Successfully integrating family into business leadership while balancing family dynamics is full of complexities. As Joe Chastang shares, many private and family business owners screw it up. Thanksgiving and Christmas come around every year, and the business provides for 100+ employees.Mis-matched expectations, communication differences, and management styles can create challenging moments [...]
The future is a mystery. Strategic planning may not fully prepare you for the curve balls of the future, but it can help us prepare to keep moving forward on the path to success. The best way to form a contingency plan is to have more than one solution to possible problems. “No plan [...]
As Joe Chastang shares, getting your company started, running it, and being successful is a good feeling. Seeing your kids step in and do better is a better feeling. In 2015, when Joe embarked on the succession planning journey led by Jeff Faulkner and Jeff Bannon, he reviewed the action [...]
As Joe shares, it isn't fair to the business's employees for an owner to be lazy and not invest in the future success and sustainability of the company. Therefore, business succession planning isn't just about protecting profits and transfer of ownership; it is also about positioning the business for continued [...]
Succession planning builds value. Joe shares that one of many benefits of the succession planning process was learning how to run the company better. As a car and heavy truck dealer, Joe Chastang and his leadership team are good at selling vehicles, labor, and parts. An outside perspective focused on [...]
The definition of discipline is “an exercise that develops or improves a skill or habit.” It is the missing ingredient in building the personal and organizational “muscle(s)” that leads to exceptional performance. Most of us who recognize the value in building those muscles are sometimes reluctant to make the effort, either because we don’t want [...]
High-performance cultures require discipline. Formalities, efficient processes, and strategies that reward teamwork and achieving goals motivate and inspire employees to go the extra mile. As Joe shares, the succession planning process helped his leadership team focus on priorities which has resulted in managing their company, employees, and family-business dynamics. Because [...]
Familial communication patterns can create stress in the business environment. Assumptions, stereotypes, and emotional baggage often cloud judgment, reactions, listening, and getting to know someone as an adult versus just a sibling or child. Many believe a Will, Trusts, and business agreements are the crux of succession planning; however, as [...]
From Joe's perspective, succession planning is the most reasonable thing he has done to help his business. As Joe says, "Like it or not, the family business is tough." It never is "just business" when the family is involved, so it is hard to separate business and family matters. However, [...]
Depending upon whether you want to sell the business, transition leadership/ownership to a family successor, or outside management - the following steps will set you up for success. The sooner you begin this process, the sooner you protect your life's work and be able to begin climbing other mountains. Decide what event(s) will trigger [...]
