Special Issue: Your Relationships

February 13, 2023 - Issue #83

Too Much Love in the Family Can Hurt Strong family relationships are good for business, but being too insular will blind the family to great ideas from the outside and actually hurt return on equity.

Getting Along: Straight Talk from a Family Business Veteran Trust people. Walk around a lot so you meet more non-relatives. And don't show off your new car when the firm is tightening the belt.

Family Emotions Can Drive Business Decisions Because personal and business dynamics are so closely intertwined, private disagreements and personal histories inevitably spill over into the business.

Divorce Can Hollow out a Family Business — But it Doesn’t Have to It’s surprising how many business-owning families fail to properly plan for this worst case scenario. Here's advice from two experts about protecting the business.

Family CEO Burnout: How to Prevent, Recognize and Deal With It How can leaders keep themselves from getting worn down or recognize burnout in themselves? And what should family members do if they see their leader struggling?

'Let’s Not Go There...' Taboos in Family Business Many families dare not discuss certain topics because they want to preserve the illusion of harmony and unity. But these taboo topics are bound to erupt sooner or later.

LVMH Billionaire is Keeping it in the Family

Bernard Arnault, the world's richest man, talks about his plans for his heirs in this Wall Street Journal video.

February 2023

What Families in Conflict Can Learn from Baseball and Teachers Using a hybrid of mediation and arbitration offers a real chance to preserve family relationships during a difficult period of conflict.

How Family Firms Can Prevent (or Cool Down) Sibling Rivalries Koch Industries, McCain Foods and Robert Mondavi were all roiled by sibling battles. These three strategies will help you prevent it.

Future Family Business Owners Can Learn to Manage Conflict This classroom exercise dissects the five approaches to managing disputes, and their likely outcomes.

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How Family Business Leaders Can Encourage Both Devotion and Performance

Women Can Help Family Firms Innovate – but Socioemotional Factors Matter

‘SOBs’: The Real Power in Family Businesses

Craft Ventures are More Successful With a Couple at the Helm

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Recent

Articles About Relationships, Succession Were Top Draws in 2024

by Kimberly Eddleston and Mat Hughes / Commentary

Many readers wanted advice about handling toxic family relationships, managing succession, and preserving the family’s values over time. Read more...

Hiring Mom and Dad? Optimize Their Strengths and Manage Boundaries

by Kimberly Eddleston / Interviews

Sharon Beck, owner of a Jovie Childcare franchise, shares her insights on the benefits and challenges of being your parents' boss. Read more...

The HERO Model: How Family Enterprise Leaders Can Accelerate Change

by Doug Gray, PhD / Practice Insight

Hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism can make us better people and better leaders. This article explores how we can cultivate it within ourselves. Read more...

Protect Your Family Business From Crime

by Paul Sanchez, Matthew Wood, Tim Michaelis, and Jaime Suarez / Research Insight

In crime-prone regions, activities like selling in physical stores, regular trips to the bank, and talking openly about business growth can make business owners targets. Read more...

by Joseph Astrachan and Claudia Binz Astrachan

Why Families and Their Firms Behave Badly

by Roland Kidwell, Kimberly Eddleston, Linda Kidwell, John Cater, and Ellison Howard

The Paradox of Choice: Wealth's Impact on Family Potential

by Doug Baumoel

The Biggest Mistakes Family Businesses Make With Their Boards

by Kimberly Eddleston

Family Business Succession Planning: 10 Golden Rules

by Tom Rüsen, Torsten Groth, and Arist von Schlippe

Transferring Family Wealth to the Next Generation: What’s Fair?

by Martin Kemp and Susan Lanz