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Cause #32 Family Business Succession & Continuity
Observations This is the Big One! Succession, being the process of replacing one generation of owners, leaders and/or managers with another (usually younger) group is, in my experience, far and away the most common cause of Family Business conflict. For the many family business owners, and business family leaders, whose whole sense of identity is […]
Read MoreCause #31 Decision-Making Processes
Observations Many family business groups, from small to large, young and old, don’t have an agreed, coherent process for problem-solving or decision-making. Given that family and business life is a constant progression of issues, challenges, and problems that need to be resolved by wise decisions, it’s inevitable that the absence of good processes is a […]
Read MoreCause #30 Implementing Change in Business and Family
It’s one of the more curious features of human nature: many people will put up with known pain, rather than risk something worse by changing their circumstances. The condition even owns its own phobia: metathesiophobia, from the Greek: “meta” = change and “phobos” = fear. Fear of change, and problems implementing change, are common causes […]
Read MoreCause #29 Rules of Engagement
Observations Most Family Businesses are private business. This gives owner/leaders the legal and practical ability to do virtually whatever they like with the business, since they only have themselves to answer to. Or do they? Similarly, family leaders (Patriarchs and Matriarchs) can wield their authority over “junior” family members in ways that would make Genghis […]
Read MoreCause #28 Unrealistic Expectations & Entitlements
Observations Family Business can be a source of great pride to a family however, pride can get out of control – encouraging family members to create unjustified and unrealistic expectations of benefits they “should” receive from the business, including: cars, phones, travel and entertainment expenses, and credit cards for personal use. Whether caused by unthinking […]
Read MoreCause #27 Employing Family Members
Most first generation family businesses are private businesses. Their leaders are also their owners. This gives them the ability to do (almost) whatever they like within the business, since said leaders are only accountable to themselves, as owners. When there’s shared ownership, in any generation, things get more complicated, because business leaders are accountable to […]
Read MoreCause #21 Nature vs Nurture – Parents as Bosses
Observations The debate about whether Nature (genetics: innate qualities you were born with), or Nurture (environmental conditioning: learned behaviours and abilities), has the greatest influence on personality development, is one of the oldest in psychology, dating back to the ancient Greeks. It may even predate the invention of Souvlaki! Current thinking is that it’s not […]
Read MoreCause #20 Family Systems & Skills (5): Teamwork
Observations Strong and harmonious family teams are good indicators of a healthy business family culture. The absence of good teamwork in a family is a common cause of conflict when family members are involved in a family business. Most families want to believe that their “familyness” means that family members naturally work well together as […]
Read MoreCause #19 Family Systems & Skills (4): Respect & Trust
Observations Healthy levels of mutual respect and trust are key indicators of a good family business culture. Their absence is a common cause of conflict. “Trust” is a combination of thoughts and feelings that give confidence you can rely on the character, ability, strength, or integrity of someone, or something, to meet your expectation that […]
Read MoreCause #18 Family Systems & Skills (3): Decision Making
Observations Cause #17: Problem-Solving – described how and why poor problem-solving systems and skills are a common cause of conflict in family business, and in business families. Problem-solving is the front end, mechanical part of a process. For a problem to be solved, there needs to be a decision (agreement about what will be done), […]
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