1. Create “rooms” for work and personal life to avoid mixing boundaries
Family business leaders have successfully navigated boundary overlap by creating distinct “rooms” for different roles. Banyan Global’s 4-Room model, for instance, designates an Owner Room, Board Room, Management Room, and Family Room, where specific topics pertaining to each of these domains are being discussed. While some see this as a conceptual framework, others take it more literally and dedicate four physical rooms in their home or office, where each of these topics can be discussed. One family with whom we worked had different meeting rooms on different floors of their headquarters, to host family, shareholder, management board, or foundation meetings. The idea behind this four-room system was to create distinct spaces for the discussion of these critical topics and reduce the constant discussion of the business, permeating the entire home.
Non-family leaders can learn from this practice by assigning spaces in their homes for work and personal activities. It need not be an entire room, for that might be unrealistic. It can simply be an area of the house or a piece of furniture, such as a small office, table, or set of chairs. Make a family agreement that work does not spill over into the dining area, living room, or bedroom, and, similarly, family time does not occur in the “workspace”. Maybe you avoid sitting down with your kids to draw something while at your desk, which might then prompt you to think about the presentation that is due for work the next day rather than on your children.
Additionally, creating rituals and symbolic gestures when switching from one “room” to the next can help your brain transition from “work mode” to “family mode”. This can be as easy as switching your clothes, going for a short walk in between, turning on music, or lighting a candle in the living room to shift the mood. Over time, such rituals can reinforce boundaries.