Notes on authority and the handover.
On what it takes for the next generation to lead the board, the senior team and the family.
What does executive presence look like for women leaders in family businesses?
Executive presence for a woman leading a family business: the double bind many women report, the extra layers a family adds, and practical habits that build authority without copying anyone else's style.
Executive presence in board meetings: what directors notice
Directors judge presence across the whole meeting, not only during your presentation. What they notice before, during and after, and what it means for a family successor.
Executive presence vs charisma: what is the difference?
Charisma makes people want to be near you. Executive presence makes them trust you with the decision. Why the two get confused, why it matters for a family successor, and which one to work on.
Family business consultant vs successor coach: what is the difference?
A family business consultant works on the family and the structure: governance, succession planning, family agreements. A successor coach works on the person who will lead. What each does, and why many families need both.
Family business programs at Harvard, Kellogg and IMD: what do they cover, and what do they not?
Harvard, Kellogg and IMD run respected programs for family businesses. What each one covers according to its official page, who it is for, what it costs, and the gap a successor may still need to fill.
Family constitution vs handover charter: what is the difference?
A family constitution sets the family's long-term rules for its business. A handover charter makes one specific handover work. How the two relate, which to start with, and how to keep them consistent.
My children work in the business. Why do I still feel alone running it?
Having your children in the company does not always mean sharing the weight of it. Why many founders still feel alone at the top, and practical ways to share more of the load before the handover.
Why do I feel like an impostor in my family's company?
Many family successors feel they have not earned their place, even when they are doing the job well. Why the family business makes that feeling stronger, and what tends to help.
Your first company address as the successor: how to structure it
The first time a family business successor addresses the whole company, people decide what kind of leader they are getting. A practical structure for that speech, and how to prepare it.
Why do I get emotional in business conversations with my family?
A business conversation with a parent or sibling carries years of family history, so an ordinary disagreement can feel personal. Why it happens, and practical ways to stay steady before, during and after.
How do I give feedback to my adult child who works for me?
Feedback between a founder and an adult child at work carries decades of family history. How to give it so it is heard as a colleague's advice, not a parent's verdict.
Group programs vs private coaching: which works for successors?
Group programs give a family successor frameworks and peers. Private coaching gives them practice on their own board, team and family. What each does well, when each fits, and how to combine them.
Why do I feel guilty for wanting to change my parent's company?
Wanting to change what your parent built can feel like disloyalty, even when the change is right. Where that guilt comes from, what it is telling you, and how to stop it deciding for you.
How do I hand over decisions, not just the title?
A new title changes little if the decisions stay with the founder. How to map the decisions you actually make, set clear decision rights, and move them to your successor in stages.
The Handover Charter: what parent and successor should agree on in writing
Legal documents transfer ownership. They rarely say who decides what on Monday morning. The five things a founder and successor should put on one page, and how to write it together.
How a founder steps back without disappearing
Stepping back is not the same as leaving. How a founder can stay valuable to the business and the successor while making it clear, to everyone, who now leads.
How does a private banker or advisor refer a family to a coach?
For private bankers, family office advisors and lawyers: how to raise coaching with a family discreetly, how to check a coach before mentioning them, and what Second Chair™'s request form asks for.
How do I stop undermining my successor without meaning to?
Most founders who undermine their successor never intend to. The small, well-meant habits that quietly take authority away, and what to do instead, starting this week.
How long does it take to prepare a successor?
Preparing a family business successor is measured in years for experience and in months for authority. A realistic timeline, what sets the pace, and when to start.
How long does successor coaching take?
How long a successor coaching engagement should last, why a few sessions rarely change how a successor leads, how much time it asks of the successor each week, and why Second Chair™ runs for six months.
How much does successor coaching cost?
What drives the cost of successor coaching, what should be included, how it compares with executive education for family businesses, and what a Second Chair™ engagement costs.
How do private bankers help families prepare the next generation?
For private bankers, advisors and the families they serve: what a banker can usefully do for the next generation, what sits outside the role, and how both sides can make the relationship work for a successor.
How does Second Chair™ decide whether a family is a fit?
What Second Chair™ looks for before taking on a family: the successor, the timing, the kind of help needed, and the situations where the honest answer is that this is not the right work.
How is successor progress measured? Recorded baselines explained
Why impressions and self-report are unreliable ways to judge a successor's progress, what can be observed instead, and how Second Chair™ uses a recorded baseline and a final recording.