As you’re leading your company through the complexities and uncertainties of the business environment, it’s likely that at some point you and your team may face “elephants in the room.” These are the issues that everyone knows about but no one wants to talk about. While elephants can occur in public and private companies, the unique human dynamics of a family business can have especially profound impacts on both business growth and family relationships. In fact, our guest this week, René Sonneveld, says there could even be up to four elephants in the family board room at the same time.
René is a global Fortune 500 executive turned trusted coach to enterprise families, C-suite leaders, and elite athletes. He’s also author of the new book, “The Elephant in the Family Room: Managing the Complexities of Legacy Businesses.” We discuss why silences in family and business systems are more dangerous than disagreements, and how naming what goes unspoken can transform both relationships and business outcomes now and in the future.
Over the course of his international career, René has served as a CEO, managing director, and chairman for market-leading enterprises across Europe and Latin America. He’s also led global wealth strategies for ultra-high net worth clients at UBS, Deutsche Bank, and Citibank. He’s an ICF master certified coach, and he also teaches leadership coaching at major universities.
The real test of leadership in families and in companies isn’t running the numbers. It’s whether you can name what’s hidden and create space for others to do the same. — René Sonneveld
This week on Growth Igniters Radio:
* Four elephants that René often sees in family businesses of all sizes
* René’s real-world stories of family enterprises trapped in silence and how breakthroughs came when fears were named and roles reimagined
* Immediately useful ideas for bringing elephants in the board room into the open before they trample your business
Resources for This Episode:
* Connect with René Sonneveld on “
LinkedIn“
* Read about René’s book, “
The Elephant in the Family Room: Managing the Complexities of Legacy Businesses“
*
Find out more about Pam’s keynote “Break Orbit: Achieving Long-Term Growth in a Short-Term World”
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