Thank you for visiting the PRYSM Consulting website. My name is Leonard Chalnick. I started PRYSM Consulting with one goal in mind – to help commercial real estate brokers complete the sale or purchase of commercial property when the family dynamics of the seller or buyer are creating obstacles to the transaction.
Along with having a real estate brokers license, I am a CPA, J.D. with five decades of experience helping business families navigate around the challenges that can threaten a family’s wealth management decision making. My interest in human behavior both inside and outside the workplace led me to complete a master’s degree in organizational psychology with a concentration in family systems (my master’s thesis is available at your request).
Training and experiences have provided me with a unique skill set to recognize how and why families make or don’t make major commercial real estate decisions.
The best way to explain how my services can facilitate a successful real estate outcome is through a family’s story. I call this one Family Food Fights.
Once upon a time three brothers and one sister inherited equal membership interests in a family limited liability company. They were in their fifties and sixties at the time.
A broker presented them with an attractive opportunity to sell the LLC’s only asset – a commercial property. The brothers jumped at the chance to convert an illiquid asset into cash. Unfortunately for them, the sister, who had to consent to the sale, did not share in their enthusiasm.
It wasn’t that the sister did not like the chance to sell the property. It was that the sister did not like her brothers, so much so that she was willing to walk away from a good deal. The brothers were upset with their sister. The sister was mad at her brothers.
The broker called in a family consultant to figure out what was going on with the siblings. The consultant’s experiences have taught him that, when it comes to families,
The Upset Is Never What It Appears To Be.
To find out what the upset really was about the consultant met with each sibling individually. What he discovered were deep-rooted, unresolved childhood issues that had shaped their adult attitudes toward one another.
• The sister, the youngest of the siblings, had always felt bullied by her brothers.
• The brothers felt that their sister had been favored by their parents, who has always wanted a girl.
Food fights at the dinner table were not uncommon.
The sister finally acknowledged to the consultant that she had mixed feelings about the sale. The child part of her wanted to continue having food fights with her brothers, but the adult part of her recognized the need to go forward with the transaction, even if it meant cooperating with her brothers. Her adult part won out and she agreed to the sale.
And they all lived happily ever after. Well not quite, but it was a start.
So, what’s the moral to this story? When it comes to families,
The Upset Is Never What It Appears To Be.
There are many family-oriented situations in which my services may be helpful. These are among the most common.
- Death or disability of a senior family member causing a vacuum in decision making
- Illness that impacts and stresses families, including addictions
- Changes occurring in the family structure such as marriage or divorce
- Generational differences, with each generation having different views of wealth management
- Family dynamics caused by conflicts among family members, such as sibling rivalries
I also offer broker-oriented workshops to create a better understanding of family dynamics. These workshops may be on topics of general interest or tailored to specific client situations.
