Family Factor

Family Factor

Recognizing Passive Conflict in Enterprising Families

Recognizing Passive Conflict in Enterprising Families 7 Ways Passive Conflict Threatens Family Cohesion Download Audio By Dr. Shay Harris-Pierre Estimated read time: 3 mins In family systems where wealth, legacy, and decision-making are intertwined, tension doesn’t always speak loudly. It often has an insidious quality, showing up in patterns that are easy to overlook or explain away, but its seeming negligibility makes it that much more of a threat to family dynamics. Just because something is difficult to name doesn’t mean it isn’t shaping the room. We call this “Passive Conflict”. Families can operate for years with unresolved [...]

How Family Governance Supports Family Harmony

Structure Builds Strength in Enterprising Families How Family Governance Supports Family Harmony Download Audio By Dr. Shay Harris-Pierre Estimated read time: 4 mins Sometimes, “harmony” can be a loaded word for families in business, full of challenges related to its definition and its overall achievability. It’s often confused with avoiding conflict or staying superficially pleasant, but true family harmony isn’t about uniformity or silence. Contrarily, it’s about resilience, relational trust, and a shared willingness to stay in connection, even through disagreement. At Continuity, we see harmony not as the absence of conflict, but as the capacity to address [...]

How to Engage a Family Business Consultant

How to Engage a Family Business Consultant Five essential tips to setup your consultative relationship for success Byline: Doug Baumoel Estimated read time: 3 mins At Continuity, we understand the paradox that families face when considering the prospect of hiring a family business consultant. Often, the very reasons why a family might benefit from such a consultant ─ lack of goal alignment among stakeholders, conflict, communication issues, or just being stuck ─ are the same reasons that prevent them from coming together in agreement to seek outside help. Drawing from my own experience when I was on the client-side [...]

Overcoming Family Business Conflict and Achieving Succession Success

Overcoming Family Business Conflict and Achieving Succession Success How one family resolved their differences and empowered a new CEO The Challenge Stakeholders in a family-owned construction business were in conflict over management succession, which created crippling conflict between family members. The founder, owner, and president of this company, Peter, wanted his daughter, Christine, to eventually succeed him as CEO. Peter’s brother, Jack, who was second-in-command at the company, rejected the plan to prepare his niece to become CEO and walked off the job, feeling angry and unappreciated for the value he had brought to the business. While Jack didn’t [...]

The Progenitor’s Dilemma: Avoiding Entitlement When Transferring Wealth

The Progenitor’s Dilemma: Avoiding Entitlement When Transferring Wealth A practical framework that empowers heirs while minimizing negative consequences byline Doug Baumoel, Blair Trippe and Katie Spencer Est. Read time: ~8 to 9 minutes Wealth can, at times, feel more like a curse than a blessing. Wealth magnifies the impact of bad choices and presents dilemmas to those progenitors who must determine how to distribute their assets over their lifetimes and beyond. Perhaps the biggest fear among benefactors is transferring wealth in a way that engenders entitlement. Progenitors do not want affluence to crush the next-generation’s initiative, sense of purpose [...]

8 Ways to Manage Sibling Wealth Disparity this Holiday Season

8 Ways to Manage Sibling Wealth Disparity this Holiday Season The holidays can be the best time to address ill feelings triggered by gift-giving Byline: Blair Trippe and Doug Baumoel Estimated read time: ~4 minutes The holiday season is upon us and, for many families, this time of year can bring a multitude of issues to the surface. One such issue, sibling wealth disparity, (re)emerges when it comes to gift-giving. Money and items gifted by siblings may not be of equal value due to their wealth disparity, and this can wreak havoc and cause conflict among families. In order to maintain [...]

Turkey Talk: Discussing Family Business Issues at Holiday Get-Togethers

Turkey Talk: Discussing Family Business Issues at Holiday Get-Togethers How to handle family business conflicts, decisions, and discussions around the holiday dinner table Byline: Blair Trippe Estimated read time: ~2-3 minutes We’ve all seen the pictures—a happy family gathered around the dining table as dad carves the perfectly cooked turkey while the children play and share their toys in an impeccable home. These television and movie scenes depict families enjoying the holidays filled with laughter and joy. But for many of us, especially for some working in a family business, these images are as elusive as that winning lottery ticket. [...]

The Real Purpose of Family Enterprise Governance: Developing the “Four Capitals”

The Real Purpose of Family Enterprise Governance: Developing the “Four Capitals” Nurturing the four types of capital to maximize the potential of your enterprising family. Byline: Doug Baumoel Estimated read time: 3 mins In this commentary, we explore the four types of capital—financial, human, spiritual, and social, and the family enterprise governance system’s crucial role in promoting each of these for the benefit of the family. Family enterprise governance systems may look different for different families. For some families, governance is a highly structured system of a family council, family office board, and a family business board; all connected [...]

Go to Top