What Not to Do if You Join Your Family Business

Mother-and-daughter business owners sit at a conference room table and look at a tablet.

“I have been asked — ‘strongly urged’ is more accurate — to join our family business as a senior manager, becoming its CEO very soon. We manufacture paint and commercial coatings and have done so for almost 50 years, my father being the current CEO. I studied business at university and worked summers in the company, but I do not have my father’s hard-driving, business is my life personality. I’ve read every book you reviewed on leadership but have strong doubts if this is for me. Still, I do not want to let my family down. Do you know of a book written by a CEO of a family business who talks in real, human terms about the reality that I am sure to face if I accept my dad’s request? Thanks, ‘Darren.’”

I sure do.