Policy Handbook for Business Families
 By
Henry D. Landes
August 1999
We've all been there. It’s Christmas Eve. We’re home
from church. The kids are in bed, not asleep, but in bed. It’s
time. That one big gift you’re excited to present the next
morning is waiting. It’s waiting in a big sealed carton. It’s
in 136 "easy to assemble" pieces and comes with a "step-by-step"
book of instructions. Two and one-half hours later, with the holiday
spirit languishing, the job is done. You’re weary, annoyed,
and a little resentful. Why can’t they write instructions
and assembly manuals for those of us without an engineering degree
and in a type size that doesn’t require a magnifying glass?
Why do I recount this scenario? Simply because most business families
feel the same way about putting together a harmonious, effective
plan and set of guidelines for their company as well as the relationship
between the family and the business. There is no manual, no handbook,
and no guide to turn to when the sticky questions arise. Not, anyway,
until now.
Members of our Delaware Valley Family Business Center will soon
be ahead of the curve. In coming months we’re going to be
building a Policy Handbook for
Business Families. Every Family Business Forum member will
receive this "work in progress." There will be frequent
updates and additions. This resource will become a tool of choice
in your "CEO Tool Box" that Kraig Kramers, last April’s
Forum speaker, talked about.
Our handbook—the one we’ll create together—will
grow from Forum presentations, from our Center’s resources
and from our years of working closely with scores of business families
in our region.
This Handbook will have sections on business structure and process,
and we’ll get practical, specific, and concrete with examples,
lists, and tools that will help you get the job done. It will also
help business families face hard truths about succession planning.
This isn’t your ordinary business tool. The handbook we’re
talking about is an evolving, flexible manual with a singular focus—to
enhance the success of your business family, a healthy family and
a high-performing business. That means people and relationships
supersede payables and marketing.
And, you won’t need a magnifying glass to read it! But, you
will need to be a member of our Family Business Forum. We’re
convinced that this Handbook will be worth the price of admission
all by itself.
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