Family Business Best Practices & Insights

Family Alignment – Building Consensus to Enjoy a Shared Future

In some ways, obtaining family alignment is like pulling teeth …. into alignment. It takes time, effort, due process and some (or lots) of pain. But the end result makes everything worthwhile – all the “bits” look better, and work better, over the long term. Family alignment should be a primary goal for any family […]

Advisory Boards – The “Great Leap Forward” for Business Families

Establishing an Advisory Board (or “Advisory Committee”) is one of the easiest, quickest, cheapest and most effective measures any family business can take to improve the quality of its thinking, planning, problem solving and general decision-making. The concept is simple: an Advisory Board is an identifiable body, established by a family to help it make […]

Successful Successions in Family Business

Business Succession involves the transfer of Ownership, Leadership, Management and (sometimes) Employment, from one generation to another. The succeeding generation can be within the family, or not. The objective is to transition the business from one generation to the next, so it can survive and be renewed. Family Succession is another thing entirely, although the […]

Family Conflict and Mediation – looking for “Uncle Bob”

Conflict (noun) = a form of protracted discord between individuals or groups. Conflict (verb) = to clash emotionally, intellectually, materially or physically. Conflict is a form of energy that can be focussed, or unfocussed, on its inbound and outbound course. Active families constantly generate relationship conflict through their interactions. Active businesses constantly engage in competitive […]

Best Practice in Family Business

“Best practice is a technique or methodology proven by experience and research to lead reliably to an optimal result”. So, if we implement and support Best Practice in our family business we should enjoy success – whatever that means for our business family and for our family’s business. In an “ordinary” business the key measures […]

Difficult Older People & Behaviour Change

We’re seeing increasing numbers of older business owners struggling with the fundamental concept (let alone the required actions!) of family and business succession, and with the challenges of “refiring, not retiring” – as they contemplate living for many years after “finishing” their main work. That work has often been at the centre of their lives, […]

Do “fossilised” owner/parents threaten the survival of their own family businesses?

An increasing number of family business owners are now past their best decision-making days. With many over 70 years of age they are fossilising on the job, risking the survival of their businesses and families, and the jobs and families of the employees who depend on them. This is not a criticism of what they’ve […]

Governance and the Role of Non-Executive Director

Essentially the non-executive director’s role is to provide a creative contribution to the board by providing objective criticism. they: “should bring an independent judgement to bear on issues of strategy, performance and resources including key appointments and standards of conduct.” There is no legal distinction between executive and non- executive directors. As a consequence, non-executive […]

Governance Functions and Boards for Family Businesses

Governance Corporate governance refers to the structures, strategies, principles, policies and processes by which businesses, and the senior executives thereof are led, managed, supervised, measured and controlled. Governance style defines the attitude, culture and integrity of an organisation. It therefore forms a major component of risk management. In many family business environments, executives involved in […]

Family Business Best Practice – A Magic Toolbox?

What is Family Business “Best Practice”? One of the primary goals of any family business adviser is to increase the effectiveness and success of Australian families in business – helping them attain greater peace and prosperity. Such an outcome suggests that a family has achieved a level of excellence, or “best practice”, but here’s the […]