🗣️ Do family members in a multi-generational family business use legal language when speaking to each other? Do they formally address each other and are overcourteous, respectful, and tiptoe around important but controversial subjects so as not to offend anyone? If they do, then it’s a warning sign that relationships are headed downhill and a course correction is needed.

👨‍🦳 Sure, respect for the family elders matters. But when conversations between siblings get overly formal, sugar-coated, or polite & tense, it’s usually a sign that trust is breaking down.

🩰 Tiptoeing is for ballet, not boardrooms.

Healthy business families do the opposite

😃 They laugh. They interrupt. They challenge. They go straight to the point. They may roast each other over lunch, but when it comes to decisions, they listen and accept ideas from others. And yes, they hum a tune on the way to work. And they rarely get high BP. That’s culture, not coincidence.

So why do many Family Charters sound like a UN treaty — formal, legalistic, unread, and gathering dust on the founder’s bookshelf? Because the family has paid a huge sum to one of the Big 4?

One second-gen member of a ₹1000 crore group confided, “No one even remembers what’s in our Family Charter. We never refer to it. It’s lying untouched in my dad’s office cabinet under lock & key.”

Let’s get real:

A Family Charter should be 4 pages, not 40. No legalese. No “whereas” and “hereto.” Just clarity, commitment, and conversation.

🪄 The magic isn’t in the document. It’s in the process: families sitting down over a coffee, listening, brainstorming, speaking up, laughing, reflecting, disagreeing — and still wanting to eat dinner together.
If you’re thinking of building a Family Charter, make it your family’s voice, not that of a consultant, lawyer, or accountant – they are only facilitators in the journey.

Because ultimately it’s about culture, not legal clauses.
👨👩👧👦

🥅 The goal isn’t a document. It’s alignment.

If you’re thinking of building a Family Charter, make it a living conversation, not a laminated contract.

Culture eats legal clauses for breakfast.

We help families not just draft a Charter, but discover their shared rhythm again.
👣 Curious how? Reach out to us!

Harsh Chopra
Family Business Advisor
www.Partners4Growth.in