Consulting Services

Consulting Services

In working with family businesses we look at three central areas; the family, the individual and the business. This is because they are all intertwined and impact each other. We see ourselves as Coaches working with the family to create a higher level of teamwork. We begin with an Assessment of these areas. This Assessment takes places through private structured interviews, questionnaires, and analysis of the company's business.

Just like when a person enters the Dr.'s office because they don't feel well, so it is with our clients. Similarly, we begin with a diagnosis. Because the stress is felt in one part of the family or the business - does NOT mean that this is the cause. A careful diagnosis assesses and differentiates the causes from the symptoms of the stress.

It is best to do both a diagnosis of the family and the business system. This diagnosis is done through a series of private interviews and questionnaires with family and non-family members. We also look at various financial, marketing and strategic business data. Often we attend Executive, Management and Board of Directors Meetings to assess the effectiveness of these meetings.

The Assessment includes a Seminar where family members as a group discuss the family's strengths and weaknesses in facing current challenges. The Seminar concludes with identifying the goals that this family needs to reach within a specified time frame.

Following this Seminar a number of specific recommendations in verbal and written form are given to the family as to how to reach their goals.
All of our activities are designed specifically for the individuals and organizations we are working with. We are proud to say that most of our clients work with us over a period of several years. Deep change never happens quickly or without a trusting relationship. Generally, we work more with our clients in the early stages of the consultation. Then we are involved in training organizational personnel in various forms of expertise.

The Assessment determines what is recommended. Most often we recommend a combination of some of the following services.

-- Family Protocols
-- Family Business Councils
-- Performance Review Systems
-- Anger and Conflict Management
-- Executive Coaching for Family Executives
-- Development of a Shared Vision and Mission
-- Organizational Design and Restructuring
-- Strategic and Succession Planning
-- Development of a TQM Culture
-- Career Development
-- Team-Building

We help the family discuss and decide their future together.