Family Business Blog
One of my main jobs as a family business facilitator is to help my clients talk about tough issues. I call it discussing the undiscussable. As covered in a previous blog (The Importance of Communication in a family business), I believe good, productive communication enables families in business to work and play better together. Read more...
I know next to nothing about astrophysics. I studied physics in my final year at school and only bothered to sit the exam because it was in multiple-choice format. I thought that at least gave me a chance! It didn’t. I failed the subject. Read more...
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When it comes to leadership succession, one of the comments we often hear from current leaders is 'my son or daughter is pretty good, but they're not quite ready'. When we start talking about what it will take to make them 'ready', we often end up in a long conversation that in many instances leads us nowhere. Potential successors often get frustrated and come to the conclusion that whatever hoops they have to jump through, the transition will never occur. Read more...
Our last blog asked the question, ‘Are you Communicating Effectively?’ We also highlighted three traps that families in business often fall into. This blog looks at one of these, which we call the behavioral style trap and introduce you to ways of avoiding it.
Communication issues often arise because we presume that others are on our wave-length and that we’re on theirs. This is generally the exception rather than the rule.
The reality is that we all have different ways of processing information. It has been found that the most effective people are those who understand themselves so that they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment.
Read more...
Communication issues often arise because we presume that others are on our wave-length and that we’re on theirs. This is generally the exception rather than the rule.
The reality is that we all have different ways of processing information. It has been found that the most effective people are those who understand themselves so that they can develop strategies to meet the demands of their environment.
Read more...
Though the issues they face are many and varied, one of the recurring themes we've noticed over the years we have been working with families in business is the lack of effective communication. Read more...
Where will your business be in 5-10 years, or when you decide its time for you to do something else? Exiting the business is not a question of if, but when. Planning for the eventuality helps provide you with some say in how the future unfolds.
Business owner-managers considering exiting their business have two options: transfer (continuity of the business) or termination (cessation of the business).
If you choose to transfer the business, you can - Read more...
Business owner-managers considering exiting their business have two options: transfer (continuity of the business) or termination (cessation of the business).
If you choose to transfer the business, you can - Read more...
We are often asked how we work with our family business clients. What is it that we really do? My flippant answer is generally ‘as little as possible’. But the reality is we pass the responsibility for doing a lot of the hard work back to our client. Read more...
One of my colleagues made the following comment early on in our working relationship - 'If ever we agree on everything then one us is superfluous.' It's the different perspectives that create new ideas and that's extremely powerful in any business or family situation. Read more...
Often one of the concerns that families raise with us is the issue of being fair to all their children. The issue generally arises when discussing the preparation of wills or the transfer of ownership of the family business. Does this necessarily mean an equal division of the family assets? Read more...
To be updated on the latest developments!