Although it certainly didn’t feel like it at the time, I was incredibly lucky to take the reins of the family business at the tender age of 28, which enabled me to realize very quickly that I needed guidance from experienced outside sources. Because of that guidance, I was able to not only witness how to execute a successful business turnaround…but learn valuable lessons at every turn.
Nobody likes to think of themselves as a bad boss, but in my travels through the leadership keynote speaker world, I’ve met many current and aspiring leaders. And, whether they’re newly minted managers or seasoned C-suite types, it’s quite common for people to have a few blind spots around their own leadership styles. Here are some tips to help get you back on track.
The question of hiring best practices naturally comes up as I navigate the leadership keynote speaker circuit, and the age-old debate of “train vs. hire” is often at the heart of the discussion. Of course, there are pros and cons to either side, and here’s what worked—and what didn’t—for my business. I hope it helps you get your growing team on track!
The past 18 months have given us countless insights into the broad category of “unforeseen circumstances.” With this in mind, I wanted to cover the basics of two different but equally important plans—succession planning, creating a long-term strategy for leadership changes—along with having a strategy for disaster recovery planning.
During the past year, we have had to become comfortable working from home—while also trying to balance family life, care-taking, etc. While the recent pandemic has forced the issue for many, I have actually been working remotely with my team in the UK since 2010, when my family moved to Colorado. During that time, I’ve found that a hybrid model—partly in the office, party at home—truly does deliver the best of both worlds!
The Personal Side of Business Succession Planning It’s one of the most common pain points for my clients on the succession planning keynote speaker circuit: the leader who can’t stop leading. In a standard corporate transition, business is business. In the best of...
It’s a great time to be a succession planning keynote speaker—the working world has never needed our guidance more than it does now! But with more than 80 million baby boomers planning to retire before 2030, we’re about to face what might be the biggest knowledge gap in history.
When diving into the fundamentals of succession planning with prospective clients I meet on the succession planning keynote speaker circuit, I often compare the process to creating a last will and testament. After all, that’s essentially what it is: basic estate planning for one’s business.
Many of the people I meet on my succession planning retreats share a common complaint: strategy takes work! It can be incredibly difficult to tear oneself away from the day-to-day management of the business to focus time and resources on what feels like a theoretical future.
As a consultant and succession planning keynote speaker, I often take it for granted that business owners know what it is, and why it is important. However, several recent virtual conversations with groups of business owners made me realize that this is not the case—so I thought this might be a good time to revisit some succession planning fundamentals.
I have come across an assessment tool that could be a game changer when looking to promote or hire new talent into a key role in your organization. It is called pymetrics, and is an Ai based assessment tool which helps you find the best fit for any particular role. It was developed by Frida Polli PhD; an academic neuroscientist from Harvard and MIT turned entrepreneur.
I recently read this excellent article by David Lancefield in the Harvard Business Review and it made me think about an important principle during times of high stress, that of self-care.
Handing Over the Reigns is a must read for anyone who is contemplating passing their business on to the next generation. This book is based on Richard’s experience in a 4th generation 100 year old family business and from the work he has done with many other privately held companies in the UK and USA.
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