JUL-AUG 2023
really helped… You have to go to different people and find a great community that can really help you and give you the support that you need.”
Comment: "Networking is really the key to everyone's success. I don't care what your business is or who you work for. The more you know, the more larger your network is, then you're just going to be more successful through sharing those ideas."
Different generations bring different ideas
As new generations integrate into the company leadership team, they invariably bring different ideas and opinions. Is it a problem or an opportunity for your company? Both founder and next generations offered insights on how to navigate this challenge
Comment from father: “You have to accept different personalities. We have the same objectives but different priorities. And that was and it still is one of the major issues with our son."
Comment from son: “I think the transition of power is always a difficult one for the original founders, in this case being my father and mother. And as much as I may tell them that I'm ready, the company is their baby. Even if I think that I'm ready, I think there's always the learning curve that sometimes takes many years. And even though there's so many differences between us, the similarities are what really help mend that and keep us together as a team. And the fact that we have the same goal of where we're trying to get to - it helps and makes it easier. But even when I feel like I'm ready, I don't think that they necessarily agree. So it's definitely going to take some more time and hopefully we can ease into that as the years go by.”
Comment: “We need to be able to listen to one another yet still have a degree of independence. My office is across the way and I try to be as far away as possible so we don't have so much entanglement with all the day to day operations. But it is important to find the middle ground between us as to what's the best step for the company and not just our personal views or opinions.”
One area that the next generation of leadership brings is a higher level of readiness to embrace digital technologies. And for one next gen, it is more diligent screening of prospective employees during the hiring process, and being more willing to promote internally.
Comment: “When I came back, I felt like I walked back in time to when I left. Everything was still on paper. We have
and programs, cloud-based backup and whatnot.”
Comment: “My parents were very much at the whim of some bad employees - ones that would sabotage machinery to protect job security. I'm like, ‘This is not
can do better and as much as we've hired family and friends, I also challenged them. Now we hire for culture, and we won’t if we feel they won’t fit.”////Comment: “One really positive change for the company has been getting my parents to trust people and promote from within for certain roles. We recently promoted a guy from pallet repair to customer service, and it is great because he can bring that knowledge to his new role.”////When is the right time to begin the next generation leadership journey?////In some cases, the answer is “never”. Business founders observe that unless the adult child is passionate about the business, then do not force them into it. In other cases, children who initially are not interested in the business, feel a call to return after working outside of the business. In other cases, children grow up in the business and have it as a life goal from an early age. Business owners must be mindful of the different mindsets of their children and plan accordingly. ////Comment: “Our son did work with us for a couple of years, and it just went completely against the grain of what he was. He had a particular career goal, and it pivoted to a different direction. I think it's super important to know it does not work if it's not their passion. You never should force something. It has to happen organically and in the right way in order for us to have true success.”
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