You thought family drama was THE problem in your family business.
In fact, it was just A problem.
The tension between your son and brother was there, every day for everyone to see – a well-scripted dance of avoidance between them.
A few times each month, when one failed to follow the other’s lead, they’d explode from emotional silence into loud verbal conflict, complete with in-your-face finger pointing and blame.
You jumped into the middle, of course. You had no choice.
To keep the business on track, you needed both of them aligned.
So you tried everything:
- carrot and stick
- empathy
- tough love
- pleas to find their better angles, and
- demands to “act their age.”
Sometimes it worked, but never for long. You learned the hard way.
The harder you worked at fixing it for them:
- The more they broke it;
- The more intensely the fire raged between them;
- The more their embers sparked new fires.
Soon you weren’t containing not just one blaze but … two, three, and on really windy days, up to a dozen.
Some observations:
- You’re the leader of a family business, not a Fire Chief.
- You don’t have time to manage one relationship fire, let alone several.
- But you know (again, learned the hard way) if you can’t contain them, they’ll burn through the family and the business for years to come.
The questions remain:
Where to start?
Which fires deserve immediate attention?
What tools do you need to bring to the blaze?
Need some family business firefighting support?
In PHASE 1 of the Family Business Life Coaching process, we help you identify the challenges and define the problems you need to get under control. Phases 2-7 help you take action and create future-proof plans that strengthen your family business.
.Explore our coaching process -or- Schedule a discovery chat
