I’m taking a photography class and last night we were discussing the significance of framing–the placement of the subject in relation to other objects in the photo. It determines the success or failure of the photo.

Framing in conversations sets up the choices we make and influences them, and is critical for success in family businesses.

I’ve been having conversations with fathers and sons about their current and future roles in the business. These conversations are often framed in a zero-sum, emotionally charged context where the father may feel devalued.

The opposite is a positive-sum game, which come from a discussion of what a family can accomplish across generations, and creating a family legacy.

What would you like for the business and the family when your grandchildren are running the business and are head of the family?

Seth Godin recently wrote that framing tells us how to judge something, saying “When you make the effort to give us a hint (that something is important), we’ll often take the hint. (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/10/put-a-frame-around-it.html)