Tag: family business advice

Strong Family Businesses Think Short Term and Long Term at the Same Time

In a crisis, family firms cannot afford to focus only on immediate survival or future legacy. The most resilient ones do both, drawing on past lessons, trusted relationships, and long-standing Read more

Helping Daughters Become Successful Family Business Leaders

Daughters can become strong and credible successors when families involve them early, clarify authority, support professional development, and make room for new models of leadership. While daughters Read more

The Hidden Fault Lines That Threaten Family Enterprises

From death and divorce to disruption and disrepute: these 12 hidden risks can weaken family enterprises over time. Family enterprises are often admired for their long-term orientation, strong values, Read more

How Leaders Can Transfer Their Great Instincts to Successors

A leader's tacit knowledge can make the company more successful, but it's a challenge to understand what's behind it or how to pass it down to next-gens. A family business leader's instinct -- often Read more

Family Businesses Must Prepare for the Unthinkable

An unexpected death or disability can wreak havoc on a family business's best-laid plans. Patricia Annino, a Senior Advisor and Associate Partner at Cambridge Family Enterprise Group, has seen many Read more

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. A family business leader said to me recently, “We need to make a decision, but Read more

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. If you ask someone what they think of a family Read more

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. Conflict is a normal part of the human experience, but it Read more

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? In family business, a quarter Read more

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. EDITOR'S NOTE: This Read more