6 Steps To Engraining the Succession Planning Mindset Into Business Habits

As a Certified Succession Planner™, I have the great privilege of talking with business owners, family members, family member employees, and key managers in those businesses.  In one of my most recent sessions, one of the participants asked, "How do you form the habit of thinking about succession and taking action to make sure that it happens?" That really is a good question. We see later generation leaders vowing that what happened to them will not happen to their spouses, children, or key managers.   Even with the best of intentions, however, we still seem to set ourselves up to repeat history. Click here to read the end of this blog.

OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE

Take a close look at the run together letters above?  Now, without changing the sequence of the letters, break those twenty letters into a sentence. If you've had a particularly difficult day or few days, your sentence might read "Opportunity is nowhere."  That's most likely the case if you've gotten disappointing results after completing the "Where Are My People" (WAMP) analysis discussed in my previous blog post.  All of a sudden, you have no successor and things aren't looking real bright when it comes to the key managers and leaders within your organization either.  You might be thinking, "What have I done with that list of business brokers?  I know it's around here somewhere." Click here to read the end of this blog.

Did Your Successor Just Leave?

Sometimes a telephone ring sounds ominous.  When I answered a call from Cliff last Wednesday, that proved to be the case.  "You're not going to believe what just happened.  Jack came into my office and told me he is leaving in two weeks!  I can't believe it - he's the person I've been counting on to be my successor! Now what do I do?" "You start looking for another one," I replied.  "And this time, let us help you find someone who really wants to be number one of your organization and fits your culture.  Ambition may open the door.  It's commitment that keeps what's inside appealing." Click here to read the end of this article.

Manufacturers Are Coming Out of the Succession Ether - Part 1

The big boys are coming out of the succession ether. These "big boys" are the franchisers and manufacturers representing a wide range of industries that rely on entrepreneurs to sell their products and make their customers happy. Until recently, these big boys acted as though they didn’t respect the talents of their distributors nor acknowledge their vested interest in their ongoing success. The predominate opinion was: Click here to read the end of this blog.

4 Keys for Picking the Successor that is Best For Your Business

There is another Dan Schneider walking around somewhere is the U.S.A.  I don't know where he lives, but I know a little bit about what he does.  Apparently his skill sets include acting, television productions, and related work that particularly attract the attention of early teens. I know this because someone who publishes celebrity phone numbers on the web has posted my office and cell phone numbers on that site.  So, when I get calls now asking if I am the "famous Dan Schneider", I simply say "Yes, I am the famous succession planner; the other guy is the movie star/television producer." Click here to read the end of this blog.

How Financial Independence Can Impact Succession and Growth Goals

We live in the greatest country in the world! As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, I thought it would be an appropriate time to reflect upon how fortunate we are to be Americans. Each day when we wake up, we have the freedom to choose how we will invest our time, talents and treasure. Thanks to God and our fellow Americans who have gone before us and who have made the ultimate sacrifice to provide us this luxury, we have the ability to make choices each day.  Some of us choose to invest our time, talent and treasures pursuing the American Dream by working for others while some of us choose to build businesses to provide opportunities for others and in an effort to achieve financial freedom and independence. Achieving financial freedom and independence is a challenging endeavor that requires focus, commitment and discipline. Click here to read the end of this blog.