If you are a business owner, key manager or employee of a company going through an organizational transition, such as a merger or leadership change, it is likely you will experience performance disruption caused by confusing messages, speculation or lack of information. And you are not alone.
Often the planning for these important events happens behind closed doors with only the owners and advisers, leaving everyone else to speculate about the future.
Ricci M. Victorio, CSP, CPCC, managing partner for Mosaic Family Business Center, says business owners can avoid these challenges by being more transparent about upcoming changes and engaging everyone in the process.
“The key is communication, communication, communication. It’s important to identify what you can control and learn how to be flexible with all the rest. When you’re getting ready for a transition or succession, you might feel like you’re surfing a tidal wave. There’s an art to keeping your balance in an ever-changing world,” she says.
Smart Business spoke with Victorio about how to prepare yourself and your company for major business transitions.
What are the most common stumbling blocks that occur when a company is heading for change?
The most common stumbling blocks typically center on communication. Today’s older generation grew up learning to keep financial affairs close to the vest. So sometimes even a spouse doesn’t get involved in the planning until asked to sign papers.
Other times, people don’t feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns during shareholder meetings because they’re afraid of disrupting the artificial harmony that’s been established. They may have private conversations outside of the boardroom, but during meetings there’s often a fear of disrupting the delicate balance.
Further, business owners involved in a transition can be so overwhelmed by either the fear of confrontation or the lack of planning, the project begins to loom large and they’re stopped in their tracks. They feel as if there’s no way they can get through it; it becomes so daunting they often just hope it goes away.
How can these stumbling blocks be avoided?
Instead of keeping all conversations behind closed doors, when appropriate include key players such as family members, managers and those who will be most involved in the strategic design of the transition plan before you start actually planning. In these conversations, ask the group, ‘If we could do anything without worry of failure or confrontation, what would be best for our family and company?’ At this stage, there should be no pressure of commitment; it’s just brainstorming and idea building.
Engaging a succession coach can help facilitate dialogues that are creative, innovative and energizing, and potentially serve as the foundation of solutions to what might seem like an impossible endeavor.
Once you have a vision, you can develop an implementation plan. Break it down into a timetable and get key players involved to determine who spearheads specific initiatives and what the outcomes should be. Document the vision and itemize each step to be executed on a schedule for all involved.
Owners and other decision makers in a business likely won’t find it easy to facilitate these discussions, so consider using an experienced adviser to guide and focus the conversations and break the task into manageable segments. It can be difficult and even intimidating for groups to internally identify and discuss their own problems, but it’s helpful to have someone from the outside keep discussions open, comfortable and inclusive.
It’s also important to reach out to the overall organization, including employees, clients, customers, franchisers and vendors to communicate the vision of the plan — not the intricacies, but the expectation of the fulfillment of the plan and how it affects each party. This will help clarify what each can expect and what their roles will be.
What are the red flags that tell you a transition is going badly or not as planned?
Confusion or dysfunction within the management team is one of a few signs of difficulty that typically arise during a transition. Often it’s revealed that management is unsure where the company is going or what the plan is. Additionally, departments that are not cooperating well with each other — also called ‘silos’ — can typify dysfunction.
If management isn’t confident that the transition will include them, their productivity will slow and they’ll likely start looking around for something more stable and secure as a backup plan. A high level of turnover in management might prompt others to start abandoning ship.
When is a good time to seek outside counsel?
The best time is when you know or others are imploring you to consider that it’s time to begin succession planning. For any business owner between the ages of 45 and 75, if you have a business that is worth perpetuating, you need a long-term strategic succession plan and a short-term contingency plan to protect it. It’s worth bringing in an adviser who can help you with both kinds of plans. You’ve got to think beyond your own needs because your business has so many people tied to it who count on its success.
All of the planning responsibility doesn’t have to be on you. You can pull people into the transition process and get them enrolled so you’re no longer alone in the endeavor. If or when you do step aside, you can do so knowing you have people there to maintain and even grow the business. The hearts of those involved in the company might be broken when a founder passes or moves on, but that creation, built lovingly, does not have to crumble.
Ricci M. Victorio, CSP, CPCC, is managing partner for Mosaic Family Business Center. Reach her at (415) 788-1952 or [email protected].
Insights Wealth Management & Family Business Consulting is brought to you by Mosaic Financial Partners
