Tag: family business succession planning

How Family Business Succession Shapes Innovation in the Next Generation

Research on 16 family businesses reveals why some successors build on the previous generation’s innovations while others rarely or never innovate. EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was produced in Read more

Build a Family Governance Talent Pipeline Before You Need One

Don’t wait for a vacancy. Prepare family members now — through education, mentoring, clear expectations, and hands-on experience — to serve on boards, family councils, and committees. Family Read more

Founder Succession: Six Lessons From 15 CEOs Who Actually Lived It

What happens after the founder steps aside? Interviews with successor CEOs reveal the emotional, organizational, and family dynamics that determine whether leadership transitions succeed—or stall. Read more

The Biggest Risk to Family Wealth Isn't Investment Performance—It's Succession

Family offices excel at managing money but often overlook the greatest threat to multigenerational success: poorly planned succession. Here's how they can help. Family offices have gained increasing Read more

Give Future Leaders Exposure to Critical Roles

A job rotation program gives next-gens both hands-on experience and a working knowledge of different departments and important outside relationships. A family business’s future leaders may have Read more

New Family Business CEOs Must Claim the Seat, Not Just Inherit the Title

When a successor becomes CEO, the title may change overnight — but authority, identity, and trust do not. Next-generation leaders must act like the CEO before they feel like one. A successor takes Read more

When Keeping the Business in the Family No Longer Makes Sense

A study of German family businesses showed that as intra-family succession becomes more difficult, families are increasingly open to selling — and intermediaries are emerging to help match owners Read more

Why Family Business Founders Struggle to Step Back During Succession

Founder resistance is often more complicated than control. Empathy can help families understand what founders are trying to protect — and what their continued involvement may be preventing. Read more

Fair Does Not Always Mean Equal: Ownership Decisions in Family Business

Families often struggle to decide whether shares should be divided equally among children or reflect leadership, sacrifice, and “sweat equity.” In family businesses, few conversations generate Read more

Helping Daughters Become Successful Family Business Leaders

Daughters can become strong and credible successors when families involve them early, clarify authority, support professional development, and make room for new models of leadership. While daughters Read more