ABSTRACT
Non-family directors will be all too aware that they are not “family” when it comes to certain business decisions, most notably concern ing succession planning. All employees and directors are part of the same business tribe, but only some are part of the family tribe. A coach can have a vital role to play in a family business. By being an independent confidante, the coach can enable their client to have a different kind of conversation than they may have with their colleagues and relations. Helping clients separate their feelings about the family from their feelings about the business, their own career, and their own sense of identity is in the interests of the business and their own, whether or not they are part of the family. There is much scope for coaching to play a bigger role in family businesses.
