Who Will Drive the Bus?
Guidance for Developing Leaders in the Family Enterprise
By: Gerard J. Donnellan, Ph.D.
Published: April 2, 2011
Format: Paperback, 176 pages
ISBN-10: 1456379909
ISBN-13: 978-1456379902
Publisher: CreateSpace
"This book is meant for all those family businesses currently dealing with or about to deal with major transitions in the leadership of their firms", writes family business adviser, psychologist, and president and founder of Big Leap, Gerard J. Donnellan, Ph.D., in his very practical and engaging book Who Will Drive the Bus? Guidance for Developing Leaders in the Family Enterprise. The author describes how to create an effective strategic plan, for the successful transfer of leadership in a family firm, from one generation to the next.
Gerard Donnellan understands the critical importance of a smooth inter-family transition to the short and long term viability of a family owned and operated business. Because family owned businesses are confronted with challenges of change on a daily basis, it's crucial for the company reach a level of sustained stability. The author focuses on the vital role of a well planned and successful leadership transition strategy for the family owned enterprise. For many entrepreneurs, the realization and admission that a transfer of business leadership is a difficult one, fraught with challenging family dynamics, personality issues, and very often a lack of trust in the next generation. Gerard Donnellan guides family businesses in achieving a successful leadership transition, that maintains family harmony, and avoids the all too frequent and tragic ending of the company after only one generation.
Gerard J. Donnellan (photo left) recognizes that many successful business founders are reluctant, for various reasons, to even consider examining business succession issues. At the same time, the author points to the importance for business owners to embrace the idea of a leadership transition as an ongoing and long term issue. Gerard Donnellan presents a very comprehensive outline of potential strategies, that respect the wide range of business and family cultures involved, and honors the overall long term goals for the company. Succession plans are essential for any business, and as the author makes very clear, that without careful preparation and planning the business could cease to exist in a very short time. Gerard Donnellan guides the family members through the planning and preparation process, open discussion, the benefits of outside coaches, and the development of leadership within the family itself. The author helps the family business begin and continue the transitional process, and to avoid the mistakes of doing nothing, not establishing priorities, and not having a plan in place that addresses the business and family priorities.
For me, the power of the book is how Gerard Donnellan presents a logical, and action oriented series of ideas for developing leaders for the generational transition of family businesses. The author combines practical leadership development skills with a rich understanding of the family dynamics involved in the discussions, planning, and preparation for the business transfer. Along with the actionable advice for a smooth transition of leadership, Gerard Donnellan provides a series of stories that illustrate the many complex and often emotional issues that surround family business transition.
Gerard Donnellan demonstrates that transfer of leadership roles need not be a disaster for both the business and for family members. Instead, the preparation for a successful transfer can be a time of bringing new ideas into the company, ensuring a thriving long term business, and even strengthened and deepened relationships within the family itself.
I highly recommend the approachable and essential book Who Will Drive the Bus? Guidance for Developing Leaders in the Family Enterprise by Gerard J. Donnellan, Ph.D., to anyone who owns a family business, who is part of the future leadership of that enterprise, or who is an adviser to family businesses, who seeks a deeper understanding of how to prepare founders and family members for the inevitable leadership transfer. This book is an excellent guide to understanding and working to solve the most common issues and problems that arise in the family business transition. The author shines the spotlight on developing future leaders as a solution to the transfer dilemma.
Read the valuable and insightful book Who Will Drive the Bus? Guidance for Developing Leaders in the Family Enterprise by Gerard J. Donnellan, Ph.D., and discover how to ease and improve the inter-generational transition of any family small business. With family owned companies forming the backbone of the economy, this book is both timely and crucial for both individual family enterprises and for the economy as a whole.
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