What if my sibling is actually the right person to run the family business?

Say it out loud, ideally with the family in the room. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, has Steve Mitchell do this for his sister Gail at a family dinner. The one who should run the company is Gail. Steve and Tim nod. Joanne wipes tears. Robert eventually nods too. Years of being overlooked collide with the sudden realization that her family might finally see her for who she is. The moment is rare and powerful. A sibling stepping aside and explicitly endorsing another sibling is one of the strongest predictors of a successful UHNW handoff. It removes the rivalry that would otherwise undermine the new CEO from inside the family. Most siblings struggle to do it because it requires admitting their own role doesn't fit, or that the role they wanted should go to someone else. The siblings who can do it usually preserve the family relationship and accelerate the business. Chris Richardson works with rising generation siblings on these conversations at thethirtyadvisors.com.