Family businesses are the heartbeat of entrepreneurship — built on trust, shared purpose, and legacy. But behind every success story lies a unique set of challenges: navigating family roles, balancing emotion with logic, and managing the transition from one generation to the next.
In this video, Dr. Claude B. Kershner IV unpacks the real dynamics of working in, managing, and growing a family business — from the inside out. Drawing on years of firsthand experience across multiple generations of entrepreneurs, he explores what makes family enterprises both powerful and complex.
🧠 You’ll Learn:
-What defines a family business and why they matter more than ever
-The roles of founders, spouses, siblings, and in-laws — and how each shapes the business culture
-How to balance family loyalty with professional management
-The positives: trust, legacy, shared mission, and long-term perspective
-The pitfalls: nepotism, role confusion, and emotional decision-making
-How non-family employees can thrive within a family-run company
-The art of succession, buyouts, and leadership transition
-Opportunities for innovation and growth that are unique to family-based enterprises
👨👩👦 Personal Insights
Dr. Kershner shares reflections from a lifetime in family business — from his grandfather’s original enterprise, to his father’s leadership and expansion, to his own journey building and scaling a consulting company. Each story reveals how legacy, values, and adaptability intersect in the real world of entrepreneurship.
🚀 Why Watch
Whether you’re part of a family business, planning to join one, or simply curious about the lessons that shape generational leadership, this video will help you see how purpose, people, and performance come together to create lasting impact.
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
#FamilyBusiness #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Legacy #SuccessionPlanning #SmallBusiness #BusinessLeadership
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Family businesses are the heartbeat of entrepreneurship — built on trust, shared purpose, and legacy. But behind every success story lies a unique set of challenges: navigating family roles, balancing emotion with logic, and managing the transition from one generation to the next.
In this video, Dr. Claude B. Kershner IV unpacks the real dynamics of working in, managing, and growing a family business — from the inside out. Drawing on years of firsthand experience across multiple generations of entrepreneurs, he explores what makes family enterprises both powerful and complex.
🧠 You’ll Learn:
-What defines a family business and why they matter more than ever
-The roles of founders, spouses, siblings, and in-laws — and how each shapes the business culture
-How to balance family loyalty with professional management
-The positives: trust, legacy, shared mission, and long-term perspective
-The pitfalls: nepotism, role confusion, and emotional decision-making
-How non-family employees can thrive within a family-run company
-The art of succession, buyouts, and leadership transition
-Opportunities for innovation and growth that are unique to family-based enterprises
👨👩👦 Personal Insights
Dr. Kershner shares reflections from a lifetime in family business — from his grandfather’s original enterprise, to his father’s leadership and expansion, to his own journey building and scaling a consulting company. Each story reveals how legacy, values, and adaptability intersect in the real world of entrepreneurship.
🚀 Why Watch
Whether you’re part of a family business, planning to join one, or simply curious about the lessons that shape generational leadership, this video will help you see how purpose, people, and performance come together to create lasting impact.
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
#FamilyBusiness #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Legacy #SuccessionPlanning #SmallBusiness #BusinessLeadership
How to Think Like a Strategist: Fundamentals for Leaders
The Dr. Claude Kershner Show
1 hour 5 seconds
4 months ago
How to Think Like a Strategist: Fundamentals for Leaders
What is strategy—really?
This episode is a deep dive into the fundamentals of strategic thinking—not just what the textbooks say, but how strategy plays out in fast-moving, high-stakes environments. We go beyond surface-level definitions and explore how companies analyze, adapt, and compete with clarity and purpose.
🔍 Topics we cover include:
-Why “What should we be doing—and why?” is the most strategic question
-How to analyze your environment: industry, macro, and national contexts
-The difference between internal capabilities and external opportunity
-What a good SWOT analysis actually tells you
-How companies identify, choose, and align strategies
-The myth of perfect planning—and the role of emergence, serendipity, and intuition
-Henry Mintzberg’s model of intended vs. emergent strategy
-Common cognitive traps in decision-making (confirmation bias, escalation, illusion of control)
-Techniques like devil’s advocacy, dialectic inquiry, and scenario planning that sharpen judgment
We also kick things off with a quick discussion of the Google case—a perfect lens to examine real competitive advantage and the structure of dynamic industries.
Whether you're leading a business, advising clients, or studying strategy at any level, this talk offers a clear, actionable understanding of how strategy really works.
The Dr. Claude Kershner Show
Family businesses are the heartbeat of entrepreneurship — built on trust, shared purpose, and legacy. But behind every success story lies a unique set of challenges: navigating family roles, balancing emotion with logic, and managing the transition from one generation to the next.
In this video, Dr. Claude B. Kershner IV unpacks the real dynamics of working in, managing, and growing a family business — from the inside out. Drawing on years of firsthand experience across multiple generations of entrepreneurs, he explores what makes family enterprises both powerful and complex.
🧠 You’ll Learn:
-What defines a family business and why they matter more than ever
-The roles of founders, spouses, siblings, and in-laws — and how each shapes the business culture
-How to balance family loyalty with professional management
-The positives: trust, legacy, shared mission, and long-term perspective
-The pitfalls: nepotism, role confusion, and emotional decision-making
-How non-family employees can thrive within a family-run company
-The art of succession, buyouts, and leadership transition
-Opportunities for innovation and growth that are unique to family-based enterprises
👨👩👦 Personal Insights
Dr. Kershner shares reflections from a lifetime in family business — from his grandfather’s original enterprise, to his father’s leadership and expansion, to his own journey building and scaling a consulting company. Each story reveals how legacy, values, and adaptability intersect in the real world of entrepreneurship.
🚀 Why Watch
Whether you’re part of a family business, planning to join one, or simply curious about the lessons that shape generational leadership, this video will help you see how purpose, people, and performance come together to create lasting impact.
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
#FamilyBusiness #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Legacy #SuccessionPlanning #SmallBusiness #BusinessLeadership
