Seth Godin recently asked the question “Is better possible?”. He assumed the answer was “yes” for everyone and then realized some people settled with “no.” (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/07/is-better-possible.html).

Can there be “better” in a family from generation to generation? I think yes. Of course this begs the question as to what “better” is. I’m not, however, going to attempt to define “better” here, but rely upon the understanding that we all know it when we see it.

When speaking of a family business I would venture to say that “better” requires preparing your children to be better; and you would think there would be universal acceptance for this.

Like Godin, I too am surprised when I find situations where the opposite occurs, not so much in word but more in deed. My father once told me he felt his parents did not want him to be better than they were. The idea of that still befuddles me. Godin sees fear as the driving force here; and I do have some rudimentary understanding of what my immigrant grandparents may have been feeling.

The wonderful thing about the family enterprise is the potential for a creating a family legacy. The big questions I believe are:

• How do I create better human beings?
• What are the aspirations and strengths of others in my family that I can nurture and support?
• How does my family business value others?
• What does it mean to be multi-generational?

These questions are challenging to be sure, but they are of paramount importance. The business world is not an island. The family enterprise that meets these challenges, that answers “yes, better is possible” can become a powerful force for “better” within its own walls and far beyond.