Now Dixie, let’s analyze this: You were speaking (a bit petulantly I might add) to grown men and women who got where they are by scratching and clawing out an opportunity to market their long-unrewarded skills completely on their own. They lived with nothing for years and were kept going solely on their will, drive, hunger, and pure love of what they do. And then there’s you, who got the money to buy your company from your daddy. You are in no position to lecture those people about hard work and “stepping it up.” You have more growing up to do than I have space here to describe. If you have issues with the way your employees might view you, my advice to you is to remember that respect is commanded, not demanded. You should think for a while about how that applies to your workplace, and you should without a doubt think before you speak.

For the sake of the business, let’s hope for the first.