Why is setting this standard necessary? Here are a few examples:

• You Build Trust. This builds trust over the long term. If you are true to this principle, it will also help you address negative behavior. For example: a vendor is looking for a long-term contract. An employee wants a guaranteed salary for the future. An investment advisor wants to get your business without bidding on it. All decisions are made based on what’s best for the business. This does not happen overnight, but if you apply it consistently, it will become standard operating procedure.
• You Show Leadership. Sometimes, there will be decisions that are personally detrimental but in the best interest of the business. In these situations, you still must choose to make decisions in the best interest of the business. Yes, you may take a personal hit, but these situations can be teachable moments for you and your team. When you choose your business over yourself, you reinforce a standard of fairness—rules apply to everyone.
• You Deal with Dedicated Employees. Think about employees who have worked tirelessly in the early stages of the business, but are not equipped to be the company’s future leaders. In these cases, you must make a tough choice between your responsibility to the business and your loyalty to an employee. It is your job to find a way to align their interests to the best interests of the business. This could take the form of rewarding early-stage employees with options that are maintained even if the employee leaves the company. You may say, “I can’t determine who is going to be the management team of the future, but at least if you are not a member of the team, you will be rewarded for your hard work.” As an alternative, you can align the employee to a role they desire and at the same time bring in team members that serve to advance the business in a way that the employee could not—as long as you aren’t acquiring additional costs for the wrong reasons.

You will not be able to please everyone. You will learn a lot about people and their motivations. Address your standard early and often so that all your resources understand that if they put their needs above your business’s best interest, they are not violating some idea you invented yesterday as an excuse or justification. They are violating a fundamental tenet of the business.