“Casey Kasem’s family is at war,” says today’s (Oct. 2, 2013) headline on US Weekly. What exactly are they fighting about? According to Kasem’s daughter, Kerri, they just want to see their dad. It seems however, their step mother is standing in the way.
Kasem, a legendary pop radio host now suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease. But this isn’t a fight about money. “Look, people fight and they don’t like each other, and that’s fine,” Kerri said. “But it’s cruel to keep us from seeing our dad. We don’t want any money from Jean. We don’t care about that. We were raised well, and we support ourselves.”
Unfortunately, this kind of family feuding isn’t reserved for celebrity families, like the Kasem’s. Family businesses, large and small, experience their fair share of arguments among relatives. But this kind of conflict can be managed.
One critical component of conflict management is communication. Rather than avoiding conflict (in this case ostracizing family members), it’s better to open up the lines of communication. Simply learn how to disagree, debate, even argue in a respectful and professional manner that results in agreement and not in a win and lose outcome.
ReGENERATION Partners has successfully helped family business overcome the communication gap between family members that leads to conflict, like that facing the Kasem family today. To learn more, email us!
