave everything just as it was for a period of time until the staff and family had some time to grieve. It's been two months, and it's time for me to step up to the challenges of the position.
     I need to implement my own culture and handle the issues about the son, but I'm not sure where to start. How does a new chief executive keep the best of the old culture and implement his/her own? And, how should I handle the son without the rest of the staff thinking I'm heartless, since he just lost his father?

Continued...

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