deal with.”
–K.M.
Family BusinessRetreat Resources
If you’re looking to start a family business retreat, Steven White, CEO of S.D. White & Associates, suggests that you consider finding someone outside the family to facilitate your retreat. “This doesn’t mean hiring someone, but bringing in an experienced facilitator is a good idea, particularly for retreats that have more than half-a-dozen people.”
The facilitator helps to ensure that everyone in the family participates in the retreat. “You don’t want anyone who is not able to completely participate in the discussion, the dialogue, and the process of creating a plan and goal for the family,” he says. The role of the facilitator is to move the conversation along. “The other danger of not having a facilitator is that you might have a strong family member — a matriarch or patriarch — who is going to push his or her own agenda forward whether they mean to or not.”
There are a number of companies and consultants who can help you coordinate a family business retreat. They can provide the technical support that will help you with your family retreat. Consider these resources to start:
www.betzelkauffmanlaw.com/ Archive1.htm
www.facilitators.com/Retreat %20facilitator.htm
http://workstar.net/library/retreat 1.htm
www.msi-network.com/content/ technical_article_jmc_retreats .asp