Today's Outlook and tomorrow's Flair magazines will look at how this scenario has played out for popular musician Freddie McGregor and his children, well-known businessman Kenny Benjamin and his son, and others. The elder Benjamin is a firm believer that if the children have no interest in, or flair for the business, they should be given shares and encouraged to find experts to run it. To that end, he did not introduce son Nicholas to the Guardsman Group until he was in his late teens and he subsequently had to work his way up.
"Nicholas worked for short periods at various other companies doing summer jobs. I did not want to spoil him; I wanted him to develop a work ethic, that goes for all my children. If they don't show competence, they won't be in the company, they can also enjoy the benefits as a shareholder," Benjamin said, noting that Nicholas has had training in and exposure to every aspect of the job from security guard to his present position as trainee manager.
Benjamin said when he started out in the security business, he did all the jobs, from cleaning the dogs' kennels to washing cars. "The nuts and bolts are important grounding so that when you are in charge, no worker can tell you rubbish about a job," he said.
Pleased with performance
He is pleased with the performance of his son to date. Reports are that Nicholas is charming, has an excellent memory for names, (he refers to everyone by name), not bad for having started out only a year ago. Dad's pride is obvious and he expresses satisfaction that he didn't introduce Nicholas to the group earlier. "I did not want him to get comfortable working and not finish school," Benjamin revealed.
So the 24 year-old Benjamin is now one of nine trainee managers with the group. They recently completed a three-day leadership seminar that covered emotional intelligence, communication, conflict management and self assessment. The group has been described as a 'bright, confident, high-performance group of individuals' who are now expected to transfer the skills they learnt to the work place.
That is precisely what the father wants for a son who says he is in it for the long haul. "I will dedicate myself to doing it for the long haul and, hopefully, the management team will be happy with me and I will earn for myself a place in the group," Nicholas told Outlook.
Not a surprising sentiment when one considers that his father allowed him no sense of entitlement with his position. Nicholas revealed that as a child, he had to work for any extras he wanted. "We got what we needed as children to be comfortable and no more; when you are forced to work for something, you appreciate it more," he said.
Ironically, he began his university studies by pursuing courses in environmental studies. "But I took a semester off and came home and tried some business-related courses at the University College of the Caribbean and I liked it," the Campionite noted.
So, upon his return to Canada, he switched his major to business and now has every intention to go on to his master's degree. "I will probably go back to school at the end of 2011; I am not yet quite ready for every-day work, so I will take the time to get additional qualification."
Focused
Nicholas is pretty focused, and having attended school and university in Canada, he is settling down nicely in Ocho Rios where he is on his own and enjoying his bachelor pad. And he cooks, cleans and does his own laundry too. When asked about ironing, he shared the following tip:
To get a shirt looking great, take it from the closet and run it in the dryer on high heat for five minutes, just fluff it out afterwards and it will look freshly ironed.
For the future, he will continue to consult with his dad on matters that require experienced help because, when it comes to problem-solving, he gets insights that teach him not to repeat mistakes and where to draw the line. "Dad teaches me where to draw the line, 'bredren' and work don't mix, boundaries are important."
What he is loving most are the people aspects of the job, "we sell people, dogs, peace of mind. It's mostly intangible, so we have to get it right. I can never be my father but I can emulate his style."
