Our Latest Content

April 20, 2026 - Issue #164

When Family Business Reputation Helps—and When It Hurts Family firms often enjoy strong consumer goodwill, until they engage in deliberate misconduct -- when higher expectations can produce deeper disappointment and sharper backlash.

Why Perspective Taking Might Be the Most Underrated Innovation Skill A new study finds that perspective taking is not just a soft skill. It helps insiders generate more novel ideas and outsiders generate more useful ones.

AI in Family Business: Why Brain Capital Is Your Real Competitive Advantage Family firms need AI, but it can't build trust or regulate conflict. Here's why Brain Capital—judgment, resilience, and governance maturity—will determine whether they thrive across generations.

How Families Can Move From Conflict to Forgiveness Set boundaries clearly and often, understand your own hot buttons, and be genuinely curious about why the other side thinks the way they do.

Family Offices Are Booming—But Do They Actually Work? Research still can’t clearly explain when they deliver real value. A review shows what we know, what we don’t, and how families can close the needs-to-services gap.

Before You Grow the Family Business, Know What Not to Break The challenge during succession is that not every inherited element deserves to be preserved. But not every piece of the legacy is safe to disrupt, either.

How Families Can Override Emotions to Make Better Judgments When decisions become emotionally charged, it becomes harder to think clearly just when clear thinking is needed most.

Family Businesses Must Prepare for the Unthinkable An unexpected death or disability can wreak havoc on a family business's best-laid plans.

What the Public Gets Wrong About Family Businesses A new study shows that insiders see ambition, innovation, and complexity, but outsiders see tradition. Bridging that divide is key to future success.

Why People Risk Belongs on Every Family Business Board Agenda Boards routinely scrutinize financial and strategic risk. But talent shortages, leadership culture problems, and succession gaps can erode long-term value just as quickly.

What Japan's Oldest Businesses Can Teach Us About Longevity Should longevity always be the goal? And if so, what exactly should endure—the operating company, a particular business model, or the family enterprise system itself?

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How to Stand Out When Your Competitors Have Had a 100-Year Head Start

Too Much Advice Hurts Leader Decision-Making

The Hidden Branding Risk for Family Businesses: The Family Becomes the Brand

How Leaders Can Transfer Their Great Instincts to Successors

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Recent

Inside the Family Business Boardroom: How Better Meetings Lead to Better Decisions

by Isabel C Botero, Miguel Méndez, and Pedro Vazquez / Research Insight

Board effectiveness isn’t just about who sits at the table—it’s about what happens during the meeting. Research reveals the hidden dynamics shaping family business decisions. Read more...

What Nonfamily Managers Need From Family Firm Leaders

by Mat Hughes, Alfredo De Massis, Sascha Kraus, Qilin Hu, and Yi-Ying Chang / Research Insight

Vision matters—but so does individualized consideration. This study shows nonfamily managers perform better when CEOs pair transformational leadership with genuine, personalized attention and political skill. Read more...

How Families Can Re-Engage Reluctant Successors Without Pressure

by John Cater, Roland Kidwell, Megan Harper, and Marilyn Young / Research Insight

Successors recommit when roles align with their values, skills, and life stage—and when family dynamics allow earlier experiences to be reinterpreted. Read more...

How Families Shape Successor Motivation—and the Firm’s Long-Term Direction

by Alexandra Dawson / Research Insight

Family firms don’t have goals—people do. The rise and fall of Italy's Florio dynasty shows how successor motivation shapes the balance between growth, legacy, and community—and how families can build more durable, values-led leadership. Read more...

by Kerry Hannon

Things to Consider When Transferring Family Business Ownership

by Susan Lanz, Gary Burke, Kajsa Haag, and Omid Omidvar

How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses

by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan

Let the Next Generation of Family Firm Leaders Chart Their Own Path

by Klaus Lüber and Nadine Kammerlander

Outside Leadership Can Save the Family Business

by Robert Sher

Will Your Family Brand Survive New Leadership?

by Meghan Lynch