"The unconscious sees the men behind the facade." — Pierre Janet

In the world of enterprise families, emotions aren’t just an undercurrent: they shape leadership, decision-making, and legacy. Yet, they’re often the elephant in the room, unspoken but ever-present.

A founder’s reluctance to step aside, the quiet rivalry between siblings, the pressure on the next generation to prove themselves—these dynamics are rarely just about business. They’re about deep-seated emotional triggers, often unexamined, yet profoundly influential.

French philosopher and psychoanalyst Pierre Janet (1859-1947) argued that much of human distress comes from unconscious beliefs formed early in life. That idea is particularly relevant to family businesses, where identity and wealth are tangled up in generations of expectations. If a business leader refuses to pass the reins, is it really because the next generation isn’t ready? Or is it an unconscious fear of becoming irrelevant?

The ability to recognize and manage these emotional forces is what separates enterprise families that thrive from those that unravel.

What Lies Beneath the Surface?

The Titanic didn’t sink because of the iceberg everyone could see. It sank because of what lay below. The same is true for family business dynamics. The visible challenges, succession disputes, sibling rivalries, and struggles over leadership are usually just symptoms of what’s lurking underneath: unresolved fears, old resentments, and competing identities.

Take, for example, a second-generation leader stepping into her parents’ shoes. On paper, she has the experience, the education, and the vision. But deep down, she may feel like an imposter, haunted by the legacy they’re expected to uphold. If that fear goes unexamined, it can show up in self-sabotage, hesitation, or unnecessary clashes with siblings.

Or picture a patriarch who refuses to step back. The official story may be that his successor isn’t ready, or that the timing isn’t right. But underneath, there’s something else—the loss of identity that comes with retirement, the fear of being sidelined in a company he built.

These unspoken emotions drive decisions more than spreadsheets ever will. And when they go unaddressed, they lead to fractures that no business strategy can fix.

The Redstone Family Saga: A Masterclass in Unaddressed Emotion

Few family business conflicts illustrate the power of unspoken emotions better than the battle for control over ViacomCBS, the media empire built by Sumner Redstone.
Sumner, a commanding and ruthless businessman, took his father’s small drive-in theater chain and turned it into a global media empire, acquiring CBS, Paramount Pictures, and MTV. But for all his business brilliance, he refused to confront the emotional reality of succession. What followed was years of bitter infighting, legal battles, and a fractured family.

One of the most striking dynamics in the Redstone story was Sumner’s public attacks on his daughter, Shari. Despite her role in the business, he regularly questioned her leadership abilities, undermining her in ways that went beyond business strategy. His resistance to stepping aside wasn’t just about corporate control; it was about power, identity, and a refusal to acknowledge that time was catching up with him.

As his health declined, the cracks widened. Shari tried to step in and manage her father’s affairs, but a circle of advisors, who had their own interests in keeping Sumner at the helm, worked against her. The result was a drawn-out power struggle, lawsuits, and a very public unraveling of the family’s legacy.

The emotional toll of this conflict wasn’t just between father and daughter. It rippled through the extended family. Shari’s niece, Keryn Redstone, became estranged from the family in the process. And yet, despite the deep divides, Keryn was still set to inherit a massive sum from the sale of Paramount Global, a financial windfall wrapped in the complicated, unresolved emotions of a family that couldn’t quite hold itself together.

At its core, the Redstone family drama wasn’t just about a corporate battle. It was about unexamined fears, power struggles, and a refusal to have honest conversations when they mattered most. And when emotions go ignored for too long, they have a way of taking over, whether we acknowledge them or not.
When Families Ignore Emotion, Business Suffers

It’s easy to assume that business families break down because of financial or strategic disagreements. But most of the time, those surface-level disputes are really just stand-ins for something deeper.

A founder who won’t retire may say they don’t trust the next generation’s abilities, but in reality, they may be terrified of irrelevance. A sibling rivalry over leadership may seem like a fight about business strategy, but beneath it, it’s an old wound—perhaps the feeling that one child was always favored over the other.

These emotions don’t just affect personal relationships—they shape the way businesses are run. Leaders who can’t acknowledge their own fears often create chaotic transitions, unstable leadership structures, and damaging conflicts that spill into boardrooms and courtrooms.

On the other hand, families that recognize and address their emotional landscape make better business decisions. They create trust, accountability, and smoother transitions. The difference is whether they’re willing to look beneath the surface or not.

What Can Business Families Learn?‍

The Redstone case isn’t just a cautionary tale; it’s a wake-up call. If enterprise families want to succeed across generations, they need to do more than plan for financial growth. They need to confront the emotions driving their decisions.

So, here’s a challenge: instead of just looking at business strategy, start asking deeper questions:

• What hidden fears are shaping my decisions
• Are past family dynamics influencing how I lead today?
• Am I making choices based on strategy, or am I reacting to old wounds?

This kind of self-awareness doesn’t weaken leadership—it strengthens it. Leaders who can recognize their emotional triggers before they spiral into conflict make smarter, more sustainable decisions.

The Real Question: Are You Willing to Look Beneath the Surface?‍

Business families often talk about legacy. But a legacy isn’t just built on financial wealth—it’s built on the quality of relationships, the clarity of leadership, and the ability to pass down not just assets, but wisdom.

Families that embrace emotional intelligence break cycles of hidden resentment and set themselves up for long-term success.

And those that ignore it?‍

They find themselves in courtroom battles, boardroom conflicts, and family fractures that take decades to repair.
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So the real question is: Are you willing to look beneath the surface?‍

Because the emotions are there, whether we acknowledge them or not. The only difference is whether we let them shape our decisions in the dark or bring them into the light.

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Source for Redstone Family Battle:

• ‍Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy, James B Stewart, Rachel Abrams (2024)‍
• When a family’s ownership control is threatened;  lessons from the Redstone family, Cambridge Enterprise Institute

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