Working for a Family Business

CHRISTOPHER J. ECKRICH Principal of The Family Business Consulting Group, Inc., an adjunct faculty member at The University of Notre Dame, USA, and has served as a founding advisor to The Family Business Center at the University of St. Francis.STEPHEN L. McCLURE Principal at the Family Business Consulting Group, Inc. and specializes in family communications and decision making, succession planning and implementation, and governance & management in family firms.

• Introduction: Your Role in a Special PartnershipWhat Makes a Family Business Unique?The Value of 'Family' to a Family BusinessWhen There's Conflict (And There Will Be Conflict!)Difficult PassageFrom a Founder to Sons and DaughtersDifficult Passage #2: From Sibling Control to Next-Generation CousinsUnderstanding a 'Family-First' BusinessWhat About "Business" Companies?When Crisis LoomsMore Understanding of the Soup You're InThe Empowered Employee: Maximizing Your SuccessSummaryNotesSuggested ReadingsIndex

'Working for a Family Business provides a framework for a non-family member working for a family business to evaluate and react to a number of the unique situations which may cause conflicts. The book also provides many examples of good and bad business practices and why they may or may not work in any particular situation. I would recommend this book to anyone who now works for or is considering working for a family business.' - Bill Ingram, CEO, White Castle, Columbus, OH, USA 'I was delighted and surprised that Working for a Family Business provides great practical knowledge on how outsiders working in family companies can be empowered to be more effective for the family and for their own careers. "Delighted and surprised" because hands on advice on navigating the sometimes treacherous waters of family business is as rare as it is needed by everyone working in family enterprises. I plan to give this book not only to the non-family officers in my client universe of family companies, but also to involved family members as well.' - Harry Martin (former Head of the Cargill McMillan Family Office), Family Advisors, LLC, Mystic, CT, USA 'Working for a Family Business: A Non-Family Employee's Guide to Success unravels the mystery of the inner workings of family businesses for non-family employees. Chris Eckrich and Steve McClure illuminate the seeming paradoxes created by family dynamics and offer practical advice to non-family employees who want to ensure success. From their considerable experience, the authors suggest steps to take and traps to avoid making this the ultimate survival guide for all non-family employees. I highly recommend this relevant, well-written book to anyone who works in a family business or with families in business.' - Joanne Norton, Vice President of Shareholder Relations, Freedom Communications, Irvine, CA, USA