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.
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.
Family firms face higher borrowing costs than non-family firms if they disclose strategic information, but having women on their boards helps them narrow the gap. Read more...
Passing on stories among family members from one generation to the next is one powerful way values can be passed through multiple generations without being reduced to meaningless words. Read more...
Next-gen leaders often have a clearer view of how the family business must change. The challenge is to preserve the culture and values while making change happen. Read more...
Business families have many ways to combine financial returns with philanthropy. The choice depends on their values, long-term goals and other factors. Read more...
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation