Mother’s and Father’s Days are typical times for reporters and others to call as family business stories can often have a nice family angle. One reporter asked if rites and rituals help families become better families.

There are two answers to the question. First, rites and rituals reflect the health of the family more than they cause it. And it is not the fact that a family observes them that determines health, it is the content of them. Continue Reading »

Who should be on the board is an important question. Boards, strategic planning, and family meetings are, as indicated by mine and other’s research over the past 20 years, the “diet, exercise, and don’t smoke” of family business. The research on private family business boards is unclear about who exactly should be on the board. Continue Reading »

I was at a family business conference in Europe recently and was disappointed to hear debate on such issues as when should succession take place, or who should be on a board of directors. Don’t get me wrong, I love debate, but not when the questions have answers that can be scientifically determined. Continue Reading »

Rules and agreements are very popular recommendations for consultants; I think because they are products easily delivered.  Family constitutions are one of the more popular versions, but do they work?

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