One of the first assignments I give to students in my Family Business class at Baruch is to write about their family history.

Today Social Scientists are finding that throughout our lives we are impacted by the experiences, behaviors, thoughts and actions of our three preceding generations.

Exploring this discovery for myself, I took some time to look three generations back into my own family’s history. I grew up in a family construction business, started by my grandfather, developed by my father, and grown by my older brother. He was the oldest sibling. He loved the business, took it over and continues to be successful in running it. I am the second son. I liked the business, worked in it while in school, but lacked the passion for it that my brother has. However I did go into business for myself and so did my two other siblings.

Looking even further back into our family legacy a noteworthy surprise awaited. I recently learned that my great-grandfather was an architect and builder in Italy. So through looking at four generations of my family’s history, a significant pattern has emerged. I now see this entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes my own generation as a product of our ancestry, learned in part from the conversation and stories heard at our dining room table each night.

Teaching at Baruch College of The City University of New York is part of my entrepreneurial activities. Baruch is one of the most ethnically diverse schools in the United States and my students come from around the world. The histories they write are they filled with dedication, perseverance, strong family values and even stories of escaping from grave danger in the course of emigrating to the United States. I remind them that such legacies are part of their families’ foundation and will to succeed.

I have found that completing this assignment unearths rich source materials that often lead to extraordinary insights. Among these are legends that shine light on what their families symbolize to them. These stories contain clues that reveal to today’s generation those values that were held by earlier generations. They inform and inspire. They act as a source of pride for the families and for their businesses that transmits itself as well to non-family employees. Equally important they can be diagnostic, providing clarity as to the condition of their business, its experiences and its family dynamics that may either strengthen or jeopardize the family and the business.

In this way students learn that where they come from strongly impacts where they are going. The knowledge gained from this assignment ideally serves as a guide to taking the right steps along the road.