As a family business coach, I’m passionate about creating successful family businesses! I’m also just as passionate about creating successful families. I believe both of those passions can work together hand-in-hand.
One of the most common complaints I hear working with families all over the country goes something like this “we can’t go five minutes in this family without talking about the business or something related to the business. The rest of us get sick of hearing about it and talking about it”
Good point. Well taken. Everything in moderation including the dearly beloved family business.
Send this blog to your family leaders and the family business participants and let me challenge them. I love my business and I love talking about my business and at the same time I realize my family members have many of their own hopes and dreams and interests and Thanksgiving is a great time to hear from others.
This Thanksgiving I want to challenge you all to leave the family business at the door. No complaining, no pontificating, no gossiping about the latest drama, no bragging about the latest conquest. No family business.
We know you are a decorated business hero! This Thanksgiving show us if you can be another kind of family hero. Show us you’re someone who can put the family business agenda aside and focus on the family agenda.
Find out what we are interested in. Find out what’s going on in our lives. Show genuine interest in our hobbies and our challenges and our opportunities. See if you can engage in dialogue that goes for more than five minutes and doesn’t involve the family business.
The family business is an important part of the family. The fact that some of the family members are obsessed with the family business can actually be a good thing. Their obsession with work many times translates to increased shareholder value and family wealth. The rest of the family should try to accept them for who they are and create an environment in which everyone can appreciate each other.
Leave the family business out of Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone should pitch in to make Thanksgiving a great day to be grateful to have family members and get to know each other better and engage in supportive and appreciative dialogue!
If you want to have some fun you can watch a short video I made about Thanksgiving in the family business.
