"Once used to bolster troubled staffers, coaching now is part of the standard leadership development training for elite executives and talented up-and-comers at IBM, Motorola, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and Hewlett Packard. These companies are discreetly giving their best prospects what star athletes have long had: a trusted adviser to help reach their goals."
-- CNN.com

Are you looking to build the family business and best utilize the talents and abilities of all family members? If so, we want to help! The founder of Performance & Success Coaching, Larina Kase, grew up within a family business and worked as a family therapist and counselor.

With family business consultation you will likely work directly with Larina as your consultant and benefit from her different areas of interest and experience.

However, family business consultation is not therapy. The focus is on improving the function of your business (which may of course also improve family relationships). We don’t go deep into your childhood or sibling rivalries. The results of this work is measured by improved business performance in the here and now.

Manage family conflict

As part of a family business, you know how quickly conversations can degenerate into conflict. Arguments are more likely in a family business because family members are more comfortable with each other (and therefore less censored) than regular co-workers. Not only can workplace conflict hurt relationships among family members, it can reduce your credibility and professionalism with other employees. We can help your family to:

• Recognize the causes of business disagreements.
• Change the course of communication before conflict develops.
• Better understand family member’s views on business issues.
• Assertively state your thoughts and opinions.
• Develop a system for handling disagreements in a private office (not in front of employees).

Plan for changes in business structure & succession

Your business will eventually change over time. You may consider bringing on junior partners, promoting someone, or creating new titles and responsibilities for people. Family members, business partners, or investors may consider a change in the business structure. Planning for succession is another major change that can be addressed in coaching. Our family business coaching enables families to:

• Openly discuss issues related to succession.
• Address potential challenges to a new partnership or business structure up front.
• Anticipate family members’ and employees’ positive and negative reactions to changes.
• Ensure a smooth transition into your new business structure.

Enhance family business communication

Many of the family businesses I have worked with surprised employees (and even me!) by how much they argue. In your family, it may feel normal to have disagreements or even a heated argument. It may blow over and no one is bothered much by it. Even when this enters the workplace, it may still feel natural to you and you may not even notice - but other people do. Simple conflicts and communication difficulties can block your business’s ability to thrive. The good news is that these challenges are easy to address. As family business consultants, we:

• Point out communication problems.
• Coach family members on developing new communication patterns.
• Establish regular times for family business members to have meetings.
• Make meetings more effective and efficient.

Clarify family member business roles

A common problem in many family businesses is that individual roles and responsibilities tend to get blurred. Business roles are different from family roles. This can become confusing – not just for family members, but also for your employees, and even customers. An absence of role boundaries often results in communication difficulties and conflict. Our coaching helps your business to:

• Clearly identify and label specific business roles.
• Ensure that each individual is content with his or her business role.
• Outline job descriptions and responsibilities for each individual.
• Create clear roles for new hires.

Request more information about our family business consulting.