How to manage behind-the-scenes power players

One Monday afternoon, Henry Pullman found himself embroiled in a heated argument with his brother George, co-chair of the board of their family business, about compensation for their non-family CEO. George wanted to reverse a decision they had affirmed the week before. He said it went against the family’s values. Henry was mystified. They had worked through a transparent and rigorous process to come to the decision, and he and his brother had been in agreement every step of the way. Where was this coming from?

Henry realized that he and his brother were at odds more frequently. The conflicts took a toll in time, credibility and productivity—and damaged their relationship. Henry realized that these conversations had some common elements: They led to revisiting decisions already made, they were tied to intangible or what seemed irrelevant rationales and they resulted in heated conversations that were difficult to resolve. And they always followed a weekend when George had spent significant time with their father.

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About the Author(s)

Debbie Bing

Debbie Bing is president of CFAR.


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