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Casual Articles - Passing the Torch-Next Generation Leadership
The knee-jerk response to prioritizing requirements is to mark everything as a must-have . “I need everything before the product becomes generally available. I want it ALL!” Give me a break.Granted, if a requirement is written in the SRS, then it must be because you want it. But the reality is some features are more important than others and a good product manager can tell them apart.If everything is high priority, then there are no priorities. Let me repeat that statement once more. If everything is high priority, then there are no priorities.Unless this is your very first software project, you know that time is always a constraint. Combine an overly optimistic project schedule with a list of requirements that aren't prioritized, and what do you get? A team of developers that implement what they want, when they want.You have a choice. You can (a) leave it up to the development team to pick and choose their favorite features to implement, or (b) give them a clear sense of direction by prioritizing the requirements. Have them start with the must-haves, followed by the nice-to-haves. When the projec
Keeping the Torch Lit ---- A Succession Guide
The answer to passing the torch is not that complicated even though execution is often difficult. Consider the following guide in setting up your succession plan and you may avoid many of the pitfalls and hopefully your son or daughter won’t be thrown over the side of the boat.
• Business needs should come first
• Focus on the long term health of the business
• Get outside opinions on the leadership skills and the leadership development of your children. (You are too close to make unbiased judgments)
• Develop a family legacy statement, a family doctrine and even a family code of conduct
• Establish succession requirements and qualifications (education required, outside experience required, leadership and other skills training, in-house internship requirements)
• Establish specific job descriptions for family members
• Establish expectations up front
• Create advancement criteria up front
• Establish official family compensation programs paying family members based on the position
• Establish accountability and structure up front
• Establish a framework for dealing with family performance issues
• Create a Board of directors that is not family dominated
• Make no exceptions for family regarding performance
Remember, even if you do everything right, there may come a time that you
It happens all the time.Successful leaders- people with great business acumen, great teams and great vision- are moving along, growing their companies when, all of a sudden, they fall flat on their faces.Their businesses start hemorrhaging money. Their best people start jumping ship. Their families start falling apart.And they sit at their desks with their heads in their hands wondering, "How did this happen?"I'll tell you how it happened. They were blown up by a problem they never saw coming.I call these problems "leadership landmines" because unless you're consciously looking for them, they're nearly impossible to spot. They're buried in the grind of daily life, quietly waiting to injure and perhaps even destroy the next unsuspecting leader who steps on them.Before I go on, I need to tell you that what I'm writing is based on personal experience. At one time or another in my career, I've stepped on landmines like the ones I'm about to describe. In some cases, I even have the scars to prove it.If you're moving and active, you're bound to have a painful encounter with a landmine ever
We got to the lake and as he started uncovering the boat from the brush it was hidden under, I started getting a little nervous. Up to that point I had been so excited about going out on the lake with my dad that I had nearly wet my pants; the anxiety of the reality of the situation hadn’t set in yet. When I actually realized that I was going to be in this huge—deep lake, that’s when I started to worry a little. But, not too much, after all, I was with my Dad and he was going to teach me how to swim.
SOooo……. He rowed that old boat out to the middle of the lake, put down the oars, looked me right in the eye and said:
“Are you ready? ---- You can do this!”
I heard the “You can do this” as I was flying thru the air over the side of the boat. He must have thrown me fifteen feet away from the boat. It was sink or swim time. Obviously, since I am still here, I learned to swim. Not without swallowing several mouthfuls of water and seeing angels dancing in the clouds; but I finally figured it out.
You are probably wondering why I started this article with a story about how I learned to swim. Well, if you are an owner that has a son or daughter working in your business, ask yourself this question.
“What are you doing to teach your son or daughter how to run your business? Do you have an actual plan or are you just going to throw them over the side of the boat.” If that’s your plan, remember, the lake you are throwing them into is filled with alligators.
If your true desire is to keep the business in the family and pass it on to the next generation, you have an obligation to yourself, to the business, to your employees and yes to your son or daughter to make sure you are doing everything you can possibly do to help them prepare to take over the business. I can offer one simple piece of advice; when they are ready, back off and get out of the way. There are all kinds of published recommendations on this subject regarding family qualifications etc. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com and receive a free guide titled “Leadership & Succession in the Family Business.
Most kids that are heir apparent to the President or the CEO position in many cases, have been running the business for several years before they take total control simply because it is very hard for Dad to let go completely. Dads, or Mom, in some cases, try to evolve from being the boss, to coach and finally to colleague or board advisor, but this is a difficult transition. Of course, the transition is much easier if the child demonstrates exceptional competence, wisdom and vision.
If Dad is a typical old school autocratic type of leader who believes that sweating blood, an exceptional work ethic without concern for balance and shows no interest in discussing the emotional feeling side of succession, the kids will have difficulty maintaining a clear sense of expectations for themselves. They will not eagerly address interpersonal family problems and may even shut down. When that happens, the necessary skill development to take over the business becomes exceptionally difficult. Generally that results in just throwing them over the side of the boat and hoping they learn to swim.
1st & 2nd Generation Comments
I have discussed this situation with numerous 1st and 2nd generation owners and they all describe similar circumstances when describing how the torch was passed on. Many second and third generation leaders had to learn the hard way. It was sink or swim. Not all families work well together. Often time’s sibling rivalry impairs development. Jealousy, personal agendas and the weakness of Mom or Dad allows things to deteriorate in the family relationships as a result of the pending succession. Some families just become totally dysfunctional as a result of succession. That’s not to say that there aren’t any families that handle succession seamlessly and everything works out great. Many do, however, those that do have consciously planned well in advance for succession and have taken the proper steps years in advance.
What if Both the Son & Daughter want to Run the Business?
For those families that have both a son and a daughter working in the business a new wrinkle is thrown into the succession question. If both children want to take over the business a completely new set of challenges emerge. This decision should be based on the best interest of the business, individual qualifications and competency. In the old days, this was never an issue. It was just an accepted fact that the first son was the only consideration for taking over the helm. That is not the case today. The world has finally recognized the untapped skills and competencies that exist in the female population of the work force. Today, there are many female CEO’s running fortune 500 companies. Although female talent is getting much greater attention these days, generally the male sibling of that female CEO candidate couldn’t see his sister’s talent through a pair of binoculars. Even if he does see it, he often will not acknowledge it, especially if his sister has demonstrated a higher level of competency, desire and attitude about taking over the family business than he has.
First generation Fathers generally look forward to the day their son can take over the family business. However, they often fail to realize that true succession means they will no longer be at the helm. As mentioned earlier, this is not an easy transition.
Consider the Business Culture
Keep in mind that privately held family owned businesses often develop a culture that is just an extension of the family culture. Family roles are often emulated when multiple family members work in the business. This creates additional challenges. Every family has it own by-laws, sacred cows, cherished beliefs, myths, rules and roles. Sometimes there are so many sub culture family issues left unaddressed that a big blow up occurs that can affect the entire company. However, this underbrush of sub culture issues must be cleaned up for the company to continue to grow and prosper. This makes the blow up not only imminent but necessary.
Keeping the Torch Lit ---- A Succession Guide
The answer to passing the torch is not that complicated even though execution is often difficult. Consider the following guide in setting up your succession plan and you may avoid many of the pitfalls and hopefully your son or daughter won’t be thrown over the side of the boat.
• Business needs should come first
• Focus on the long term health of the business
• Get outside opinions on the leadership skills and the leadership development of your children. (You are too close to make unbiased judgments)
• Develop a family legacy statement, a family doctrine and even a family code of conduct
• Establish succession requirements and qualifications (education required, outside experience required, leadership and other skills training, in-house internship requirements)
• Establish specific job descriptions for family members
• Establish expectations up front
• Create advancement criteria up front
• Establish official family compensation programs paying family members based on the position
• Establish accountability and structure up front
• Establish a framework for dealing with family performance issues
• Create a Board of directors that is not family dominated
• Make no exceptions for family regarding performance
Remember, even if you do everything right, there may come a time that you r
This article will show you how to be confident at will using the Neuro-Linguistic-Programming Anchoring technique. We all perform better when meeting new people, complaining about poor service and in interview situations when we are well prepared and confident. This is an easy self-help exercise you can learn that will help you feel much more confident. I suggest you read it all before you try it out.a.. Pick any one time when you felt confident. It could be a time with friends, your partner, family, at school, at work, whenever. This does not have to be a perfect moment. It can just be one brief moment in time when you felt confident. Take your time, close your eyes, and remember it in detail.b.. Now choose any movement you can do when people are around you that won't embarrass you. For example, I touch my left thumb to my little finger.c.. Go back to the good memory again. Replay it and as you feel the confidence strongly do the movement.d.. Give yourself plenty of time and repeat this a few times.e.. To see if it is beginning to work try doing the movement and notice what happens. At this point
You are probably wondering why I started this article with a story about how I learned to swim. Well, if you are an owner that has a son or daughter working in your business, ask yourself this question.
“What are you doing to teach your son or daughter how to run your business? Do you have an actual plan or are you just going to throw them over the side of the boat.” If that’s your plan, remember, the lake you are throwing them into is filled with alligators.
If your true desire is to keep the business in the family and pass it on to the next generation, you have an obligation to yourself, to the business, to your employees and yes to your son or daughter to make sure you are doing everything you can possibly do to help them prepare to take over the business. I can offer one simple piece of advice; when they are ready, back off and get out of the way. There are all kinds of published recommendations on this subject regarding family qualifications etc. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com and receive a free guide titled “Leadership & Succession in the Family Business.
Most kids that are heir apparent to the President or the CEO position in many cases, have been running the business for several years before they take total control simply because it is very hard for Dad to let go completely. Dads, or Mom, in some cases, try to evolve from being the boss, to coach and finally to colleague or board advisor, but this is a difficult transition. Of course, the transition is much easier if the child demonstrates exceptional competence, wisdom and vision.
If Dad is a typical old school autocratic type of leader who believes that sweating blood, an exceptional work ethic without concern for balance and shows no interest in discussing the emotional feeling side of succession, the kids will have difficulty maintaining a clear sense of expectations for themselves. They will not eagerly address interpersonal family problems and may even shut down. When that happens, the necessary skill development to take over the business becomes exceptionally difficult. Generally that results in just throwing them over the side of the boat and hoping they learn to swim.
1st & 2nd Generation Comments
I have discussed this situation with numerous 1st and 2nd generation owners and they all describe similar circumstances when describing how the torch was passed on. Many second and third generation leaders had to learn the hard way. It was sink or swim. Not all families work well together. Often time’s sibling rivalry impairs development. Jealousy, personal agendas and the weakness of Mom or Dad allows things to deteriorate in the family relationships as a result of the pending succession. Some families just become totally dysfunctional as a result of succession. That’s not to say that there aren’t any families that handle succession seamlessly and everything works out great. Many do, however, those that do have consciously planned well in advance for succession and have taken the proper steps years in advance.
What if Both the Son & Daughter want to Run the Business?
For those families that have both a son and a daughter working in the business a new wrinkle is thrown into the succession question. If both children want to take over the business a completely new set of challenges emerge. This decision should be based on the best interest of the business, individual qualifications and competency. In the old days, this was never an issue. It was just an accepted fact that the first son was the only consideration for taking over the helm. That is not the case today. The world has finally recognized the untapped skills and competencies that exist in the female population of the work force. Today, there are many female CEO’s running fortune 500 companies. Although female talent is getting much greater attention these days, generally the male sibling of that female CEO candidate couldn’t see his sister’s talent through a pair of binoculars. Even if he does see it, he often will not acknowledge it, especially if his sister has demonstrated a higher level of competency, desire and attitude about taking over the family business than he has.
First generation Fathers generally look forward to the day their son can take over the family business. However, they often fail to realize that true succession means they will no longer be at the helm. As mentioned earlier, this is not an easy transition.
Consider the Business Culture
Keep in mind that privately held family owned businesses often develop a culture that is just an extension of the family culture. Family roles are often emulated when multiple family members work in the business. This creates additional challenges. Every family has it own by-laws, sacred cows, cherished beliefs, myths, rules and roles. Sometimes there are so many sub culture family issues left unaddressed that a big blow up occurs that can affect the entire company. However, this underbrush of sub culture issues must be cleaned up for the company to continue to grow and prosper. This makes the blow up not only imminent but necessary.
Keeping the Torch Lit ---- A Succession Guide
The answer to passing the torch is not that complicated even though execution is often difficult. Consider the following guide in setting up your succession plan and you may avoid many of the pitfalls and hopefully your son or daughter won’t be thrown over the side of the boat.
• Business needs should come first
• Focus on the long term health of the business
• Get outside opinions on the leadership skills and the leadership development of your children. (You are too close to make unbiased judgments)
• Develop a family legacy statement, a family doctrine and even a family code of conduct
• Establish succession requirements and qualifications (education required, outside experience required, leadership and other skills training, in-house internship requirements)
• Establish specific job descriptions for family members
• Establish expectations up front
• Create advancement criteria up front
• Establish official family compensation programs paying family members based on the position
• Establish accountability and structure up front
• Establish a framework for dealing with family performance issues
• Create a Board of directors that is not family dominated
• Make no exceptions for family regarding performance
Remember, even if you do everything right, there may come a time that you
It’s that time again…the monthly meeting. You break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. Whether you present to your managers or your employees you are saying to yourself:What if I mess up?What if I repeat myself?What if the audience doesn’t like what I say?What if I forget a part of my speech?What if I look nervous?It’s okay! You’re not the only one feeling this way. The Book of Lists states that the #1 fear is speaking in public. This fear is greater than the fear of death.Well, I have the answers to your fears and can help you become an outstanding presenter. These 10 tips will help you become more confident making presentations that achieve results.1. Start with an End in Mind Ask yourself, “Why am I speaking?” “What do I want the audience to do after listening to my speech?” This will help you focus on the message you want to share with your audience. It will help you focus on who is your audience, the key points, and what you want your audience to do after listening to you.2. Keep It Simple Keep your presentation simple by lea
If Dad is a typical old school autocratic type of leader who believes that sweating blood, an exceptional work ethic without concern for balance and shows no interest in discussing the emotional feeling side of succession, the kids will have difficulty maintaining a clear sense of expectations for themselves. They will not eagerly address interpersonal family problems and may even shut down. When that happens, the necessary skill development to take over the business becomes exceptionally difficult. Generally that results in just throwing them over the side of the boat and hoping they learn to swim.
1st & 2nd Generation Comments
I have discussed this situation with numerous 1st and 2nd generation owners and they all describe similar circumstances when describing how the torch was passed on. Many second and third generation leaders had to learn the hard way. It was sink or swim. Not all families work well together. Often time’s sibling rivalry impairs development. Jealousy, personal agendas and the weakness of Mom or Dad allows things to deteriorate in the family relationships as a result of the pending succession. Some families just become totally dysfunctional as a result of succession. That’s not to say that there aren’t any families that handle succession seamlessly and everything works out great. Many do, however, those that do have consciously planned well in advance for succession and have taken the proper steps years in advance.
What if Both the Son & Daughter want to Run the Business?
For those families that have both a son and a daughter working in the business a new wrinkle is thrown into the succession question. If both children want to take over the business a completely new set of challenges emerge. This decision should be based on the best interest of the business, individual qualifications and competency. In the old days, this was never an issue. It was just an accepted fact that the first son was the only consideration for taking over the helm. That is not the case today. The world has finally recognized the untapped skills and competencies that exist in the female population of the work force. Today, there are many female CEO’s running fortune 500 companies. Although female talent is getting much greater attention these days, generally the male sibling of that female CEO candidate couldn’t see his sister’s talent through a pair of binoculars. Even if he does see it, he often will not acknowledge it, especially if his sister has demonstrated a higher level of competency, desire and attitude about taking over the family business than he has.
First generation Fathers generally look forward to the day their son can take over the family business. However, they often fail to realize that true succession means they will no longer be at the helm. As mentioned earlier, this is not an easy transition.
Consider the Business Culture
Keep in mind that privately held family owned businesses often develop a culture that is just an extension of the family culture. Family roles are often emulated when multiple family members work in the business. This creates additional challenges. Every family has it own by-laws, sacred cows, cherished beliefs, myths, rules and roles. Sometimes there are so many sub culture family issues left unaddressed that a big blow up occurs that can affect the entire company. However, this underbrush of sub culture issues must be cleaned up for the company to continue to grow and prosper. This makes the blow up not only imminent but necessary.
Keeping the Torch Lit ---- A Succession Guide
The answer to passing the torch is not that complicated even though execution is often difficult. Consider the following guide in setting up your succession plan and you may avoid many of the pitfalls and hopefully your son or daughter won’t be thrown over the side of the boat.
• Business needs should come first
• Focus on the long term health of the business
• Get outside opinions on the leadership skills and the leadership development of your children. (You are too close to make unbiased judgments)
• Develop a family legacy statement, a family doctrine and even a family code of conduct
• Establish succession requirements and qualifications (education required, outside experience required, leadership and other skills training, in-house internship requirements)
• Establish specific job descriptions for family members
• Establish expectations up front
• Create advancement criteria up front
• Establish official family compensation programs paying family members based on the position
• Establish accountability and structure up front
• Establish a framework for dealing with family performance issues
• Create a Board of directors that is not family dominated
• Make no exceptions for family regarding performance
Remember, even if you do everything right, there may come a time that you
Many job finders tend to overlook job opportunities at job fairs. Most of the time, you will see job fairs to be crowded, confusing, and competitive events. However, these events offer you the opportunity to look for many potential and targeted employers all in one place and can eventually help you get your dream job.Here are some steps that you should remember to get the most out of these job opportunities such as job fairs.1. Always take time to do advance research. Your main goal is to target the most promising company at upcoming job openings. Get enough information on who are the employers that will participate in the job fair. Search the internet for added information about the employers. In this way, you can make a good and memorable impression if you know something about the company.2. You should be prepared in filling out the application forms. There are companies that do not entertain resumes instead they accept and provide you application forms. When attending job fairs, you should always bring your pen and a copy of information you may need in filling out the application form on the spot.3. Y
First generation Fathers generally look forward to the day their son can take over the family business. However, they often fail to realize that true succession means they will no longer be at the helm. As mentioned earlier, this is not an easy transition.
Consider the Business Culture
Keep in mind that privately held family owned businesses often develop a culture that is just an extension of the family culture. Family roles are often emulated when multiple family members work in the business. This creates additional challenges. Every family has it own by-laws, sacred cows, cherished beliefs, myths, rules and roles. Sometimes there are so many sub culture family issues left unaddressed that a big blow up occurs that can affect the entire company. However, this underbrush of sub culture issues must be cleaned up for the company to continue to grow and prosper. This makes the blow up not only imminent but necessary.
Keeping the Torch Lit ---- A Succession Guide
The answer to passing the torch is not that complicated even though execution is often difficult. Consider the following guide in setting up your succession plan and you may avoid many of the pitfalls and hopefully your son or daughter won’t be thrown over the side of the boat.
• Business needs should come first
• Focus on the long term health of the business
• Get outside opinions on the leadership skills and the leadership development of your children. (You are too close to make unbiased judgments)
• Develop a family legacy statement, a family doctrine and even a family code of conduct
• Establish succession requirements and qualifications (education required, outside experience required, leadership and other skills training, in-house internship requirements)
• Establish specific job descriptions for family members
• Establish expectations up front
• Create advancement criteria up front
• Establish official family compensation programs paying family members based on the position
• Establish accountability and structure up front
• Establish a framework for dealing with family performance issues
• Create a Board of directors that is not family dominated
• Make no exceptions for family regarding performance
Remember, even if you do everything right, there may come a time that you
There's a time and place to network with people in order to generate leads, build rapport and form meaningful relationships. The change room at your gym, spa or country club isn't one of them. It's a lousy place to do any networking. Things dangle, imperfections are visible and being naked means that you're vulnerable.If the person is a yapper, you're stuck listening to him since you won't be able to scurry away to your car in your birthday suit. If the person is a looker, you may feel embarrassed asking her to keep her eyes focused on your own.If you bump into someone you've been trying to get in touch with, and he's standing in front of you half-naked, here's some tips to remember to avoid embarrassment.Don't stare. At a networking event, it's perfectly fine to look at what someone's wearing and even comment on how they look. In the change room, this is a no-no. Whether the person has a mole on their butt or a rash on their thigh, resist the temptation of eyeing that spot. Also, never ask how they got it. Instead, glance at the spot quickly, then return your focus to the person's eyes.hat a big blow up occurs that can affect the entire company. However, this underbrush of sub culture issues must be cleaned up for the company to continue to grow and prosper. This makes the blow up not only imminent but necessary.
Keeping the Torch Lit ---- A Succession Guide
The answer to passing the torch is not that complicated even though execution is often difficult. Consider the following guide in setting up your succession plan and you may avoid many of the pitfalls and hopefully your son or daughter won’t be thrown over the side of the boat.
• Business needs should come first
• Focus on the long term health of the business
• Get outside opinions on the leadership skills and the leadership development of your children. (You are too close to make unbiased judgments)
• Develop a family legacy statement, a family doctrine and even a family code of conduct
• Establish succession requirements and qualifications (education required, outside experience required, leadership and other skills training, in-house internship requirements)
• Establish specific job descriptions for family members
• Establish expectations up front
• Create advancement criteria up front
• Establish official family compensation programs paying family members based on the position
• Establish accountability and structure up front
• Establish a framework for dealing with family performance issues
• Create a Board of directors that is not family dominated
• Make no exceptions for family regarding performance
Remember, even if you do everything right, there may come a time that you realize that your son or daughter just isn’t capable of accepting the torch. If that reality hits you between the eyes and you can validate it factually with trusted board members, other trusted executives or even outside consultants, it’s not the end of the world. Please, don’t ignore it and just throw the kid over the side of the boat. I guarantee you he will drown. There are other options. Those options range from bringing in a CEO from the outside to selling the business. Of course there are a myriad of circumstances that need to be discussed and analyzed before you make that final decision. Don’t sacrifice your relationship with your child but don’t be held hostage to DNA either. It just isn’t worth it.
E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for sample family legacy, family doctrine and Code of Conduct.
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