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Family Leadership and Building Family Culture

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At a recent conference, a prominent East Coast trust and estate attorney stated that he has mixed feelings about family meetings. He went on to explain that in his experience, attempts to conduct productive family meetings often dissolve into acrimony and bitter attempts by older, more powerful family members to dictate the thoughts and actions of the rest of the family.

The conversation then shifted to Family Mission Statements and “Constitutions” – that is, documents that layout ideal visions, sets of core values, and ironclad rules for the family to follow at the risk of dire consequences for non-compliance. Fortuitously, this discussion gave David Quinn and me an opportunity to shift the focus of the conference from external ways to control the future behavior of family members to more intrinsic ways that families might navigate towards a prosperous and sustainable future.

If you’ve participated in any of our events, you know that we emphasize gratitude, “True Wealth (a holistic view of wealth and wellbeing), and family leadership as the primary drivers for people as they seek happiness, fulfillment, and meaning for themselves and their families. It is our belief that we lead primarily through our character and that we are the stewards of our family’s culture. Finally, a family culture that lives gratitude, “True Wealth”, and leadership, we believe, gives a family the best chance of thriving for multiple generations.

Family meetings are part – but not the only part – of building family culture. These meetings and the estate and trust planning process often overlook the powerful role that intentional leadership and the thoughtful building of an optimal family culture play in sustaining a family. Elevating family culture is what we hope to cultivate through our community-building efforts, as well the work we do with our clients.

Building family culture is an art. Guiding and mentoring family members as they become leaders can be challenging. It is our intention to support family leaders as they fulfill these noble and rewarding responsibilities.

Avi Kantor

Multi-generational Family Leadership

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Recently, one of our Certior Group co-collaborators Erik Gabrielson conducted a multi-generation family meeting in Minnesota. Another co-collaborator Ron Nakamoto, assisted Erik and participated as an observer. After reflecting upon the meeting, Ron shared the following thought-provoking observations about family leadership:

  • It is essential that a multi-generational family come to a collective understanding that sustaining the family, the wellbeing of its members, and its wealth requires leadership and leadership development;
  • It is advantageous to have a leadership development process; having an outside facilitator can greatly accelerate progress;
  • Learning specific business skills is important and should be pursued but family members mentoring future family leaders is perhaps more important;
  • There is a society-wide shift from autocratic to more collaborative family leadership taking place. This shift presents an opportunity to create a form of meritocracy that balances traditional hierarchical organizational leadership with more modern egalitarian ideas. That is, there can be a way to get input from many but still rely on the wisdom and judgement of those who are best-suited to lead to make informed decisions on important matters;
  • Families must communicate, communicate, communicate if they are to prosper in the future;
  • It’s important to adopt an entrepreneurial, learn-from-mistakes mindset to address the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world we live in.

These thoughts and ideas will undoubtedly inform the ongoing work that we’re doing here at The Certior Group. In addition, Erik plays an integral part in our ongoing Wealth and Wellbeing Community. I’m grateful for the progress we’re making in our efforts to help our colleagues, clients, and community optimize True Wealth.

A Few Thoughts on Family Leadership

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Recently, one of our Certior Group co-collaborators Erik Gabrielson conducted a multi-generation family meeting in Minnesota. Another co-collaborator Ron Nakamoto, assisted Erik and participated as an observer. After reflecting upon the meeting, Ron shared the following thought-provoking observations about family leadership:

  • It is essential that a multi-generational family come to a collective understanding that sustaining the family, the wellbeing of its members, and its wealth requires leadership and leadership development;
  • It is advantageous to have a leadership development process; having an outside facilitator can greatly accelerate progress;
  • Learning specific business skills is important and should be pursued but family members mentoring future family leaders is perhaps more important;
  • There is a society-wide shift from autocratic to more collaborative family leadership taking place. This shift presents an opportunity to create a form of meritocracy that balances traditional hierarchical organizational leadership with more modern egalitarian ideas. That is, there can be a way to get input from many but still rely on the wisdom and judgement of those who are best-suited to lead to make informed decisions on important matters;
  • Families must communicate, communicate, communicate if they are to prosper in the future;
  • It’s important to adopt an entrepreneurial, learn-from-mistakes mindset to address the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world we live in.

These thoughts and ideas will undoubtedly inform the ongoing work that we’re doing here at The Certior Group. In addition, Erik plays an integral part in our ongoing Wealth and Wellbeing Community. I’m grateful for the progress we’re making in our efforts to help our colleagues, clients, and community optimize True Wealth.

Avi Kantor

Wealth and Well-being Workshop

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We hosted a “Wealth and Wellbeing” workshop on March 20th. This event is part of a series that we host regularly for members of our community.

Wealth and Well-being Workshop

We’ve found that the support of a community of like-minded people is invaluable in building and maintaining a True Wealth Mindset. We missed those of you who couldn’t attend and a big “Thank you” to those of you who were able to be there.

The next Jackson Wealth and Wellbeing community learning event will be announced shortly. Together we will build a platform to gain clarity and be intentional achieving a life well-lived and creating the impact we desire. You will:

  • Be introduced to breakthrough learning techniques;
  • Experience how Gratitude can transform negative experiences into positive outlooks; and
  • Learn how to turn life experiences into learning opportunities and positive outcomes.

Please contact us info@certiorgroup.com to RSVP.

Wealth and Well-being Workshop

How to Raise More Grateful Children

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The Wall Street Journal recently published an article “How to Raise More Grateful Children”. The subtitle states: “A sense of entitlement is a big problem among young people today, but it’s possible to teach gratitude”. This last idea is what we are doing with our Certior Group community.

Wall St. Journal Article: “How to Raise More Grateful Children”

Much of what I’ve learned about Gratitude has come from personal experience. When I look back, every personal crisis I’ve had has ultimately led to me to Gratitude. Whether it’s a serious illness, or a major setback in business or an unexpected accident, I now see the positives in those events and feel grateful for what I’ve learned from them. I’ve learned that adversity can be a great teacher, if you pay attention to the lessons. It wasn’t always that way.

I’ve learned a lot about Gratitude from my colleagues and friends at Empowered Wealth. Many have had personal or family health issues. We have all learned to appreciate and not take good health for granted. We’ve all learned the value of having family members who get along and care about each other. I think we share the value of friendship and being part of a community where we feel like we belong. It’s one of the reasons why I love living here in Jackson.

Most of all, my experiences have taught me the value of Gratitude is a lifestyle, a practice that starts with self-respect and respect for others, grows into appreciation for the many blessings we all have, and inspires the spirit of generosity that gives fulfillment and meaning to the way we live our lives.

The CERTIOR Group, LLC

The Certior Group, LLC.

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