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 happens after you request a private conversation with Second Chair™?
Step by step: what happens after you submit a request to Second Chair™, who reads it, when you hear back, how the private conversation is arranged, and what to write in the form.
What happens in a successor coaching session?
What a good successor coaching session contains, how it connects to the successor's real board meetings and conversations, what happens between sessions, and how a Second Chair™ session is structured.
What does a handover session with both generations look like?
How the facilitated handover session at the end of the Second Chair™ program works: who attends, the six parts of the session, and the one-page Handover Charter both generations sign.
What happens in the private diagnostic?
The first two weeks of Second Chair™: two intakes, three to five confidential stakeholder interviews, a recorded baseline in three scenarios, and the written diagnostic that shapes the next six months.
What is a family charter, and does our family need one?
A family charter, or family constitution, sets out how a business-owning family relates to its company: values, governance, ownership and family roles. What it covers, who needs one, and how it differs from a Handover Charter.
What is a family council, and does our family need one?
A family council is a small group that represents a business-owning family in its dealings with the company. What it does, how it differs from the board, when a family needs one and how to set it up.
What is a "second chair"? The idea behind preparing a successor
In an orchestra and in a courtroom, the second chair is the person learning every part before the seat becomes theirs. What the idea means for the next generation of a family business.
What is a stakeholder interview, and why does it matter?
A stakeholder interview is a short, confidential conversation with someone who works closely with a leader. What it is, how it is done well, why it matters for a family successor, and how Second Chair™ uses it.
What is executive presence?
Executive presence is the impression that someone can be trusted with the decision. A full definition: its usual components, what it is not, how it is judged, whether it can be learned, and what it means for a successor.
What is gravitas, and can it be learned?
Gravitas is the sense that what someone says carries weight. What it is made of, how it differs from confidence and charisma, and why it can be learned through practice.
What is next-generation leadership development?
Next-generation leadership development is everything a family business does to prepare the people who will lead it next. The main components, what each one builds, and how to put them together.
What qualifications should a successor coach have?
Coaching is largely unregulated, so a credential tells you less than it seems. What qualifications actually matter in a coach for a family business successor, and how to check them.
What results should we expect after six months of successor coaching?
What can realistically change in six months of successor coaching, how change is measured with recorded baselines, what coaching cannot control, and why Second Chair™ offers no guarantee.
What does the monthly parent briefing include?
In Second Chair™, the parent receives a thirty-minute briefing each month from month two to month six. What it covers, what it deliberately leaves out, and what is agreed with each family.
What does the parent see during successor coaching?
When a parent pays for successor coaching, what should they hear, and what should stay private? How a good arrangement works, and why keeping sessions confidential is what makes the coaching honest.
What if a big event comes before we are ready?
When a board meeting, announcement or crisis arrives before the successor feels ready: how to scope it, prepare the first five minutes and the hardest question, agree the parent's role, and how Second Chair™ adapts.
When a long-serving executive pushes back in front of everyone
The first public disagreement with a senior executive teaches the whole room how much a successor's decisions weigh. How to handle it in the moment, and what to do afterwards.
Why does every family dinner turn into a business argument?
When the business and the family share one table, every role follows you home. Why dinner becomes the board meeting nobody planned, and where each kind of business conversation belongs instead.
How do I handle investors who doubt the next generation?
Lenders, minority shareholders and private equity partners may doubt a family successor. What their doubt is usually about, and how to answer it with evidence rather than argument.
When is the right time to hand over the family business?
There is rarely a perfect moment to hand over a family business. The signals that say it is time, the signals that say wait, and why waiting until they are ready is a trap.
At what age should my child start working in the family business?
There is no single right age for a child to join the family business. How to think about summer jobs, joining after education and joining after outside experience, and what each stage is for.
Why do my siblings resent me for working in the business?
When you work in the family business and your siblings do not, resentment often grows from unspoken questions about access, information and fairness. Where it comes from, and how to talk about it.
Why is my long-serving CFO resisting my son?
A long-serving CFO holds the numbers, the bank relationship and often the founder's confidence. Why they resist a family successor, how to tell caution from resistance, and what a founder can do.
What happens to a family company when the founder gets sick suddenly?
When a founder is suddenly unable to work, the company rarely fails overnight, but decisions, signatures and confidence can stall. What tends to happen, and what to put in place calmly, now.