Convincing your constituency (getting buy-in) in the family business
Exodus 4:29-31
My last reflection focused on how God named the complementary strengths of Moses and his brother Aaron, showing Moses how they could work together to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Now we see the first of their joint efforts:
Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped. (Exodus 4:29-31)
Before Moses and Aaron could approach Pharaoh, the brothers had to convince their own community that God called them to liberate the Israelites. They had to get buy-in from other leaders for their approach. This will be important for Moses’ and Aaron’s representation to Pharaoh, the leader of their people’s oppressors.
Family businesses are full of different constituencies who need to have psychological ownership of the company or family’s vision, goals, and initiatives. Here are just a few examples:
The younger generation persuading the older generation of the need for a management transition.
Parents reminding their adult children of the importance of managing their sibling-related conflicts.
A husband or wife convincing their spouse to make progress on their estate plan.
Siblings agreeing on new initiatives, changes in direction, or the implementation of more professional management practices.
Owners or partners developing new policies, operating agreements, or buy-sell provisions.
Getting something done in a family business, with its multiple constituencies, isn’t simply a matter of “just doing it.” Instead, individual knowledge and plans must be converted to group knowledge or plans (“I knowledge” must be turned to “We knowledge.”) Collaborative dialogue, logical reasoning, emotional pleas, moral arguments, or even references to spiritual signs, are tools used to coax others to come along.
What are some of the decisions where you needed buy-in from others? How did you gain (or lose) their ownership of your plan?