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my brother is my business partner and he keeps going MIA
- A CEO is struggling with her unreliable brother who is also her business partner. The brother, who acts as the vice president in the company, has shown symptoms of anxiety, depression, or some mental health concern that he hasn't addressed. He is sometimes unreliable, and his behavior occasionally drops the ball spectacularly, leaving people to clean up his mess.
- The family company consists of the father, who is the majority owner and the president, the CEO, who is a minority owner, and her brother, who is the VP and a minority owner. It was previously agreed that the company would transition to both siblings equally.
- The brother had previously shown improvement and even said he wanted to lead the family business for the long term. However, last year he failed to communicate effectively, leaving a project stranded. The CEO told him he needed to see a therapist or in some way address his unreliability, or she wouldn't go into business with him.
- Recently, the brother's behavior has become shaky again, and he has been less and less responsive. The CEO found out that he left the country without informing her and left a current project stranded, among other things.
- The CEO knows she doesn't want to work with her brother under these circumstances and is seeking advice on how to deal with the situation. The CEO's dad, who is fed up with the brother's behavior, wants to fire him immediately, while the CEO wants something in between that and maintaining their current situation.
- The CEO has three options: giving him a final warning, letting him go, or setting down standards and asking him to decide whether he can commit to the requirements. She can then take action based on his decision. The CEO needs to set clear boundaries about what will happen in case of future problems and stick to these boundaries.
- The CEO loves her brother but can't continue working with him under these circumstances. She knows that their relationship is already damaged due to his behavior, and continuing to work together may only make things worse. Ultimately, she has to prioritize the business's needs over her relationship with her brother.
- The reader can seek more related advice about family businesses facing similar issues.
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