Our Latest Articles

January 20, 2021 - Issue #22

A Road Map for Resurgence in 2021 A Road Map for Resurgence in 2021 With a vaccine on the way, we feel the best advice for 2021 is to focus on what comes next.  These articles from the past year can inform your game plan for the post-Covid world that will dawn in a few months.
Family Businesses Must Plan for the Unthinkable Family Businesses Must Plan for the Unthinkable A year ago nobody saw a pandemic coming. What we've learned: a dash of "productive paranoia" will help family business leadership anticipate future threats.
Five Things Family Businesses are Reckoning With Now Five Things Family Businesses are Reckoning With Now This video, also available as a podcast, explores how family businesses are balancing cherished traditions and social capital against the mandate to control costs at a time of economic peril.
Timeless Lessons from Dick Schulze Timeless Lessons from Dick Schulze While "Becoming the Best" was published a decade ago, the takeaways from Dick Schulze's book remain great operating principles for anyone who runs a business.
Looking ahead
Don't Get Too Comfortable Don't Get Too Comfortable

In this video, Harvard's Michael Tushman explains why great firms don't rest on past successes. Being innovative means getting out of your comfort zone.

How Investors Think Differently Now How Investors Think Differently Now

Our Lean Education Summit last month opened with a panel of Investors sharing their insights of what the funding environment for entrepreneurs, non-profits and small businesses will look like as the economy recovers.

Important Book about Managing Family and Business Important Book about Managing Family and Business

Don't miss this article by family business thought leader Dennis Jaffe about a new book that explores how family business owners can manage their two important roles.

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Recent
AI in Family Business: Why Brain Capital Is Your Real Competitive Advantage
by Doug Gray, PhD / Practice Insight

Family firms need AI, but it can't build trust or regulate conflict. Here's why Brain Capital—judgment, resilience, and governance maturity—will determine whether they thrive across generations. Read more...

Family Offices Are Booming—But Do They Actually Work?
by Patrik Hayoz, PhD, Bingbing Ge, and Alfredo De Massis / Research Insight

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...

What Nonfamily Managers Need From Family Firm Leaders
by Mat Hughes, Alfredo De Massis, Sascha Kraus, Qilin Hu, and Yi-Ying Chang / Research Insight

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...

How Families Can Re-Engage Reluctant Successors Without Pressure
by John Cater, Roland Kidwell, Megan Harper, and Marilyn Young / Research Insight

Successors recommit when roles align with their values, skills, and life stage—and when family dynamics allow earlier experiences to be reinterpreted. Read more...

Popular
From 'Passing Down' to 'Building Up': Rethinking Values in Family Firms
by Viktoria Luft, Anne Katarina Heider, Heinrich Liechtenstein, and Tarek el Sehity
Things to Consider When Transferring Family Business Ownership
by Susan Lanz, Gary Burke, Kajsa Haag, and Omid Omidvar
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation

Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation