How Owners and Employees Think

In order for companies to create wealth and extraordinary organizational cultures, employees and owners must become more aligned in their thinking. When I ask business owners what concerns they have, what they think about from day to day, or what might keep them awake at night, they generally mention the following:

■ Profit. The company must have more revenue than it does expenses.

■ Cash flow. Business owners understand that it’s pretty difficult to run a business without cash. They also understand that a company can be profitable on paper, but run out of cash (more on this later).

■ Risk. They have to face the realities of market conditions, the economy, liability, employee issues, and on and on. Business owners often have their personal wealth at stake as well, and their families will be impacted if the company is not successful.