Energizing Family Business People

In early 2019, Dirk Schlimm delivered the keynote presentation at CFFB’s inaugural Signature Event. That was a very exciting day for the record-setting crowd of CFFB members and our family-business friends.

I have had the pleasure of staying connected with Dirk and following the unique insights he provides in his articles. Dirks’ most recent article is titled “THE ULTIMATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FOR FAMILY BUSINESSES: DOING ARGUMENTS WELL”.

What a refreshing way to think about arguments!

While some people avoid arguments and other people thrive on arguments, Dirk sees and writes about the positive possibilities embedded in arguments. As I read Dirk’s article I was energized by thoughts like, arguments do not have to be troubling and stressful, and arguments can bring value to people and to family businesses.

Dirk’s messages contain questions…a good way to explore people’s views and help people learn and develop new skills. You must read Dirk’s words to see the power in his messages, so I will limit my comments to introducing one of his questions:

Do you know who you are and what you want?

Dirk tells a great story about how this pair of questions was presented to him. When I read the pair of questions, they caused me to slow down and think about how I would share my answers with Dirk the next time I saw him. The questions seem simple enough at their surface, however, answering them does not come easy the first time you do it.

I encourage you to read Dirk’s November article and keep an eye on his website www.jenoir.com.

Best regards,

Rick

PS: Dirk – Thank you for sharing your Canadian family-business stories and your CFFB experience with the world!