As Vander Koi puts it: Get rid of that egg-suckin dog
Being nice in this industry doesn't mean you'll do good in business. Being firm, not mean, angry, uncomprimisable, etc.... is how you earn respect and loyalty from your employees. It can be called a little cliche, but my philosophy is, I'll treat you with respect if you treat me with respect. I lay it out, telling the guys that I will take care of them, and treat them right, so long as they don't start thinking they deserve everything and stop following the guidelines. I had an employee this season who was awesome for the first 2 months, telling me how much he liked working outside, seeing a product done at teh end of the day he could be proud of, etc... Then during the 3rd month, he showed up on time probably only 4 times during the month, as since I'm too nice of a guy and dealt with his psudo-decent excuses for not coming in on time, I put up with it thinking he's a good worker and he'll get through it. Then I started hearing he was upset with working because I didn't properly state that it gets HOT during the summertime and that working with a shovel while it is hot, it can seem even hotter. Yes you're hearing me right, and then the whole "I can get paid more somewhere else doing the same thing" statement came into play and I had it. Had a 1.5 hour talk with him, told him I'd evaluate him after a month and base any raise he got on that. He proceeded not to show up the next 3 days. Long story short, if you don't keep up on your policies and apply them to everyone, even a good employee will turn sour. He didn't even have any experience before he started and he demanded a raise just after 3 months!! Sorrry, got a little carried away.
Good luck with everything, and stick to your guns and have fun too, where is the joy in being a business owner unless you enjoy it.
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