Given the fascination – and headlines – devoted to family shenanigans at companies like Adelphia, Imclone, and Martha Stewart Inc., it is no wonder that myths of family business continue…
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Bad times for most enterprises equals good times for those catering to the stressed, the depressed and the anxious. As measured by the marked increase in calls to mental…
The world’s oldest continuously operating family business ended its impressive run last year. Japanese temple builder Kongo Gumi, in operation under the founders’ descendants since 578, succumbed to excess debt…
Chances are good that a long-lived family business will eventually be led by a sibling team. Despite sharing common values, siblings face real obstacles when cast in the top leadership spot.
Forget for a moment the dismal statistics about family business survival. Consider the hundreds of family businesses that have persevered, not just for a generation, but for centuries. You may…
Most articles and books written about family businesses have focused on the various thorny problems and emotional entanglements that come from working with family members. Less focus has been placed…
Over the years I have received several e-mails questioning the merits of working outside the family business when a job is waiting for them inside it. Here is one such…
Over the past decade, business leaders have witnessed an explosion of management tools and techniques in the workplace. Change Management, Total Quality Management (TQM), Enterprise Resource Planning, Balanced Scorecard, Benchmarking,…
Change, Change, Change. We hear about globalization, speed, technology, virtual workforces, labor market, outsourcing, belt-tightening, etc. These and other forces may change the daily challenges of work, but the basic…
Most people would answer that question”NO!” very quickly. But in the case of an owner of a business, who is also an officer of that business, the IRS may have…