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Leave the Shop Talk at the Shop
December 1, 2007
Family members involved in a family business could probably talk shop talk every moment of their waking days—it’s easy to do and my family is living proof of this. Most of the time we can’t help it because we love the business so much—in addition my store is in NC and my parent’s store is in FL so during the holidays the whole family gets together and my parents and I constantly talk about the store. My sister and brother (who are not involved in the business) are also around for the holidays and hate shop talk at the dinner table. They say, eating dinner with our parents and I is hardly an occasion for warm and fuzzy family chitchat. They complain it’s like having a board meeting—it’s because my folks and I talk about things we don’t have time to talk about over the phone or things we just can’t explain over the phone.
Letting business life permeate home life can influence family relations. Arguments among colleagues at work can usually be put aside once the workday is done. But because families are tied to emotion, arguing with a relative at work carries more complications.
To live longer, healthier, and well-balanced life— family members need to talk about their business roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities so to minimize conflict at home. Families also need to plan how they will deal with work-related conflict, and they need to understand that—in a business setting, they are colleagues—not father and daughter, mother and son, husband and wife. At home they are family and need to leave the shop talk at the shop.
Posted by Shanu Singh Guliani on December 1, 2007 | Comments (0)
