Leadership for Turbulent Times

April 14, 2025 - Issue #140

Tariffs, Turmoil, and Family Tiffs: Navigating the Current Chaos You can support your business through economic uncertainty and maintain unity and commitment.

Outside Leadership Can Save the Family Business Sometimes the first step forward is for family members to realize they must take a step backward. How to choose wisely from the outside.

How to Care for Your Team During a Crisis This advice from one of our best-read articles in 2020 still rings true for startups, small businesses and family ventures who are trying to hang on until things stabilize.

Using Humble Language Can Drive Market Success Businesses in trouble can reap benefits by displaying humility – but the rules differ for family and non-family firms.

Women Show Their Strengths When Family Businesses are in Trouble Even in countries where men dominate, women proved to be innovators in times of crisis, a Honduras study showed.

Should Former Leaders Stay Involved in the Family Firm? The successor's readiness for the top role, and the firm's age and experience with previous successions, are main factors to consider.

Navigating Uncertainty: Timeless Wisdom for Turbulent Times Frank Knight’s work, though written over a century ago, provides insights for navigating the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship.

Your CEO Affects How Outsiders Perceive Your Brand Family or non-family leader? Your choice depends on the age of the firm, and can ultimately affect how the media and outside stakeholders see you.

How Family Businesses Can Recruit the Best C-Suite Candidates Family-owned businesses often struggle to compete with non-family firms when it comes to recruitment, and understanding the expectations of job seekers is crucial to attract the best talent.

Four Things that the Best Family Business Boards Do Well Independent directors hold others accountable and encourage change even when firmly entrenched relationships or operating philosophies make it seem impossible.

Assessments Can Help Develop Family Business Leaders From simple surveys or interviews to complex, statistically robust reporting, assessments give current and future leaders a source of objective data for better decision-making.

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Why Don't You Educate Your Owners?

Women: Prepare to Lead Your Family Firm

Will Your Family Brand Survive New Leadership?

From 'Passing Down' to 'Building Up': Rethinking Values in Family Firms

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Recent

Your Investment Strategy Should Reflect Your Family Values and Goals

by Claudia Binz Astrachan, Anneleen Michiels, Massimo Baù, and Chris Graves / Practice Insight

A family investment policy defines how a family manages its collective financial assets in alignment with its shared values, goals, and risk preferences. Read more...

Families Can Overcome Generational Conflicts Over Technology

by Maria Annosi, Mat Hughes, Davide de Gennaro, Roberta Oppedisano, and Filomena Buonocore / Research Insight

A study of Italian firms shows how differences can be resolved, so the company can honor tradition and still make progress. Read more...

Ready to Lead: Building Confidence Across Generations

by Paul Edelman / Applied and Practice

When families treat readiness as something they cultivate together, the handoff feels less like a loss and more like a natural next step. Read more...

Define Your Legacy, and Strengthen Your Business and Your Impact

by Matthew Fox, Kimberly Wade-Benzoni, and Jeffrey Covin / Research Insight

Unless you clearly define what you want your legacy to be, your successors will interpret it in their own way -- and it might not be what you intended. Read more...

by Susan Lanz, Gary Burke, Kajsa Haag, and Omid Omidvar

Let the Next Generation of Family Firm Leaders Chart Their Own Path

by Klaus Lüber and Nadine Kammerlander

Here Are the Next Gen's Biggest Worries

by Kimberly Eddleston

How to Plan for a Successful Succession

by Richard Eisenberg

How Three Women Upheld Family Values and Thrived Despite Adversity

by Boyka Simeonova and Mat Hughes

Listening to the Family: The Strategic Value of Surveys

by Claudia Binz Astrachan