Like many of you, our family enjoyed vacation time together this summer with our three "grand" children (see photo below).  Another highlight was a meeting last week in Denver with family business advisor colleagues in Kaleo, a national peer group which meets three times annually.  Kaleo includes John A. Warnick, who has given permission to share the piece below on the importance of "Grand" parents, originally posted on his Seedlings blog.

Age 13...Grandparents Connecting at a Certain Stage of Life

"Nobody can do for children what grandparents do.

Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of grandchildren"

-paraphrasing a quote from Alex Haley, author of Roots

Read entire article.

A Beginner's Mind and Seventh-Generation Thinking

Last month I had the privilege of traveling to Denver to participate in a collaborative conference which included family business advisors from around the country. One of the highlights for me was a presentation and discussion with family philosopher, James E. Hughes, Jr., a 6th generation recovering attorney. Hughes shared from his deep reservoir of experience as a counselor to "families of affinity."

What can families do to thrive for generations? Through his work and research, Hughes asserts developing human and intellectual capital in families is a precondition for the continued development of financial capital.   And that the family's work really boils down to one thing: Does the family have a joint decision making process, and does it work? Unfortunately, over 80% of families fail in one or both of these areas.

Hughes encourages families to adopt a "beginner's mind" and "seventh-generation thinking." When we embrace a beginner's mind, we remain open to possibilities, we're curious, we seek to discover opportunities together. We begin in an apprentice stage to practice and hone new skills. The journey of discovery itself becomes exciting without worrying about the outcome.

Hughes' "seventh-generation thinking" comes from an Iroquois tribe tradition when the elders approach joint decision-making with the hope that what they decide today will honor 7 generations (125 years) in the future, just as they seek to remember the blessings of the generations before them. This is a reminder that building a family for long-term success requires vision far beyond any individual's lifetime.   To learn more, I recommend for your reading Hughes' Family: The Compact Among Generations.

Join us at the September 22 Forum when Chris Martin, the 6th generation CEO of Martin Guitar, will both look back ... over 170 years ... and forward to how they're building on their remarkable legacy. Tour the Martin Guitar Museum and the Martin Factory to view firsthand the making of the iconic Martin guitar.

And consider ... how can your business family adopt the practices of a "beginner's mind" and "seventh-generation thinking"? What would that look like?