August 2019 - The Solutionist Group

Natalie Armstrong Interview with Jon Kenfield. Family Business Mediator. Solutionist.

Jon talks with Natalie Armstrong, speaker and author of “The Essential Guide to Marketing Your ADR Practice” about the origin and meaning behind the word ‘Solutionist’.

Family Business Mediator Video No 23: Ages & Stages, Conflicting Financial Needs. By Jon Kenfield.

Common Causes of Family Conflict & What to Do About Them. Video No 23. Ages & Stages – Conflicting Financial Needs. Major cause of conflict – generated by different needs during different ages & stages, compounded by life’s usual complexities. When young – home & mortgage / family / school fees / collecting “toys” + […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 22: Differences Needs, Wants & Interests Video By Jon Kenfield.

Video 22. Differences: Needs, Wants & Interests | Perspectives & Behaviours | Respect & Rewards. Arguments and conflicts come from lack of: Shared Visions, Plans, Goals & Commitments. Shared Visions Goals, Strategies & Plans are aspirational focal points that start with built consensus & are sustained by continuing effort & performance. Lack of … leaves […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 21: Parents as Bosses: Nature vs Nurture vs Independence.

Nature vs nurture goes back to the Greeks: innate qualities vs learned / conditioned behaviours and abilities. During the growing up years, Nature and Nurture interact within the Family System to shape individual personalities and core family dynamics. The results can cause serious conflict when they move into a business system, where consequences are magnified. […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 20: Family Systems & Skills. Teamwork. By Jon Kenfield.

Video 20. Family Systems & Skills – Teamwork. Families tend to assume that their “familyness” means they naturally work well as a team, but the reality is often far from the belief – which easily leads to conflict when expectations are seriously mismatched and badly unmet. The quality of teamwork has a lot to do […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 19: Family Systems & Skills – Respect & Trust. By Jon Kenfield.

Common Causes of Family Conflict & How to Deal with Them. Video 19. Family Systems & Skills – Respect & Trust. Families & family businesses tend to believe that their “familyness” automatically confers high levels of honesty, integrity, respect & trust, where sometimes the very opposite is in play: very low levels mutual trust due […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 18: Family Systems & Skills. Decision Making. By Jon Kenfield.

Common Causes of Family Conflict & How to Deal with Them. Video 18. Family Systems & Skills – Decision Making. Issues with decision-making are a major cause of conflict in many business families, both in the family and in the business. Charismatic business leaders can get drunk on power, which may lead to suboptimal business […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 17: Family Systems & Skills – Problem Solving. By Jon Kenfield.

Common Causes of Family Conflict & How to Deal with Them. Video 17. Family Systems & Skills – Problem Solving. Some families are naturally collaborative and engaging, others rely on key decision-makers to make some or all decisions. In the first case the family will develop systems and processes for solving problems. In the second […]

Family Business Mediator Video No 16: Family Systems & Skills – Communication. By Jon Kenfield.

Common Causes of Family Conflict & How to Deal with Them. Video 16. Family Systems & Skills – Communication. It’s common to blame lack of, or breakdown in, communication for causing conflict. This is total rubbish and causes enormous problems when hope, time and effort are put into fixing symptoms, rather than causes. Individuals may […]

Family Business Conflict Video No 15 Emotional Baggage. By Jon Kenfield. Solutionist.

Common Causes of Family Conflict & How to Deal with Them. Video 15. Emotional Baggage. Root cause of many family business conflicts can be traced back/attributed to actual and perceived actions/inactions that created negative emotional impacts that have generated substantial emotional investment over many years to become emotional baggage that individuals carry around with them, […]