Do's and Don'ts of Joining the Family Business

Do find out all you can about the company, its markets, and its problems.
Do ask yourself how you are going to constructively apply your unique talents.
Do plan to keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut for the first six months.
Do ask yourself what your weaknesses are, and how you will address them.
Do expect to do more than your share of the dirty-work.
Do become a student of the company's management.
Do become an instrument in family cohesion.
Do expect to earn your way into the hearts and minds of everyone in the company.
Do consider yourself as an important part of a great team. You are a team-member and you support team leaders.
Do become someone others can fully trust and appreciate communicating with.
Do be a good example of seeking a better way and of high personal productivity.
Do promote good governance of the family and the business.
Do expect conflict, and ensure there is a process to resolve it.
Do expect to earn everything you receive in terms of compensation and perks.
Educate yourself, and study other successful family companies.
Do study the company's competitors.
Do develop a thick skin and a good sense of humor.
Do champion the development of an ongoing set of rules, policies and owner resolution processes in writing to guide all family discourse.
Discipline yourself to tackle the hardest or most impactful tasks first.
Do operate within the premises and keep the shared family vision intact.
Contribute more than you take away.

Do not expect extracurricular benefits.
Do not allow yourself to feel entitled to any position, assignment or future role.
Do not discuss family issues at work. If it's a must, go to a private room with appropriate family members and don't discuss outside that room with other employees.
Do not hesitate to voice your constructive opinion on issues at family meetings.
Do not listen to or participate in gossip.
Do not use company time for personal issues, except valid emergencies. Call or e-mail family and friends during breaks.
Do not expect that you will change anybody.
Do not throw your last name around.
Do not hesitate to do the things that others do not want to do.
Do not expect an eight hour day.
Do not play favorites.
Do not forget, it is your legacy too.

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