The objective of the research is to analyze the relationship between managers’ competencies and their businesses performance. The study was approached from the quantitative paradigm, applying a questionnaire to 114 managers of small and medium-sized family businesses, located in the states of Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The results shared show, in the context of a family business, the relationship between the study variables, which allows providing knowledge in the family businesses management, which are important economic units in this country, as sources of employment generation. The structural equations technique was applied in the validation of the research hypotheses. It is inferred that only intrategic and personal effectiveness competencies are positively related to organizational performance, with no positive relationship between strategic competencies and organizational performance.La presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la relación existente entre las competencias de los directivos con el desempeño de sus negocios. Para ello se abordó el estudio desde el enfoque cuantitativo, aplicando un cuestionario estructurado a 114 empresarios de pequeñas y medianas empresas familiares de los estados de Tamaulipas y San Luis Potosí, México; este trabajo comparte los resultados del piloto del cuestionario para explorar su construcción al contexto empresarial de las empresas familiares. Se aplicó la técnica de ecuaciones estructurales para la validez de constructos y de las hipótesis de investigación. Se infiere que no todas las competencias de los gerentes están relacionadas con los resultados empresariales
