Watch Your Language

Words can hurt just as surely as sticks and stones—whether those words are true or false,whether they are meant to wound or are simply uttered in haste. Particularly in a family business, thechoice of words often requires the skills and tact of a Bismarck or Disraeli.

“Families and fortunes have been torn asunder by what family members say to each other and how theysay it,” observes Wendy Handler, an associate professor of family business at Babson College inWellesley, Massachusetts.

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