There is something that those of us who lead or work closely with SMEs know, even if we cannot always put it into words: Carlos Cleri describes it precisely in the Book of SMEs.
In an SME, the human element is immediate, visible, and hard to cushion. It does not hide behind a corporate facade. What in a large organization is filtered through structure, processes, evaluations, and incentives, in an SME impacts daily management directly.
That is why proximity weighs so much. The bonds. The emotions. The stories. The loyalties. The figure of the leader. And their family.
Not because SMEs are necessarily less professional, but because they operate with fewer mediations. What is thought, imagined, felt, or decided appears quickly in the system and has an impact.
Therein lies a great part of their complexity and also their power. The magic of human systems.
That is why applying business theory without incorporating this human reality into the process rarely works. If it is key in a multinational, in an SME it is absolutely necessary.
In an SME: the emotional and the operational mix all the time, roles are flexible, problems spread quickly, and the mood of the leadership defines the tone of the day.
When it is also a family business, that dynamic intensifies. The economic logic and the emotional logic coexist, as do the expectations of the business and those of the family.
None of that is a defect. It is the reality within which management takes place.
That is why transforming an SME does not start only with processes, organizational charts, or tools. It starts by listening, observing, and understanding.
In SMEs, the human element is not a complement. Cleri argues that it is a central part of the operating system. And when that dimension is recognized and worked from, in an integrated way, decisions become ordered and the company gains perspective.
