Confusing the Business with the Legacy

Confusing the Business with the Legacy

Not too long ago, a client asked how he could his family members more excited about the family business.  “What would you do?”, he asked.  “What are you trying to sell them?  The business or the legacy?”  I asked.  He paused and then replied...
Confusing the Business with the Legacy

When is the Best Time to Give Someone Constructive Feedback?

Life seems to be full of “Goldilocks” moments.  You know, the time when whatever is going down is just right.  So, when it comes to giving family members, employees, of partners the benefit of your counsel, when does that magic feedback moment actually occur? Before...
Confusing the Business with the Legacy

Seven Steps to Getting Buy-In

We talk a lot about the need for buy-in.  Most of us understand the value of willing cooperation, and we struggle mightily to actually have it come about.  If it’s such a valuable concept, why is it so hard to achieve? A UK colleague, David Molden, talks about the...
Confusing the Business with the Legacy

Forget About Accountability, Focus on Commitment

“We desperately need a culture of accountability around here!  Nobody really seems to care whether or not school keeps.  How can I make people more accountable around here (including, in some cases, my children, my parents, my spouse, my siblings)?” Well, you can use...
Confusing the Business with the Legacy

Hatching Ideas: The Incubator Approach

When it comes to creativity, most of us have won the genetic lottery.  Trouble is, most of us get trapped in a “good enough” comfort zone, even when “good enough” isn’t.  It’s not that we don’t have the tools to grapple with business, family, and succession problems...
Confusing the Business with the Legacy

Disagreeing Agreeably

Disagreeing agreeably with others is an art form.  For some of us, it’s intuitive and comes quite naturally.  For others, it’s a learned behavior driven by unpleasant experience at home with family or at work with business associates.  And, there’s that group that...