In the Company of Family: How to Thrive When Business Is Personal

by Melissa Mitchell-Blitch

When you work with family, business is personal. That can be a dream or a nightmare. What makes the difference? Knowing how to navigate well your differences and the multiple roles you share. When you are family, coworkers, co-owners, differences abound — opinions, values, preferences. How can you keep differences from being divisive? Through real-life case studies, In the Company of Family reveals the principles of boundaries, which will help you thrive even though business is personal. You will meet families in business who navigate challenges such as • Sibling relationships are severed when they disagree about ownership. How can they overcome irreconcilable differences? • A talented family member does not meet the company’s criteria for promotion. Should a capable family member be passed over or should the rules be bent? • A father feels guilty that non-family executives are better suited to run the business than his children. Which is more important, family or skill? • A successor feels disrespected when his father treats him like a child in front of employees. How can he get his father to treat him with more respect? • A CEO is diagnosed with dementia. How can the family honor his dignity without compromising the business? • A family member's substance abuse tarnishes the law firm’s image. Is it right to fire her? In the Company of Family will teach you how to enhance family relationships, individual well-being, and business vitality — three priorities not easy to balance.

208 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2020

Reviews

[Sandib1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! While it's geared toward families who are in business together, I find the discussion about boundaries and how to incorporate them into better communication and interpersonal behavioral skills applies to everyone. The reflective questions that Melissa Mitchell-Blitch includes at the end of each chapter are helpful tools for reflecting and reinforcing the teachings in a manner that allows each reader to thoughtfully absorb them and apply them to our own lives.

[Paul Edelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading Melissa Blitch-Mitchell’s book, In the Company of Family. She does a great job of conveying her understanding of boundaries in the context of a systematic and non-threatening approach to helping families and their businesses thrive. Her writing is clear and accessible, with many fresh and helpful metaphors.

[Ellen Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written with meaningful examples to accompany each principle/chapter. Really easy to understand and incorporate with the self-assessments throughout and at the end.