Profiles

Dr. Queena Lee-Chua: Renowned Family Business Consultant and Writer

When it comes to advice about family businesses, you would expect it to come from your relatives or friends who also own family businesses, since it can be assumed that they’re the ones who will understand your situation better due to similar experience. However, you might occasionally have to seek the advice of a professional consultant, and there are family business experts like Dr. Queena Lee-Chua who can help with that.

 

Background

Dr. Lee-Chua graduated summa cum laude at Ateneo de Manila University with the program of BS Mathematics. She then went on to pursue a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, and a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the same university, where she now works as a full-time professor, teaching courses like Modern Mathematics and General Psychology among others.

 

On top of that, Dr. Lee-Chua is a licensed psychologist, a consultant for schools, government, and businesses, and the writer for the “All in the Family” column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which tackles subjects like family businesses, family issues, and inspirational stories. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Teachers Award, The Outstanding Young Filipinos (TOYF), and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS). She has also been featured in publications like Asia Inc. Magazine’s Who’s Hot in Asia and the Singapore Heritage Center’s Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent.

 

During the Taipan Exclusive Webinar, Dr. Lee-Chua provided countless invaluable insights about family business succession. When asked about the factors to consider before bringing the next generation into the family business, this is what Dr. Lee-Chua had to say: “There are four factors that I can think about, the first one would be capability. If they’re not capable, kung pwede wag na muna. Let us not talk anymore about seniority or gender. We’re already in the 21st century, and capability is more important than that.”

 

“Second one would be motivation, so is the child eager? Most of the small and medium-sized family businesses–the ones that are successful, their kids actually grew up with the business, and they are highly motivated to work, not just for the family, but they now see that the enterprise is also a social responsibility.”

 

“Third one would be ‘the right fit.’ I think it is important before another family member comes in to see if there is a fit with the business, [kasi] kahit lahat ng tao capable, if they can’t get along well together, that could actually be detrimental to the family business.”

 

“And the last factor for today’s kids has to be interest. Gone are the days wherein the patriarch or the matriarch would say this is the family business that put food on the table so you have to join us. Ngayon iba na….I think it is something that the older generation has to realize. It’s very difficult to force the younger generation to enter the family business, and guilt-tripping them may not be the answer because it’s going to ruin your relationship,” Dr. Lee-Chua said.

 

This is just among the many sage advice that Dr. Lee-Chua has to offer, and if you’re interested to learn more, she currently has two books that center around family businesses.

 

All in the Family Business: Columns from the Philippine Daily Inquirer 

This is a collection of the most popular pieces written by Dr. Lee-Chua in the “All in the Family” column of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Since family businesses usually come with a fair share of problems, Dr. Lee-Chua examines actual family business cases from both research and real life to highlight the best practices and give advice on how to effectively run a business.

 

“This is a book which will teach you practical lessons on managing a business. It offers a wealth of ideas on how families can strategize to propel the business, maximize the potential of people and use socio-cultural values to deepen loyalty and ‘malasakit.’ Queena has definitely mastered the art of mixing the exact science of math to the volatility of psychology in sharing these family stories,” said Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, President & CEO of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.

 

All in the Family Business was published by Inquirer Books, and it is currently available in both E-book (P499) and print (P550) formats on Lazada and in E-book (P499) format on Inquirer Shop.

 

Successful Family Businesses: Dynamics of Five Filipino Business Families

This is a case study of five highly successful family businesses, and it supports the central thesis statement that businesses cannot be separated from family concerns with empirical evidence. It was published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press and garnered the Outstanding Monograph Award, National Academy of Science and Technology in 2001. It is available in print format on Lazada and Ateneo Press for (P390). 

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