Family Business Retreats

Why us? We will use a process that has been developed and has been used at such companies as adidas and Valero to guide business decisions for the last 15 years. This involves taking the time to explore the success of the business, how it differentiates from the competition, and to truly define the “secret sauce”. 

We then will explore the guarantees available (or not) to keep that differentiator as an ongoing long-term concern.  Why do customer’s choose us over the competition? Do we have a better idea? Better customer service? Patents? How do we know this to be true? This first session is designed to get the family thinking about the business as a whole and to see similarities and differences in opinion across generations. The end result will be a clear definition of organizational advantage.  

Once you clarify the WHY, we will complete an exercise to link your business values and culture to the Secret Sauce and ensure several Cultural Pillars are consistent across the organization. Then, the focus turns to you. As families evolve from one generation to the next, the Cultural Pillars are challenged. Generation C does not do things the exact same way as Generation B. Is that okay? Does it confuse our employees?  How about the rest of the world?

This session is about personal, family, and generational exploration. How do I live the culture differently than the previous generation while being true to the business? Are there key linkages? Key points of differentiation? Do the differences align?

This session results in a clear understanding of how multi-generations can live the same “heart” of the culture while living a different “head” and “body” of the same. The session ends with a deliberate plan for how to roll this out to the rest of the family and organization. 

Research suggests one of the biggest issues to negatively impact a family business is lack of clear communication. Multi-generations, whether they are active or passive in the company, or have given control over to the next generation, or otherwise are still in the business, owe each other certain things – what is referred to as hand-offs. Do we allow back doors and conversations after the conversation? Do the employees hear the same thing regardless of the family member they are talking to? 

Leaning on the concept of Service Level Agreements, we will make very explicit those things each family member owes the others in the family business (e.g., What do I (Generation B) owe you (Generation C) to ensure long-term success and what do you (Generation C) owe me (Generation B) in order to ensure the company remains an ongoing concern?). A set of simple but specific guidelines will be created we will share a technique to make these conversations more palatable. 

What’s Next? The last session will be used to get back to the business of being in business. Several outcomes – personal, familial, and business-based – will have emerged over the previous three sessions. This session will be used to plan for the future and to provide each family a blueprint in terms of moving forward and implementing what has been learned. An Action Planning process that has been used at such organizations as Chanje Automotive, Microsoft, and Herschend Family Entertainment will be deployed.