Cambridge Institute for Family Enterprise Authors Archives

El valor del Family Office: Un Análisis Profundo de los Beneficios y Servicios que un Family Office puede brindar

Veronica Tapia | November 10, 2021

El valor del Family Office: Un Análisis Profundo de los Beneficios y Servicios que un Family Office puede brindar Las familias de grandes patrimonios tienen mucha complejidad que gestionar. Entre sus activos, actividades, relaciones y las demás dimensiones de su vida, existe una cantidad interminable de cosas que organizar, dirigir y planificar con anticipación. Esto es particularmente…

Cuatro Opciones para su Próximo CEO

Veronica Tapia | October 27, 2021

La elección de un nuevo CEO es más compleja para las empresas familiares. Considere estas cuatro opciones al elegir su próximo CEO. Pocas decisiones son tan importantes para el éxito a largo plazo de una empresa familiar y el bienestar financiero de los accionistas familiares como la elección de un nuevo CEO. La elección del […]

Nuevo Futuro: 6 Practicas para el Éxito de Las Familias Empresarias

Veronica Tapia | September 16, 2021

En el turbulento panorama de nuestro mundo, las family enterprise deben ser resilientes y ágiles, capaces de recuperarse de condiciones desafiantes y rápidas para pivotar y aprovechar nuevas oportunidades. Las seis prácticas a continuación ofrecen un plan para ayudar a su empresa y a su familia a estar preparadas para el futuro. Cada día, […]

Tipos de Liderazgo para Tiempos Turbulentos

Veronica Tapia | September 14, 2021

A medida que nuestro mundo se vuelve cada vez más interconectado, acelerado y volátil, los enfoques tradicionales de liderazgo de empresas familiares están siendo cuestionados. Un estilo de liderazgo transformador y la capacidad de navegar por problemas complejos están demostrando ser factores clave de éxito para dirigir la empresa familiar a través de tiempos turbulentos. […]

Leadership Styles for Turbulent Times

Dina Dvinov | August 27, 2021

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, fast paced and volatile, traditional family business leadership approaches are being called into question. A transformational leadership style and the ability to navigate complex problems are proving to be key success factors for steering the family business through turbulent times. Today’s turbulent times are raising the bar for […]

Has leadership succession in family businesses changed in today’s turbulent environment?

Dina Dvinov | August 20, 2021

Q&A SERIES: YOUR FAMILY ENTERPRISE QUESTIONS ANSWERED Our Q&A series is a way for our family enterprise community to connect directly with CFEG’s experts on the topics on your minds. We will publish your question and our answer regularly (you remain anonymous). Submit your question here Q: Has leadership succession in family businesses changed in today’s turbulent environment? What are the timeframe and steps for […]

Cómo administrar las diferencias de edad entre primos de diferentes generaciones en una empresa familiar

Veronica Tapia | August 18, 2021

Hay tres fases básicas en la evolución de una empresa familiar. Primero se pasa por la la etapa del Control Accionista o de la Propiedad. Luego, se pasa a la etapa de Sociedad entre Hermanos, y luego, finalmente, a la que llamamos de etapa del Consorcio entre Primos, que es cuando las responsabilidades y los problemas relacionados con […]

The Value of a Family Office:
A Deep-Dive into the Benefits and Services a Family Office Can Provide to a Family

Dina Dvinov | August 12, 2021

Wealthy families have a lot of complexity to manage. Across their assets, activities, relationships, and many dimensions of their lives, there is a seemingly endless amount to organize, direct, and plan ahead for. This is particularly true of families aiming to build a substantial and vibrant family enterprise1 that they wish to perpetuate for generations. […]

Decisiones Difíciles: Los Dividendos de Empresas Familiares en Tiempos Turbulentos

Veronica Tapia | August 11, 2021

¿Cómo pueden las empresas familiares tomar la difícil decisión de reducir o suspender los dividendos para sus accionistas familiares durante una crisis económica? “Esté preparado para ser flexible” esa es la respuesta. La COVID-19 ha sido el último ejemplo, ciertamente a una escala sin precedentes, de que cosas malas pueden suceder y de hecho algún […]

Empresa Familiar y Family Enterprise – Comprensión de los grupos familiares bajo el prisma de dos marcos fundamentales

Veronica Tapia | July 21, 2021

Cuando se busca comprender el funcionamiento interno de una organización de propiedad de capital familiar, ya sea una empresa familiar, una empresa familiar de inversiones, un family office o una fundación filantrópica, dos marcos clave son guías útiles: El modelo de los Tres Círculos del Sistema de la Empresa Familiar El concepto del Family Enterprise […]

La Liquidez Es la Reina, pero Generar Valor Tiene que Ser el Objetivo a Largo Plazo – Incluso Durante una Crisis

Veronica Tapia | July 15, 2021

El riesgo real en una recesión económica es que una familia pierda mucho de su valor por falta de liquidez para superar los tiempos difíciles. Solo aquellos empresarios e inversores que tengan la paciencia, los planes firmes y la liquidez adecuada (o acceso a la misma) tendrán ventaja para poder recuperarse y superar la crisis. […]

Origen del Conflicto Familiar Persistente

Veronica Tapia | June 23, 2021

Si se rastrea la mayoría de los conflictos familiares graves , las tensiones tienen su origen en una única fuente. El conflicto familiar persistente, que dura años o incluso generaciones, es muy difícil amenizar, y mucho menos deshacer. Puede ser casi imposible devolver una relación a su situación original, pacífica y constructiva (si es que […]

The New Future: 6 Practices for Enterprising Families to Succeed

Dina Dvinov | June 11, 2021

In the turbulent landscape of our world, enterprising families must be resilient and agile, able to recover from challenging conditions, and quick to pivot and seize new opportunities. The six practices below offer a blueprint for helping your business and your family to be future-ready. Each day, we are buffeted by news of technological […]

Comprensión del Conflicto en la Empresa Familiar

Veronica Tapia | June 8, 2021

Quizás en algún momento, caminando en un jardín o arboreto, te hayas cruzado con un árbol entrelazado. El proceso de entrelazar árboles se logra plantando dos o más árboles jóvenes y flexibles, uno cerca del otro, y entrelazando sus troncos a medida que crecen. El proceso requiere tiempo y atención para guiar los troncos y […]

Tough Decisions: Family Business Dividends in Turbulent Times

Dina Dvinov | June 8, 2021

How can family businesses make the tough decision of whether to reduce or suspend dividends to their family owners during an economic crisis? “Be prepared to be flexible” is the answer. COVID-19 is our latest example, admittedly on an unprecedented scale, of the harsh reality that bad things can and will happen. Economic recessions occur […]

Dealing with Generational Age Differences Among Cousins in a Family Business

Dina Dvinov | June 4, 2021

There are three basic phases in the evolution of family business ownership. First is the controlling owner stage. This transitions to sibling partnerships, and then, finally, to the cousin consortium stage, when the responsibilities and issues related to ownership become most complex. Common challenges in this last stage include accepting branch differences, managing increased geographic […]

The Origin of Persistent Family Conflict

Dina Dvinov | June 4, 2021

The simple fact is that if you trace most serious family conflicts back to their origins, the tensions are rooted in a single triggering source. _____________ Family conflict that is persistent—lasting years or even generations—is very difficult to deescalate, let alone unwind. It can be nearly impossible to return these relationships to peaceful, constructive […]

Cómo Construir el Equipo de Accionistas Familiares: Parte II – Sobre Acciones en Empresas Familiares

Veronica Tapia | May 25, 2021

Como resultado del fuerte deseo de una familia de transferir las acciones a todos los miembros de la familia, independientemente de sus intereses o capacidades, la mayoría de los grupos de propietarios familiares están compuestos por una minoría de miembros de la familia que saben mucho sobre la empresa y le son leales, miembros de […]

No Descuide la Sucesión de su Empresa Familiar

Veronica Tapia | April 22, 2021

Ante la encrucijada de una sucesión dentro de la empresa familiar, la pregunta clave es: “¿Están los miembros de la familia preparados para ser accionistas de su empresa?” Ante la encrucijada de una sucesión, es común escuchar cosas como: “¿Quién será el próximo líder de la empresa?” Es común que la gente se pregunte quién […]

El espíritu emprendedor es el futuro

Dina Dvinov | April 6, 2021

En el mundo de las empresas familiares, los emprendedores que celebramos suelen ser sus fundadores. Se trata de personas particularmente inteligentes y muy centradas en el trabajo que identificaron una buena oportunidad de negocio, juntaron algo de dinero, buscaron a algunos empleados leales para que los apoyaran y crearon una empresa exitosa. Se supone que […]

Families Today Must Think Like Owners

Dina Dvinov | November 2, 2020

Having an owner’s mindset in today’s disruptive environment means excelling at making five types of owner-level decisions. All five are central to the long-term success of the family and its enterprise. To remain competitive in today’s environment—one defined by disruption, borderless competition, rapid economic transitions, and constant technological transformation—families need to reconsider the way they […]

Las familias hoy en día deben pensar como Accionistas

Mark Abair | April 1, 2024

Tener una mentalidad de accionista en el entorno disruptivo de hoy significa destacarse en la toma de cuatro tipos de decisiones a nivel de accionista. Los cuatro tipos son fundamentales para el éxito a largo plazo de la familia y su empresa. Para seguir siendo competitivas en el entorno actual – definido por la disrupción, […]

Where to Invest Next as a Business Family

Dina Dvinov | November 2, 2020

Thinking systematically about how to diversify and redirect investment capital is essential to sustaining multigenerational wealth. Below is a three-step process to guide your family in making new business investments. In 2014, Uber’s co-founder and controversial CEO, Travis Kalanick, said the company would need to invest in new technologies, like driverless cars and air transport, […]

The Role of the Family Council During a Crisis

Dina Dvinov | September 1, 2020

In good times and bad, the relationship between an owning family and its enterprise should be clear and mutually supportive. During a crisis, the family enterprise and family each have distinct needs to get them through the difficult time. When the survival of a business or portfolio is at stake, it is common to see […]

The Missing Link in Many Family Offices is the Family

Dina Dvinov | May 21, 2020

Family Offices are well positioned to break out of their traditional financial management role to centrally manage strategic activities for a family. But few Family Offices make this shift to more fully serve the family. Why do Family Offices remain confined in their scope, and what would persuade them to serve a larger function in […]

Family Resilience in the Time of Corona

Dina Dvinov | April 8, 2020

The Covid-19 crisis is a time when you should gauge your family’s resilience—and build more of it. An enterprising family’s goal is to not just cope with adversity, but grow stronger as a result of it. Here are ways to achieve that. The Covid-19 pandemic is a huge, disruptive event that is severely challenging every […]

Resiliência familiar nos tempos de corona

Dina Dvinov | April 12, 2020

A crise da Covid-19 é um momento em que você deve avaliar a resiliência de sua família – e aumentá-la. O objetivo de uma empresa familiar é não apenas lidar com a adversidade, mas também se fortalecer como resultado dela. Aqui estão algumas maneiras de consegui-lo. A pandemia da Covid-19 é um evento enorme […]

Four Options for Your Next CEO

Dina Dvinov | February 28, 2020

CEO selection is more complex for family companies. Consider these four options when choosing your next CEO. Few decisions are as significant to the long-term success of a family-owned business, and the financial wellbeing of the family owners, as the selection of the right CEO. CEO selection is more complex for family companies than for […]

Principles of Founder Succession

Dina Dvinov | February 21, 2020

The irony for a Founder is that what made the Founder successful will likely not make the enterprise successful in the second generation. The model must change for success to be perpetuated. Here are some principles for how to do this well. Replacing a Founder-CEO is one of the most challenging tasks for a family […]

Don’t Overlook Ownership Succession

Dina Dvinov | February 21, 2020

At a succession crossroads, the key question to ask is: “Are family members prepared to be owners of the family enterprise?” At a succession crossroads, it is common to hear bystanders ask: “Who will be the next business leader?” They ask who will lead the family’s philanthropic giving, financial investments, and even who will lead […]

The Five Derailers of Effective Succession

Lisa O'Brien | September 26, 2018

Succession problems rank highly among the common causes of family business mortality. The chief causes of family business deaths range from factors the family has little or no control over (industry and other disruptions, accidents and illnesses that affect family leadership of the business) to things the family can largely control (mismanagement of the business, […]

The Five Habits of Highly Successful Business Families

Lisa O'Brien | September 26, 2018

Successful families tend to decline—along with their businesses—within three generations. This axiom is enshrined in the so-called Three-Generation Rule: “From shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” and it’s supported by my research. The decline of family companies is due to tendencies that I call natural laws because they are so common and difficult to avoid. […]

Founder Ralph Lauren’s Second Attempt at CEO Succession: What We Can Learn

Lisa O'Brien | September 26, 2018

CFEG COMMENTARY Over the past year and a half, Ralph Lauren Corporation and its namesake Founder have brought on two successive CEOs to replace Mr. Lauren. Replacing a Founder-CEO is one of the most challenging quests for a first-generation family business, and for good reason. A Founder has enormous influence, is central to decisions, and […]

Growing Family Wealth from Generation to Generation

Lisa O'Brien | September 26, 2018

Every first generation entrepreneur succeeds by taking huge risks and pursuing opportunities regardless of the available resources under his control. The one common trait is passion— passion about the business and the belief that their judgment about the market is right even in the face of naysayers who discourage them. Because of this passion, entrepreneurs tend to be very […]

Here’s to Family Spirit

Lisa O'Brien | September 27, 2018

I recently spoke at an event to honor exceptional family companies. It was a celebration hosted by the fifth generation family owners of the Scottish distiller William Grant & Sons, maker of Glenfiddich and other famous whiskeys. The Grant/Gordon family, led by Chairman Peter Gordon, invited 11 other families that control and lead excellent private […]

Integrated Strategic Planning for the Family Business System

Lisa O'Brien | September 27, 2018

Planning for growth, unity, and continuity The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland teases and provokes Alice, telling her that “if you don’t know where you are going, it doesn’t matter which road you take.” The Cat makes an important point for us, although I would say it positively—it helps immensely to know where you […]

Key Diagnostic Parameters of Family Enterprise Functionality

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

A family enterprise is any endeavor that is owned, controlled or shared in some way by a number of family members. These endeavors might include an operating company, a family foundation, a family office, or a less structured collection of assets and activities. A family enterprise will include all of the governance structures that play […]

Principais parâmetros de diagnóstico sobre a capacidade operacional da empresa familiar

Lisa O'Brien | March 24, 2020

Empresa familiar é qualquer empreendimento que pertença, seja controlado ou seja compartilhado, de alguma forma, por alguns membros da família. Tais empreendimentos podem incluir uma empresa operacional, uma fundação familiar, um family office ou um conjunto menos estruturado de ativos e atividades. Uma empresa familiar inclui todas as estruturas de governança que desempenham um papel […]

Keeping Pace with Creative Destruction

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

If Thomas Hobbes found himself walking down City streets today, he wouldn’t blink an eye. Business life seems to be getting increasingly short and rather nasty. Due to the accelerating rate of technological change, some economists believe we are embarking toward a “winner take all” era of unprecedented competition, enabled by an enormous number of […]

Leading the Family as Well as the Business: What Great Leadership Looks Like in the Next Generation

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

Good family enterprise leaders are committed to the success and sustainability of the family enterprise and of the family. They feel responsible to deliver these results. Great family enterprise leaders shepherd their enterprises and families through great adversity or to notable achievement. They do so by: Setting direction Aligning people Motivating and inspiring action (often, […]

Leading the Family Business System: It Takes a Village (Part 1 of 4)

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

A consistent finding about family business systems—the business, its owners, and the family in control—is that strong, long-term business performance also requires strong performance by the family and by the ownership group. You can’t keep a family business performing well over many years just focusing on the business. Family unity, united ownership and ownership support […]

Leading the Family Business System: It Takes a Village (Part 2 of 4)

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

My last article outlined what we know about leadership in family business systems worldwide, including how leadership affects performance. As an example of very capable leadership of a high performing family enterprise, I introduced Nelson Sirotsky, Chairman of RBS, who just passed the baton after leading his family’s media business as CEO for decades. Whether […]

Leading the Family Business System: It Takes a Village (Part 3 of 4)

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

In the first two parts of this article, I established a couple important arguments. First, capable leadership of the entire family business system—the business, family, and ownership group—is key to your long-term advantage as a family business. Long-term, you can’t afford to ignore any of these parts to your family business system. And to get […]

Leading the Family Business System: It Takes a Village (Part 4 of 4)

Lisa O'Brien | October 3, 2018

In this series, we’ve been taking a survey tour around a huge building site called “leading the family business system.” When we stopped to examine capable leadership in detail, we saw that the first thing capable leaders do is forge a leadership team that helps meet the basic needs of the system. Then capable leaders […]

Letting Go and Holding On: Managing Change in Family Companies

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

Have you ever noticed that senior and junior-generation members want to talk about a generational transition using two, quite different words? The senior generation likes to use the word continuity (as in continuity planning) while the junior generation talks about succession (as in managing succession). Focusing on different aspects of a generational transition are perfectly […]

Manter e abrir mão: Gerindo mudanças nas empresas familiares

Lisa O'Brien | March 20, 2020

Você já notou que os membros das gerações sênior e júnior gostam de falar sobre transição geracional usando dois termos bem diferentes? A geração na liderança gosta de usar o termo continuidade (como em planejamento de continuidade), enquanto a geração nova fala sobre sucessão (como em gestão de sucessão). Concentrar-se em diferentes aspectos de uma […]

Optimists and Pessimists

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

This year there were general elections in two BRIC countries. A wave of optimism has swept India since May when Narendra Modi was elected prime minister. The stock markets rallied on the “Modi effect.” Business leaders expect a surge of badly needed foreign investment, a reduction in suffocating regulations, and a boom of much needed […]

Preparing for Selling your Legacy Business — and the Role of Wealth Management

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

On important occasions, we gather for family portraits. If you were to take a picture of your family business today, what would it show? Family businesses represent the aspirations, achievements, and struggles of one or more generations of a family. We would see all of those things in the portrait of the family business. The […]

Professionalizing the Family Business: It’s Not What You Think It Is

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

At some point in the life of a family business, the family owners or business leaders might decide that they should professionalize their firm. The term “professionalization” is most often thought to mean “changing from family management of a business to non-family (read professional) management.” Sometimes professionalization does occur when a non-family manager has been […]

Profissionalizando a Empresa Familiar: Não é o que se pensa

Lisa O'Brien | March 24, 2020

Em algum momento da vida de uma empresa familiar, os proprietários da família ou os líderes da empresa podem chegar à decisão de que devem profissionalizar sua empresa. O termo “profissionalização” costuma ser encarado como “mudança da administração familiar de uma empresa para uma administração externa (leia-se profissional)”. Certas vezes, a profissionalização ocorre efetivamente ao […]

Southeast Asian Business Family Readiness is an Afterthought

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

Family businesses dominate Southeast Asia and form a critical part of its economy. More than half of the region’s largest companies, and nearly all of its conglomerates—both private and listed—are family-controlled. These include household names such as SM Group (Philippines), Charoen Pokphand Group (Thailand), and the Sinar Mas Group (Indonesia). These businesses account for a […]

Strategies for Growing Multigenerational Family Wealth

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

There is a saying in Chinese 富不过三代 (wealth does not exceed three generations). This is a global phenomenon. Many countries have different versions of the same saying. Passing significant wealth to grandchildren without significant loss of the wealth due to irresponsible over-consumption or bad business judgment is so difficult that it poses a universal problem for wealth holders who are unprepared. […]

Survival’s Secret Sauce

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

The secret sauce of long-term business success can’t be captured in numbers. As the operations manager of a leading and fast-growing Brazilian business recently explained to a reporter, “There’s a secret sauce in this business [but] it’s almost impossible for a financial analyst to model.” Agreed. But long-term success—even for a family company—can be explained in a rather simple, straightforward way. […]

The Job of Ownership in a Family Business: Part I on Family Ownership

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

Supportive owners are the unsung heroes of high performing family companies. When the owners believe in the mission of a company, support long-term investments and performance-oriented management, and are satisfied with sustainable dividends, companies can build strong performance cultures and achieve impressive long-term results. When owners are not united around a mission and/or demand excessive […]

Understanding Conflict in the Family Business

Lisa O'Brien | October 4, 2018

Perhaps some time, walking in a garden or arboretum, you’ve happened across a pleached tree. Pleaching is the process of planting two or more young, flexible trees close to one another and weaving their trunks together as they grow. The process requires time and attention to guide the trunks and help them intertwine, but pleaching […]

Entendendo os Conflitos na Empresa Familiar

Lisa O'Brien | April 15, 2020

É possível que em alguma ocasião, passeando por um parque ou jardim botânico, você tenha passado por árvores crescendo entrelaçadas. Conhecido como ‘pleaching‘ em inglês, é o processo de plantar duas ou mais árvores jovens e flexíveis próximas entre si e entrelaçar seus troncos à medida que crescem. Isto requer tempo e atenção, para orientar […]

3 Things Family Enterprises Should Do to Prepare for the Next Recession

Lisa O'Brien | November 30, 2018

Economists and experts of different institutions and regions around the world anticipate a global recession toward 2019 or 2020 – most possibly a gradual slowdown toward the end of 2019 and a recession in 2020. In the case of a recession, how can family enterprises prepare – and even more so, turn it to their […]

Top Leadership: Who is Architecting Your Family Enterprise?

Lisa O'Brien | December 5, 2018

How do high-performing and enduring family enterprises, with a broad portfolio of activities, achieve sustained success? Have we understood all of the roles and activities that truly make a difference? Lasting performance of large family enterprise systems over generations is sculpted thoughtfully and stewarded over long periods of time. An essential ingredient to success is having an […]

Lições da derrocada do Grupo Abril para empresas familiares

Dina Dvinov | January 10, 2019

Por João Bosco Silva Neste final de ano fomos surpreendidos com a compra do Grupo Abril, que estava em processo de recuperação judicial desde agosto, pelo investidor Fabio Carvalho. O valor da aquisição foi simbólico, R$ 100 mil, mas o investidor assumiu a dívida de R$ 1,6 bilhão que a companhia possuía. Carvalho é especializado […]

The Case for Buy-Sell Agreements Between Family Owners

Dina Dvinov | March 8, 2019

Of all of the potential threats to the success of a family-owned business, one of the most destabilizing can come from inside the family—when an individual owner or a faction of owners attempts to sell their ownership stake to an outside party. While this is a rare occurrence, when it happens, it can bring distress […]

A empresa que auxilia às famílias empresárias perdurar por gerações celebra seu marco de 30 anos

Dina Dvinov | March 28, 2019

2 DE JANEIRO DE 2019 O Cambridge Family Enterprise Group – conhecido pelo seu trabalho significativo de apoio a famílias multigeracionais em todo o mundo, para que sejam sempre bem-sucedidas – está celebrando 30 anos de atividades. A empresa global, com sede em Cambridge, Massachusetts, nasceu em 1989 a partir de uma profunda […]

A necessidade de acordos de compra e venda entre acionistas familiares

Veronica Tapia | March 28, 2019

Dan Frosh: Cambridge Advisors to Family Enterprise Courtney Collette: Cambridge Family Enterprise Group Entre todas as ameaças potenciais ao sucesso de uma empresa familiar, uma das mais desestabilizadoras pode vir de dentro da própria família – quando um acionista individual ou um grupo de acionistas tenta vender sua participação acionária a uma parte externa. Embora […]

Como demitir um acionista

Veronica Tapia | March 28, 2019

John A. Davis e Andrew Hier Gostaríamos de lembrar às famílias que a posse de uma empresa familiar não deve ser considerada um direito de nascença, mesmo nos países – como o Brasil – em que as leis de herança permitem que crianças e o cônjuge sobrevivente recebam alguma participação na empresa que era anteriormente de […]

La sucesión del CEO en el negocio familiar

wp_admin | May 13, 2019

What is a Portfolio Board?

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

A portfolio board is increasingly being utilized by family business owners when a family owns multiple companies together. It is sometimes referred to as a holding board, a top board, a portfolio strategy board, or a portfolio management board. When the owners need a high-level, macro view of their full portfolio of companies–and typically have […]

What’s Missing in Trump’s View of Nepotism

Lisa O'Brien | July 25, 2017

John A. Davis Originally published in: Huffington Post (July 25, 2017) The pictures of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump participating in executive and ceremonial meetings with foreign leaders draw the ire of many. These images raise central questions about the legitimacy and utility of nepotism in the White House. Most commentators regard the governmental presence of Kushner-Trump […]

When a Family’s Ownership Control is Threatened: Lessons from the Redstone Family’s CBS/Viacom Battle

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

CFEG COMMENTARY ON RECENT NEWS Shari Redstone, the third-generation president of her family’s U.S. media empire, National Amusements, Inc. (NAI), entered a courtroom in May 2018 to fight to maintain her family’s ownership control of one of their businesses. Her father, Sumner Redstone, spent decades growing his father’s drive-in theatre chain into a $40 billion […]

When to Fire Your CEO

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

No one needs convincing that the right CEO matters, and that sometimes CEOs need to be changed. Even the stock market moves with changes in the leadership of a company. When the Japanese camera maker Olympus recently fired its CEO, its stock fell; when Air France-KLM indicated it would let its CEO go, its stock rose. But firing the […]

How to Fire a Shareholder

Lisa O'Brien | February 26, 2019

We like to remind families that the ownership of a family business shouldn’t be regarded as a birthright, even in those countries, like Brazil, where inheritance laws make it likely that children and a surviving spouse will receive some stake in the business previously held by a parent. In fact ownership of a family company […]

Hold Them or Fold Them? When to Sell Your Family Business and When to Keep It

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

From time to time, we read in the press about a family selling its business. The Bancroft family’s sale of The Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch and his family created quite a stir, as battles between titans often do. Other stories raise eyebrows and create chatter about the wisdom in the family’s decision to sell. This happened in […]

Financial Policy from the Shareholder Perspective

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

In a family business system, family members can have very diverse views and level of understanding about the financial strategy of the business. This paper provides a framework to help family shareholders understand the key components of financial policy from the owners or shareholders´ perspective. The main goal of most shareholders is to increase the value of their shares over time. […]

Entrepreneurship is Your Future

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

In the world of family business, the entrepreneurs we celebrate are usually founders of companies. These clever, hardworking individuals identify a good business opportunity, scrape together some money and some loyal employees, and start a company that takes off. The heirs of the founder and later generations of the family are supposed to take care of […]

Developing Your Next CEO

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

A good book on CEO succession is The CEO Within by my Harvard Business School colleague Joe Bower. Bower studied how companies perform after hiring a new CEO, noting whether the successor had been recruited from inside or outside the company. Bower makes a strong case for making “Insider Outsiders” your next CEO. These […]

Build Your Trust Advantage: For Brazilian Family Businesses

Lisa O'Brien | September 25, 2018

First the good news. A new survey of 12,375 people from around the world shows that family business has a clear trust advantage. According to the forthcoming Edelman Trust Barometer, this built-in advantage is even stronger in emerging markets like Latin America. Brazilians report high levels of trust in big, non-family, publicly traded companies and […]

CEO Succession in the Family Business: A Better Plan for Success

wp_admin | February 15, 2018

Selecting a company’s next CEO is one of the most significant decisions in an organization’s life. In every company, it is critical to find the right fit; in a family-owned business, the fit factor is even more consequential. The success and sustainability of the family’s main asset and source of income, and a significant piece […]

Sucessão do CEO em empresas familiares

wp_admin | May 12, 2020

Escolher o próximo CEO de uma empresa (ou grupo) é uma das decisões mais importantes na vida de uma organização. Em uma empresa familiar, esse processo de escolha é ainda mais importante. O sucesso e a sustentabilidade do principal ativo e fonte de renda da família, estão em grande parte nas mãos do indivíduo selecionado […]

Boomers and Millennials: Adapting to Generational Change

wp_admin | September 22, 2018

Every generation has its own approach to life and work. At the risk of stating the obvious, the interactions between generations have profound effects on families and their businesses. Reflecting on John’s decades of researching and advising family companies, we are impressed with how attitudes about work, careers, family life, and family business have changed […]

Boomers e Millennials: Adaptando-se à Mudança Geracional

wp_admin | March 24, 2020

Toda geração tem uma abordagem própria sobre a vida e o trabalho. Correndo o risco de afirmar o óbvio, as interações entre gerações têm profundos efeitos sobre as famílias e suas empresas. Ao refletir sobre as décadas em que John esteve pesquisando e assessorando empresas familiares, ficamos impressionados como as atitudes sobre trabalho, carreira, vida […]

How Three Circles Changed the Way We Understand Family Business

wp_admin | September 22, 2018

Three-Circle Model Celebrates 40 Years A family business advisor sits with a founder and his two daughters in a conference room in Chicago, helping the family with an intense discussion they are having about the future of their family-owned brewery. The elder daughter works in the business. Neither daughter has shares in the family company. […]

Building the Family Ownership Team: Part II on Family Ownership

wp_admin | September 17, 2018

As a result of a family’s strong desire to pass ownership to all family members regardless of their interests or capabilities, most family ownership groups include a minority of family members who know a lot about the company and are loyal to it, family members who want to be good owners but don’t know how, […]

A New Source of Leadership Inspiration: Next Generation Family Enterprise Leaders

wp_admin | September 16, 2018

Lessons in social responsibility from the C-suites of family-owned enterprises Episodes of bad behavior and suspicions around nepotism seem to dominate media coverage and perceptions of next generation members of family enterprises – making it easy to assume that many of these rising members are undeserving of their positions of influence and unfairly use their […]

The Owners’ Mindset in the Age of Disruption

wp_admin | October 29, 2018

A major focus of the Cambridge Institute for Family Enterprise, and my faculty position at MIT, is to track how turbulence and certain disruptions are shaping the future of family enterprises. Technological change, globalization, social and demographic changes, degradation of our planet, and the breakdown of government and political discourse–to name a few—are changing family enterprises […]

Atitude de acionista em uma era de disrupções

wp_admin | April 15, 2020

ACIONISTAS PRECISAM AGIR MAIS COMO ACIONISTAS Um dos principais focos do Cambridge Institute for Family Enterprise – e em minha nova função de professor no MIT – é acompanhar o modo como certas disrupções estão moldando o futuro das empresas familiares. Mudanças tecnológicas, globalização, mudanças sociais e demográficas, degradação ambiental e o colapso do discurso […]

17 Next Generation Family Enterprise Leaders to Watch in 2017

wp_admin | September 10, 2018