Improving Your Family Relationships Will Help Your Family Business Thrive
Your competition isn’t the biggest threat to your family enterprise. Neither is the economy, or market trends.
The biggest threat to your family business is unresolved conflict.
I know that’s not easy to accept. But after two decades in my family business, five years in a private law practice, acting as a court mediator, and advising other family businesses, I can tell you it’s true.
The symptoms of unresolved family conflict tend to show up as a:
- Lack of a coherent succession plan
- Lack of successful strategic planning, or inability to implement a plan
- Lack of financial stability
- Lack of healthy conflict and communication
You may read the list above and think those are your business problems, but the underlying issue is unresolved conflict.
You may hope your family will resolve its issues internally...but it hasn’t.
Ignoring conflicts won’t make them go away, and families often need an outside adviser to get them from where they are to where they want to be.
The transformation for your family business, when issues are brought to light and resolved may include:
- Stronger relationships
- Improved leadership skills
- Healthier organizational culture
- More efficient operations
- Skills to successfully manage conflict on your own
- Ability to create a succession plan that serves the greater good of the family and business
- Developing a healthy relationship with family wealth and formulating approaches to manage it responsibly
How I Can Help
Ultimately, my role is to help your family develop and rebuild trust—without it, progress will be stalled.
As an adviser and consultant for your family business, I provide objective advice and facilitate productive conversations about succession, wealth management, and business operations.
Throughout the process, our shared goal is to find solutions that are in the best interest of the family and the business as a whole.
Our work together is guided by three core beliefs:
You own the problem and the solution.
I’m not a magic pill for your business, and I don’t sell a quick fix. I believe your family will be able to solve problems and create sustainable change, with the right guidance, skills, and tools.
We must confront the hard truths.
Through the process, we’ll create a safe space to confront underlying issues. I’m here to serve as an objective third party to analyze organizational conditions. I don’t shy away from any harsh truths. At the same time, my input is always rooted in empathy and compassion.
“Important” doesn’t have to mean “serious.”
Humor can help defuse tense situations and reframe challenges. Just as I’m not afraid to be calm in an uncomfortable discussion, I’m not afraid to find the humor in a situation.
Ready to talk? I’m ready to listen. Book your free consultation...