Backslash is a really fun place to work.  We have a great time and get along like a family – sometimes TOO much like a family.  We work well together but have a tendancy to argue about small issues at times.  But, for the most part, we have a lot of fun.

I like to have fun, too, and that part of my personality insists that I avoid conflict.  I have a hard time dealing with critism and conflict almost always involves somebody telling somebody else that they are wrong.  So, rather than treating my job as owner of the company like I probably should, I act like a friend to everyone.  I laugh and joke and waste time with everybody – often times, I am the distraction.

This is the tough part:  How do I get everyone to switch gears when necessary?  When I need to get something done, I quit playing around, but not everyone else does.  I have a hard time “disciplining” anyone because, chances are, I started the whole thing in the first place.  I know that I have the “right” to “yell” at people as the owner.  But it’s wrong to do when I’m goofing off, too.

I guess I expect others to pick up on the fact that I have switched to working mode and change as well.  That doesn’t always work, though.  People still play around and laugh loudly and joke and….  Then I send out a Twitter message wondering aloud why I’m paying people to goof off.  Things get quiet, and I feel terrible.

Do I need to be a jerk?  Do I need to tell the employees to “get to work” more often?  If so, do I need to stop sitting around, talking and encouraging the behavior in the first place?  The last thing I want to do is make Backslash a “normal” (read: boring) job.  I would miss all of the good times we have and the relaxed atmosphere.  But I know we miss out on a lot of money due to our laid-back company culture.

That last point isn’t always obvious.  When things are going well, and the money is flowing in the right direction, it’s easy to “celebrate” a little by having fun.  But when things are tight – like now – I am quicker to get annoyed with the distractions.  I may be the one that’s CAUSING the distraction, but I – VERY UNFAIRLY, I honestly believe – expect others to get back on track right away when it’s time to work.

I hope that the answer is somewhere in between.  I want to continue to have a great work environment where everyone feels it’s okay to have fun while getting paid.  But I need to be a “business owner”, too, and look at the bottom line.  I just hope everyone understands that and I don’t have to be a jerk.