12.
Conflict in the Family Business
Two brothers sharing ownership in a successful fourth-generation concrete business had a bitter falling-out triggered by an unlikely issue: a sailboat. The older sibling accused his younger brother of dipping into the company till to support his racing habit. The younger brother countered that since he often entertained customers on the boat, he was following the same pattern the older brother had for years by having the company pay for expenses that had both a personal and a professional use. The younger man pointed to the ski house that had long been expensed to the business. This conflict, which revealed long-standing concerns over their roles and contributions to the company, had been simmering just below ...
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