Questions That Clarify A Family Business's Success Rating
What are your answers to these questions?
The following questions are excerpted from: Jaffe, D. Working with the ones you love. Conari Press, 1991 to which the reader is referred.
To what extent does the family share core values, especially about people, work, and money?
Shared values about people, work and money.
To what extent do family members share power across generations, between spouses, among siblings?
Shared (not equal) power across generations, between spouses, among siblings.
Are there shared traditions that make the family special and sets it apart from all other families?
Traditions which make a family special & set it part from all other families.
Is the family open to new ideas and approaches; is it willing to learn and grow?
Willingness to learn and grow; an openness to new ideas and approaches which enables the family, as a group, to solve any problem.
To what extent do family members maintain their sense of humour and demonstrate the ability to have fun, be playful with each other, and play together?
Shared activities for maintaining relationships. Families that maintain their sense of humour, demonstrate an ability to have fun, and play together putting 'relationship currency' into the family bank so there is a reserve to draw upon during times of stress or disagreement.
How openly do family members express feelings of concern and care for one another?
Genuine caring demonstrated in open expression of feelings of concern for other family members.
Where can trust and respect among family members be identified?
Mutual respect evidenced my trust between and among family members which is built on a history of keeping one's word.
Are family members 'there' for one another, especially at times of grief, loss, pain, and shame providing assistance and support?
Mutual assistance and support especially at times of grief, loss, pain, and shame.
Do family members respect each other's right to privacy within the extended family?
Privacy; respect for one another's individual space and for the private space required in each family unit within the extended family.
Do clear lines prevent individuals from getting caught in the middle of conflicts between other family members?
Well-defined interpersonal boundaries keep individuals from getting caught in the middle and keep conflicts between two family members from involving a third person.
Author Credits
Lucio Dana is a family business adviser & facilitator; lecturer in Family Business Programs at Monash University; and Managing Director of Creativity in Business P/L. which trades under the business name Family Business Dynamics. He is co-author of Family Business Succession Planning: A 10-Step Guide, 2000 Centre for Professional Development; Email: ledana@go.com; Ph/Fax: 03 9841 5115