Earlier this month, I attended my first in-person conference since early 2020, the Institute for Family Governance conference in New York City. During the lunch break, I chaired a roundtable discussion on addressing and preventing conflict in a family enterprise. Our conversation echoed – and amplified – some themes that we heard throughout the day.

Setting expectations is key – well before a problem erupts. Recognize that families and their family enterprises necessarily evolve over time. Important documents, whether legally binding or not, need to change, too. Disagreements are to be expected, and even welcomed. They don’t need to be nasty or destructive. Burying them is rarely a wise move. Finally, the process of communicating is valuable in and of itself.

Most interesting to me, over the course of the day, is a newer idea.  I was hearing more conversation about the importance of ongoing work within legacy families, family offices, and family enterprises on the subject of handling conflict effectively. One day or one long weekend isn’t enough.

Do you have comments or suggestions about a topic or guest? An idea or question about conflict management or conflict resolution? Let me know at jb@dovetailresolutions.com! And you can learn more about me and my work as a mediator and a Certified CINERGY® Conflict Coach at www.dovetailresolutions.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/janebeddall/.

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