Monthly Archives: August 2012

Next Generation: Embrace Your Development

Posted on August 30, 2012 by annehargrave

Often members of the youngest generation in a family enterprise sit back and wait for someone in the older generation to tell them what role they can fill within the family business.  When they don’t get a tap on the … Continue reading →

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Sitting with Discomfort to Make Progress During Transitions

Posted on August 28, 2012 by annehargrave

  Increasingly we have come to expect quick fixes to just about every problem….    It doesn’t work that way with family dynamics, especially as leadership roles transition from one generation to the next.  There are expectations on all sides – … Continue reading →

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The Princess and the Peon

Posted on August 23, 2012 by joannenorton

“You just don’t know how hard it is to work with the princess,” the frustrated executive began as she anxiously played with her pearls. “She comes into work late, if at all, leaves early, and doesn’t abide by the rules. … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Sisters

Posted on August 21, 2012 by joannenorton

It was the best of times, and then it was the worst of times for the second-generation family owners of a flourishing gardening business. Sisters Amy and Bethany, members of the third generation, were bright, talented women who were active … Continue reading →

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CFO Issues

Posted on August 17, 2012 by johnward

We were recently with a forum of 10 non-family CFOs of large family businesses. When asked what are the “family business” issues most on their mind, they responded with the following (in no particular order): Airplane use Incentive compensation Board … Continue reading →

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Family “Beta Site”

Posted on August 16, 2012 by johnward

Business families like to assure a connection between family owners and the business. One way managements work to do so is to send new products or new advertising ideas or new promotion campaigns to the family members. One seasoned executive … Continue reading →

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Developing Next Generation Emotional Attachment

Posted on August 15, 2012 by johnward

We’ve been involved in some recent research on what develops emotional attachment for the next generation. We believe the following tactics are all worthwhile. We find that their effectiveness is in the priority by which they are listed. In other … Continue reading →

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What Family Businesses Can Learn From the Olympics

Posted on August 9, 2012 by DavidRansburg

It’s Olympic season, and there’s much that can be learned from these special athletes… and not all of it comes from the playing field. One Olympic moment that stood out for me occurred during women’s gymnastics, when American Aly Raisman … Continue reading →

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Good Luck!

Posted on August 7, 2012 by DavidRansburg

I enjoy finding nuggets of family business wisdom in unusual places. Recently, I found one such gem while watching a video of Michael Lewis (the author of popular books such as “The Big Short” and “Moneyball”) giving the commencement address … Continue reading →

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