009: jungle lions vs zoo lions
on how well equipped nextgens are in stewarding their family's wealth and legacy
‘I heard my daughter walked out on you last week,’ said Victor with a wry grin.
Frank shrugged.
‘Melissa has delivered on everything she’s been asked to do.’
‘Then why did you turn down her request to be assigned to your biggest deal?’
‘You know how I treat folks when the stakes are high. I don’t want to subject Melissa to that side of me. What if she doesn’t live up to my standards? I can’t mete out the same consequences as I would to a normal hire.’
‘Do you know what she told me?’
Frank gave Victor a long look.
‘She said she doesn’t want me to line up things for her anymore,’ said Victor, as a wistful grin crept across his face.
‘Said she’d rather fail as a jungle lion than succeed as a zoo lion.’1
Do you know what’s more heroic than wanting to prove yourself without any help from your family?
Developing a stewardship mentality. Asking where your greatest abilities meet your family’s greatest needs.
Hate to break it to you Melissa, but the learning curve of remaining within your family’s orbit may be just as steep as stepping outside of it.
Suppose zoo lions describe nextgens still nascent in their ability, understanding, and desire to contribute to their family’s needs.
Then jungle lions likely describe nextgens well equipped to steward wealth and legacy of their families.
As I evolve from a zoo lion to a jungle lion, I often reflect on these questions:
What do I want?
What does my family need?
How can my family and I help each other?
what do I want?
When I started working for my family, I held a set of assumptions that supposedly delivers what I wanted.
Wealth, independence, and respect from those I respected.
Fiercely looking out for myself, it took a few years before a piece of advice my mother gave me decades ago took on a deeper layer of meaning.
‘Be a useful person. Don’t waste the resources you can access.’
I saw a virtuous cycle unfolding:
The more I became useful for my family,
The more access I got to the family’s intellectual, social, and financial capital,
The greater sense of ownership I felt over my responsibilities and initiatives.
Just like my mother predicted, I felt a strong desire to take good care of what was entrusted to me.
what does my family need?
The needs of families with operating businesses are diverse.
Yet the needs of families who have divested their business and now sit on liquid financial assets usually face the same formidable task.
How do we manage our wealth and legacy for generations to come?
Five years into working for my family’s single family office and family foundation, I guess I’m really blessed to be able to say this:
There’s no place I’d rather be than helping my family both invest and give like the best.
(… unless I find new arenas to accelerate my evolution from a zoo lion to a jungle lion!)
how can my family and I help each other?
Five years ago, my family thought crypto was just for money laundering, buying drugs, and moving money offshore.
Since I needed accredited investor-sized dry powder to access higher quality investment opportunities, I decided to borrow money from family and be held accountable for the gains and losses I make in crypto.
Investment became my first leap to build trust with my family.
Last year, my family published a book about my grandfather, cementing his legacy as a Pioneer, Patriot and Patriarch.
Legacymaking was a second step that drew the family closer.
This year, my sister and I are taking a more active role in our family foundation, recalibrating our giving based on family feedback and a new vision.
Philanthropy might be the third layer to reinforce the family’s sense of belonging.
I’m always on the look out for more ways to build trust within multigenerational families.
Are you a jungle lion? Teach me your ways.
Are you a zoo lion? Welcome to the pride.
Credits to Shiv Vikram Khemka of Sun Group who articulated this beautiful metaphor at the China Family Enterprise and Investment Forum in Beijing on 26 November 2025.