Our Latest Articles
//May 12, 2025 - Issue #142
Business Families Must Get Real About Growth and Payouts Sometimes the family grows much faster than the business, especially in saturated markets. This has deep implications for how we manage family and business expectations.
Nonfamily CEOs Are Most Vulnerable in the Middle Stage of Their Tenure Family businesses tend to give all CEOs time to prove themselves, but are tougher on outsiders who don’t deliver results after a few years. 
Family Firms: The Time to Learn About AI is Now Like the telephone or the internet, AI is here to stay, and we need to learn how to work with it.
Can a Female CEO Lead to More Diversity at the Top? At family firms, decisions are often shaped by traditions, preferences, or informal dynamics that are not easy to override, even for the CEO.
ESG Essentials For Family Firms ‘ESG is an existential issue. Businesses that don’t demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices could be punished by consumers, the media and even regulators.’ 
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.
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. 
Research still can’t clearly explain when they deliver real value. A review shows what we know, what we don’t, and how families can close the needs-to-services gap. Read more...
Vision matters—but so does individualized consideration. This study shows nonfamily managers perform better when CEOs pair transformational leadership with genuine, personalized attention and political skill. Read more...
Successors recommit when roles align with their values, skills, and life stage—and when family dynamics allow earlier experiences to be reinterpreted. Read more...
Family firms don’t have goals—people do. The rise and fall of Italy's Florio dynasty shows how successor motivation shapes the balance between growth, legacy, and community—and how families can build more durable, values-led leadership. Read more...
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation