On November 1, 2011, I was fortunate enough to be hired by my brother-in-law to run his family-owned business. I have run companies and divisions of companies throughout my career, however, there are certain aspects of running a family-owned business that I was not prepared for. I thought that I cared about the companies that I had worked for in the past but I didn't understand the weight of the burden that I would feel for making things work well within the family business. And the statistics don't give us a good chance either. Only 3% of small businesses make it to the third generation.
Working in a family business is part of the reason that I am so drawn to a reality TV show called Duck Dynasty. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing the show, it is a reality series on A&E that shows the lives of the redneck Robertson family, who run and manage a family owned business that went from poverty to being mulch-millionaires due to the sales of their duck calls.
At the end of each show, the family gathers around Phil's table (the father) and they all say a prayer before eating a meal together. During the show, things often go wrong. Willie (CEO) is often frustrated. Sometimes, arguments ensue. However, at the end of the show, the family eats a meal together and Willie often offers some thoughts and wisdom that he has learned from the experience.
Common themes reoccur during Willie's summary of the events of the show such as forgiveness, caring, moving forward despite differences, trying to see another person's point of view, and acknowledging others ideas.
We all have a lot we could learn from the redneck Robertsons!
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