It seems the Demoulas family drama is over. Again. Arthur S. Demoulas, son of George and Arthur T. Demoulas, son of Telemachus have ended their life long dispute with the sons of George Demoulas agreeing to sell their shares in the family company to the sons of Telemachus Demoulas.
James Gooch and Felicia Thornton were hired by the sons of George to replace the sons of Telemachus in the day to day operation of the Market Basket chain. And the workers revolted. Fearful of losing the good working conditions they enjoyed while working for the sons of Telemachus, nearly all of the Market Basket employees went on strike. And for one reason or another the customers of Market Basket joined the workers. Gooch and Thornton ordered the workers back to their posts and the workers replied with a solid no. Gooch and Thornton ordered up a job fair to hire replacement workers and no one showed up to apply. Gooch and Thornton then ordered the workers back to their posts with a this is our final offer, and the response was again no.
After more Demoulas family drama involving the governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, who knows how many bankers and of course the extended Demoulas family an agreement was reached for the sons of George to sell their ownership of Market Basket stock to the sons of Telemachus. The Market Basket chain was open and operating in time foe the Labor Day weekend. By Saturday the stores were stocked to 75% of capacity with customers taking items from shelves almost as fast as the stock boys could fill them.
What do I take from this drama? Something I’ve know for years. It’s harder to lead than it is to push. It takes time and effort to treat your employees with dignity and respect. But it’s worth it because it’s easier to lead people willing to follow you. Threats may cause people to follow grudgingly but its only exemplary leadership that can cause employees and customers to play the part that has been payed in this summertime drama.
