Tips to Create Family Business Joy for the Holidays

The holidays can bring about a mixture of happy and sad emotions. Entrepreneurial-owned businesses are unique in that your business is a family business. You may employ those related to you by blood and employ loyal people you have grown to care about beyond just dollars and cents. With a family business environment, mismatched expectations are common, especially during the holidays and year-end planning. Add in the ongoing and now growing pandemic, there are more stressors and fears.

But there are ways to create a happier holiday season, or as we like to call it, the season of family.  You can do so by understanding, embracing, and practicing the only thing you can control. Once you do this, you can lead by example for those around you.

I have four secrets. I will share two here and two more in my next article. If you do not want to wait to hear the second two secrets, you can watch and learn more about them here.

Don’t get swept up and away in the busy season:

1. Practice the Pause. When things get tight, conflict arises, or you feel simply uncomfortable, focus on breathing. It is powerful. It can change perspective and mood and help give you space to move past whatever has you feeling off-centered. Consider stepping outside or to a different room and take ten deep breathes, filling up your entire body.  Place your hands on the stomach to make sure you are breathing deep into your belly.  As you breathe in and out, focus on slowing it down. Perhaps breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 5.  Then breathe in for 5 seconds, out for 6, and so on.

2. Locus of Control. There are certain things in your environment you cannot control. However, you can control your thoughts, emotions, how you view things, etc. The only thing you can control is you! Unfortunately, we can’t control other people’s actions, options, perceptions, assumptions, or emotions.  We can be impeccable with our word, empathetic and considerate; what other people choose to do is outside our control.

These are two areas that you can practice and perfect before that family or business gathering.  In the following article, I will share my other two secrets, that when combined with these, will carry you into the new year with a stronger sense of self and the confidence to navigate any “awkward” gatherings.

Family and Business alignment is hard to find when business issues liven up family dynamics.

However; with proper process, governance policies, and mutual respect built over time, a Family Business can thrive through multiple generations. Click the following links for more drill-down resources on  Family Dynamics and Family Governance.

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We can help you with insights, other resources, and see if it makes sense to work together. At the very least, in 30 minutes, you may get some ideas you can apply to your business right away.