When power corrupts in the family business

My last reflection focused on Uriah’s decision, while on leave from battle, to avoid sleeping with his wife, Bathsheba. This thwarted King David’s plans to hide his own affair with Uriah’s wife. So David hatches another plan.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” (2 Sam. 11:14-15)

David was trying to cover his wrongdoing, but Uriah wouldn’t act according to David’s plan. So David decides to have Uriah killed — and he has Uriah carry his own death warrant! This amplifies the way David has abused his power: summoning then sleeping with a married woman, bringing Uriah home from battle in an attempt to hide the results of his conduct, and now sending Uriah to his death.

It may not always happen in such a dramatic fashion, but power can also be abused by family members in business together. For example, misappropriating funds, mistreating staff, making improper requests of employees, accepting personal favors from vendors, or even putting undue pressure on family members around estate plans are just a few of the ways the family (or ownership) power dynamics play out. Like Uriah carrying David’s note, the abuse of power happens in an environment of assumed trust that goes with being a family. We often don’t expect, or can’t even fathom, a family member behaving in such a devious manner.

Have you ever witnessed an abuse of power by a family member? What checks and balances are needed so that one person’s (misused) power doesn’t jeopardize the future of your family business?