the challenge

Time to let go

Many succession processes in family businesses fall apart because the leader cannot let go of the business. Knowing when to step down is the most difficult decision of all. And after years of dedication, your identity is so intertwined with the business and your loyalty so strong that it is hard to imagine a life without it. A leader who never truly steps aside usually acts as an obstacle to the business.

Together with you, I will explore which factors can help ensure a healthy succession. I will go through the key questions in a succession process with you and other stakeholders, focusing on the psychological aspects of succession: letting go – leaving something behind – embracing something new.

my approach

A path to clarity.

Succession planning can run into difficulties for all sorts of unconscious, hidden reasons. My job is to identify where the blind spots lie. Once these have been brought to light, putting a succession plan in place becomes a very practical matter (and other external advisers come into the picture). The hardest part is often having a genuine conversation about emotions. It is partly about mapping out processes, partly relationship therapy, and partly psychology.

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During this journey, we focus on:

The barriers and resistance to handing over
The suitability and needs of successors
What the business and the family need to thrive
Where the interests of the business and the family have become entangled and how we can untangle them

Through an initial round of discussions with you and individual stakeholders within the business (successor, external advisers, management), I will draw up an initial problem analysis. I will then translate this into a step-by-step plan, and we will hold group discussions to identify where the obstacles lie and how we can work through them.

My approach is down-to-earth and practical, based on the lived reality of family businesses. Following this process, you’ll have a clear picture of what the handover might look like and will start to look forward to your life after the handover.