Most founders read the next generation as entitled or checked out when the heirs are actually engaged in newer ways than the parents recognize. They ask different questions. They solve problems through different tools. They evaluate alternative investments, build their own ventures, and care about purpose in ways that don't show up at the family dinner table. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, watches a banker named Brian recognize this pattern across multiple families. The kids who looked disengaged were often deeply engaged. They just refused to perform engagement on the founder's terms. If your kid seems checked out, ask whether they actually are or whether they're just engaged with something you don't recognize as engagement.
Are my kids actually disengaged or are we just misreading them?
From: Ch 1: The Opportunity
Also asked
- next gen disengaged or different
- why do my parents think I'm checked out when I'm not
- my dad keeps saying my brother is entitled but he runs three companies of his own