“All people are born with unique gifts.” We hear this so often that we start to take it for granted. However, with the right frame of mind, we can use this as an important directive towards living a happy, fulfilling life, rather than merely an empty truism. Happiness is a function of purpose, and in the broadest terms, our purpose is to discover our own unique gifts, and work to understand and manifest these gifts in our day-to-day lives.
In previous posts, we’ve brought up author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of Flow, and how three things—work, active leisure time, and service/philanthropy—all contribute to this state of optimal fulfillment. By seeking to understand our individual gifts and talents and how they can be used within these three aspects of our life, we can begin to see our purpose and put our energy into that which brings us true happiness.
In previous posts, we’ve brought up author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of Flow, and how three things—work, active leisure time, and service/philanthropy—all contribute to this state of optimal fulfillment. By seeking to understand our individual gifts and talents and how they can be used within these three aspects of our life, we can begin to see our purpose and put our energy into that which brings us true happiness.
Exploring Your Purpose in a Family Business
Because our gifts are uniquely personal, manifesting these gifts in our work lives can be a struggle. This is particularly true with family businesses, where employees may be pressured into their roles for the sake of “supporting the family.” For the entrepreneurs who start businesses, finding fulfillment in their own work is easy – they’ve started a business in a field they’re passionate about, or oftentimes simply the act of starting a business is what they’re passionate about. However, it’s far too easy to force family members to fill roles in the business that don’t support their natural gifts.
For this reason, finding Flow in a family business mean career planning for younger generations: communicating with your children about their gifts and desires, and offering help and guidance in building a fulfilling work life. This often includes explicitly telling your child that they are not obligated to work in the family business, allowing them to foster their own talents and direction.
Leading a purposeful life attuned to one's’ natural gifts is also healthy for older generations, often the entrepreneurs and business owners. By finding ways to use their gifts and talents outside of the workplace, finding purpose in family or leisure activities, business leaders can find themselves reinvigorated, relaxed, and with a clear vision for their future outside the business.
Of course, after a few generations of building success within a business, families must begin to fight the dreaded sense of entitlement. With no need to work and a business that runs mostly autonomously, these kids run the risk of living a life without purpose. For them, stressing the importance of community service and philanthropy ensures that they have meaningful goals to push towards with their unique gifts and their new wealth.
For this reason, finding Flow in a family business mean career planning for younger generations: communicating with your children about their gifts and desires, and offering help and guidance in building a fulfilling work life. This often includes explicitly telling your child that they are not obligated to work in the family business, allowing them to foster their own talents and direction.
Leading a purposeful life attuned to one's’ natural gifts is also healthy for older generations, often the entrepreneurs and business owners. By finding ways to use their gifts and talents outside of the workplace, finding purpose in family or leisure activities, business leaders can find themselves reinvigorated, relaxed, and with a clear vision for their future outside the business.
Of course, after a few generations of building success within a business, families must begin to fight the dreaded sense of entitlement. With no need to work and a business that runs mostly autonomously, these kids run the risk of living a life without purpose. For them, stressing the importance of community service and philanthropy ensures that they have meaningful goals to push towards with their unique gifts and their new wealth.
Jamie’s Story
Take Jamie’s family, for example: Jamie spent his college years waiting tables in his family’s restaurant, at the behest of his mother, the owner. He was a competent worker, but unhappy in his position. However, his mother had always made it clear that there was no pressure for him to stay in the family business, and when Jamie graduated he left for a job in the business world. He discovered along the way that his gifts rested in the realm of storytelling and persuasion, not in the manual labor and forced extroversion of his serving position. Several years later, his mother poached him from his writing job to come back to work at the restaurant – as the marketing manager, helping build his family’s brand and find new customers. This is not just Jamie’s story, but also the story of his mother: By helping her son plot his own path and not tying him down into the family business, she allowed Jamie to explore his true gifts and eventually return—free of any emotional baggage—to take over work that often piled onto her desk. This freed her time to pursue interests outside of her business, lowering her stress and allowing her to find the Flow in the work she was truly passionate about, and creating a succession plan for her eventual retirement.
By using these keys to cultivate a purposeful life within both yourself and your family business partners, you can ensure that your family business will survive and thrive for generations to come.
For more practical solutions to the problems unique to family businesses, contact Hubler for Business Families today to set up a free orientation meeting with Thomas Hubler, the expert on family business planning.
By using these keys to cultivate a purposeful life within both yourself and your family business partners, you can ensure that your family business will survive and thrive for generations to come.
For more practical solutions to the problems unique to family businesses, contact Hubler for Business Families today to set up a free orientation meeting with Thomas Hubler, the expert on family business planning.
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