Being As Good As Dad is Not Good Enough

Being As Good As Dad is Not Good Enough

In a recent team teaching workshop for professional directors, we spent some of our time discussing the challenges that would-be successors in family businesses face today. We talked about how heirs to the leadership mantel in a family business often have a hard time...
Family Business is Good Business

Family Business is Good Business

As the new year approaches, I was asked to predict what I saw ahead for the year. I stated: “I predict this will be the year that Canadians begin to recognize that family business is the economic engine of our economy.” Allow me to explain why I believe this. Firstly,...
Succession Planning: Start in the Right Place

Succession Planning: Start in the Right Place

Arguably, when it comes to family business, no topic is more important than succession planning. It is vitally important for future of both the family and the business. Yet, quite frequently, the succession planning effort begins at the wrong place. Stephen Covey...
Ownership Options For Successors

Ownership Options For Successors

EQUAL TREATMENT: My dad wanted to treat all four or us kids equally. In fact, this desire, was so strong, that when he acquired 440 feet of island waterfront property, he wanted us to all have 110 foot lots side by side. (He probably would have dressed us in matching...
David Bentall: Leaving a Legacy in Family Business

David Bentall: Leaving a Legacy in Family Business

By Ed Hird Last week I wrote aboutLegatus and the several other ministries working with business people around Metro Vancouver. So it seemed very timely when I learned that Ed Hird had just written a column about David Bentall and his work with people who run family...
What is Governance for a Family Business?

What is Governance for a Family Business?

Ever since the Enron scandal, the word “governance” has been bandied about in business circles. The cry for good governance is heard everywhere. Shareholders, academics and politicians are all seeking the holy grail of good governance. Notably, there are very few...