“How-To” – Communication & Conflict- Handling Hard Conversations Without Breaking What Matters

“How-To” 🛠️💬 — Communication & Conflict: Handling Hard Conversations Without Breaking What Matters 🤝✨

Watch the Recording Here

How To’s for the Family Business
A series of practical conversations about the real work of running a family business—how you lead, communicate, and make decisions along the way.

Each conversation focuses on a different part of the work—how your business grows, how your people experience it, how decisions get made, and how things actually run day to day.

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Every family business runs into moments where something shifts—a big decision, a change in direction, or pressure from the outside—and tension follows. You may already have a conversation in mind that’s been sitting there longer than you’d like. The challenge isn’t avoiding conflict; it’s knowing how to move through it without damaging relationships or the business itself.

This conversation includes different perspectives on how to handle those moments. We’ll look at how to stay steady in difficult conversations, how to work through differences in a way that can actually strengthen a team, and how to navigate situations where employee concerns, expectations, or complaints add another layer of complexity.

In a family business, those conversations can carry more history than we realize—old roles, long-standing patterns, and relationships that didn’t start at work—which can make things both more meaningful and more complicated.

There will also be space to talk through real scenarios—like growth, succession, or unexpected disruptions—and how communication tends to break down (or hold) in those moments.

The goal is not to script the “right” response, but to help you feel more prepared for conversations that don’t have easy answers.

Speakers:

Tara Jenkins, Conscious Revolution (Moderator)

Tara Jenkins is the founder of Conscious Revolution, an organization dedicated to creating alternative

futures. Conscious Revolution supports leaders in leading from their hearts and partners in building

conscious organizations that make the world a better place. In addition to her ongoing collective thriving

work, she is devoted to community through ongoing initiatives and as a Board member of ProsperityME,

COBALT, and Orange Bike Brewing. Tara has spent most of her 30-year career shaping and influencing

leadership and culture as an HR and DEI leader in various industries and companies, including global

investment management, nonprofit healthcare, environmental engineering, legal services, and a global

company with over 10,000 employees. As a former expat leading HR for Europe, Asia, and S. America she

has led diverse and complex teams worldwide. Tara has her undergraduate degree in Industrial and Labor

Relations from Cornell University and her master’s degree in organizational development and leadership

from St. Joseph’s University.Tara lives in Scarborough, Maine with her husband, two kids, two cats, dog,

and parakeet!

Peter Lowe, Brann & Isaacson

Peter Lowe provides advice and counsel to our clients on labor and employment law, education and municipal law, and corporate and public governance issues. He serves as lead employment counsel for some of the premier employers in Maine, including L.L. Bean.

The focus of Peter’s practice is providing legal counseling to our clients. Clients look to Peter for his expertise to guide them with practical advice when faced with a challenging situation. Peter’s skills have been called upon to resolve many high profile and sensitive cases, and he understands the need to couple his legal advice with careful attention to the reputational and public relations implications of these difficult cases.

Peter advises senior executives, superintendents, HR professionals, and board members on governance, investigations, fiduciary duties, freedom of access, risk management, and personnel matters. He negotiates employment contracts, non-competition agreements and severance agreements. Peter has advised many organizations on strategies to reorganize their workforces. He has also successfully defended many claims of discrimination, harassment, and wrongful discharge.

Peter also works as an outside investigator and has conducted complex and highly sensitive workplace investigations.

Dave Ciullo, Career Management Associates

David Ciullo is the CEO of Career Management Associates and a trusted advisor to business leaders navigating complex people and organizational challenges. For more than two decades he has helped executives strengthen leadership, align strategy, and build healthier, more effective organizations.

David works closely with CEOs, boards, and leadership teams on issues ranging from organizational structure and culture to leadership development, talent strategy, and workplace transformation. Known for blending practical experience with strategic insight, he helps leaders move from uncertainty to clear, actionable decisions.

In addition to his advisory work, David is a respected voice in the HR and leadership community. He is the longtime host of the HR Power Hour radio show and podcast, where he has interviewed hundreds of business leaders and experts over more than a decade.

David currently serves on the Maine Institute for Family Owned Business Board and has served as its Board Chairman. He also has served as President and Board Member of the Human Resource Association of Southern Maine and as an appointed member of the Maine State Civil Service Appeals Board.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Management from Norwich University.

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Continue the conversation (online) with Live Zoom Videocast:  12 noon – 1 p.m.

Midday Conversations

Short online conversations that continue the How To Series, offering practical ways to go a bit deeper on specific topics.

Sponsored by: The Breakwater Group at Morgan Stanley and Mainebiz

• Protecting your business from fraud and internal risk (Risk & Trust)

– Thursday, October 15

Speaker: Emily Hobbs, Androscoggin Bank

Trust is built slowly in a business—and can be shaken quickly when something goes wrong. Continuing our conversation on communication and conflict, this Midday Conversation focuses on practical ways businesses can protect themselves from fraud and internal risk while maintaining a healthy, trusting culture. We’ll look at common scams targeting small businesses, warning signs leaders should pay attention to, and practical steps that can reduce risk—from internal controls to cybersecurity awareness and banking tools. A practical conversation designed to help businesses stay proactive without creating unnecessary fear or complexity.