Leadership Development

The single most important factor in the success of any family business is the owner/operator. He or she sets the tone for the rest of the company. A family business owner's greatest resource is his or her family. The family members provide the company with employees, ideas, dreams, passion, and perhaps most importantly, a lasting legacy. These are reasons for the owner to work hard and achieve success. They are also reasons for making the business last.

Leadership is demonstrated by family members, managers, supervisors, and other key people in the family business when directing the efforts of others toward shared goals. It is an influence process that involves management skills, interpersonal skills, knowledge of the family business, and most importantly, traits and values that others will trust and respect.

Strong, active leadership by the owner/operator is vital, but it must be backed by the hands-on involvement of other family members, managers and supervisors who are in positions to direct, support and coach staff toward optimal performance.

Those family businesses that achieve high levels of success are ones that commit significant resources to the training, development and coaching of managers and supervisors.

Leadership is about developing vision and setting direction. Effective leaders develop strategies for producing changes toward the new vision. They communicate, motivate and inspire others to achieve results. Leaders are focused on doing the right things. Excellent leaders are also effective managers.

Effective managers in family businesses are focused on carrying out the traditional management functions of planning, budgeting, organizing work, staffing, problem solving and control. Managers are focused on doing things right.

The best family business leaders and managers learn to become effective and successful through many channels ranging from gaining experience outside the family business, mentoring programs, rotation of various job assignments and formal training.

Perhaps the most effective means of developing leaders and managers within the family business is through an ongoing leadership training program combined with some of the other mentioned factors.

Symptoms to Look For Services and Benefits Provided