Family business CONFIDENTIAL

A royal heir-ing of grievances

It is not often one gets a peek under the Royal British kimono, but now, for better or for worse, here we are. With the release of his new book, Spare, Prince Harry offers a rare glimpse into the highly dysfunctional dynamics of the world’s most famous family business or, rather, the world’s most famous family “firm,” as Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, referred to the British monarchy.

I’ll spare you the details of the somewhat bawdy themes. And, honestly, I haven’t read the whole thing, but I’ve seen the interviews and read the gossip, so I feel well-equipped to draw some conclusions. Suffice it to say, the cheeky memoir not only is autobiographical and revealing, but also serves as a roadmap to some fancy and Urban Dictionary-level British words. It’s almost worth the read to learn the terms. I had to look up a few and, well, I wish I hadn’t seen what I saw.

The book is already a blockbuster best seller — joining legions of other whispery family business tell-alls pushing the mystique of family business lore into the lexicon of pop culture. (Pro tip: Please say that the last sentence with a British accent).

Anyway, I guess I applaud Prince Harry’s bravery in putting it all out there (and let me tell you, he puts it all out there). But here’s the thing about airing your family grievances with a megaphone and a mega-platform: It’s very hard to take your words back. And when your family and family business are one living, breathing mass of organic matter, it’s almost impossible to heal the wounds the words cause. You can’t choose your family. But you can choose your words. Choose wisely. Instead of writing a book, sit down as a family with an objective third party who can provide some effective tools to help resolve grievances.

An unstoppable force

Women are transforming family business, changing the narrative and inspiring innovation

When I started my career as a writer, reporter, wordsmither, storyteller type, it never occurred to me — not a single time — that the fact of my gender would be an obstacle. And for the most part, it never was. Largely because I never let it become an issue.

That is, not until the tapping incident, which happened in a boardroom somewhere in Atlanta. Likely on a street named Peachtree, although I can’t remember.

The first time I heard the tapping, I wasn’t sure what it was. A woodpecker outside the meeting room? Maybe on a windowsill? Maybe it was in my head? No. It was coming from inside the room. It was far too tappy to be someone’s foot kicking a table leg. I looked around kind of subtly, but maybe not that subtly. My eyes scanned from one dude’s face to the next dude’s face. Nope. No movement other than heads nodding in agreement with something.

I glanced to the front of the room — head of the table area — and finally at long last found the source. Lo and behold it was the CEO tapping his pinky ring on the conference table. Yes. An actual pinky ring.

Tap. Tap Tap.

I mean, why not, I guess? We were discussing ideas about how to get more people to a trade show booth. The solution, according to Pinky Ring Guy, was to bring in an espresso cart and have a “booth babe” act as a barista. Charming. Imagine my surprise when he stopped tapping the pinky ring and looked straight at me and said, “Maybe you should do it.”

What did he just say? I reached down deep — way into that well of great comebacks — to find a proper response. I thought back to all those practiced retorts reserved for moments like this one.

All I could come up with as a response was “OK.”

I was appalled. At him. At myself. Fortunately, I didn’t end up serving the coffee in a short skirt because, uh, no. But I’ll never forget that moment when I was voiceless. And the sound of that pinky ring followed me around for most of my career, urging me to speak up. And trust me, if you’re a woman in business — or anyone, really — you have a story to tell, too. A moment when your voice was silenced. We all do.

Our aim with this issue is to help you find your voice — whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, a man or a woman — and use it in your family business. You should never feel ignored or voiceless in a boardroom, meeting room or family council meeting.

Women in family business are uniquely positioned to have an impact in their business and the boardroom. The key is finding confidence and community. That’s what this issue is about. We’re celebrating 10 influential women transforming family business their own way and in their own voices. Their stories and their lessons will inspire and motivate all of us.

Finding your voice is a product of confidence and authenticity — as a leader, a person, a creator, a family member. Along the way, you’ll find community — and, like the 10 women we celebrate in this issue, you will find new ways to collaborate across genders, ages, barriers and expectations.