In this edition, you’ll find a fresh perspective on the “three circles” from Nate Hamilton, who introduces a powerful metaphor of the Enterprising Family Tree, visualizing how Family, Ownership and Business systems are all inextricably linked.
We also feature the latest insights from Fernanda Jaramillo and Gustavo Carvajal who examine the critical role of the Board Chair in a family enterprise.
Finally, we are thrilled to announce the launch of Season 2 of the LGA Lighthouse Podcast, and the newest members of our global team.
We are deeply grateful to our clients and partners who allow us to play such a pivotal role in supporting family enterprises worldwide. As we head into the final months of the year, we wish you all enduring success.
Best regards,
Your Global LGA Team
The Enterprise Family Tree: Nurturing Your Roots for Lasting Growth
In a world defined by ever-shifting social and economic landscapes, family dynamics are undergoing a profound transformation. This requires us to reassess our prevailing models of family enterprises, demanding a deeper understanding of their foundational strengths and the foresight to better navigate continuity risks.
Envisioning the family enterprise as a tree allows us to better understand the practical hierarchy at play: the roots represent the foundational family dynamics, the strong trunk embodies the ownership structure, and the expansive canopy symbolizes the diverse business ventures. This visual framework brings new clarity to the dynamic interplay of roles, responsibilities, and priorities across all facets of the family’s enterprise.
🗎 Click here to learn more about how to nurture the family roots for lasting growth.
Beyond the Boardroom: A 360 View of the Board Chair in a Family Enterprise
By Fernanda Jaramillo and Gustavo Carvajal
In most businesses, the Board Chair’s role is seen as relatively straightforward: to ensure the Board and its governance committees function properly. However, in family enterprises, this role is far more complex, with responsibilities that go significantly beyond these traditional expectations. In fact, it’s a more multi-faceted role, with many critical responsibilities related to governance of the entire enterprise.
The responsibilities of the Board Chair in the family enterprise fall naturally into five distinct categories, reflecting the Chair’s accountability to a wide array of important stakeholders: inward (the Board itself); outward (outside parties); upward (owners), downward (management); and lateral (other corporate and governance bodies).
It is only through the fuller understanding of the Chair’s expanded role that we can see the full impact of these leaders on the enduring continuity of the family enterprise system.
🗎 Click here to learn more about the critical role of a family enterprise’s Board Chair.
LGA Lighthouse: Season 2, Episode 1
The Enduring Enterprise: Thriving in a Turbulent World
We are thrilled to announce the launch of Season 2 of the LGA Lighthouse Podcast. In this episode of the LGA Lighthouse podcast, LGA’s Devin DeCiantis and Ivan Lansberg discuss their book, The Enduring Enterprise: How Family Businesses Thrive in Turbulent Conditions. They explore how family businesses can navigate the increasing turbulence and uncertainty in today’s world.
Devin and Ivan share strategies for building resilience, as well as their perspective on how family businesses maintain a unique competitive advantage through familial networks that allow them to access capital, talent, and opportunities that are not available to other businesses.
🔊 Click here for more from the LGA Lighthouse, including episodes from Season 1.
LGA Highlights: What We’re Reading, Watching, and Listening to This Month
In a rapidly shifting world, anticipating the future requires proactivity and perspective. That’s why our global team is on a journey of constant discovery and continuous learning in search of the latest ideas in business, leadership, family dynamics and beyond.
This month, we’ve curated the following list of resources that may be of interest – sparking new conversations across the team and expanding our thinking and work with client families:
- The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich by Evan Osnos (Book): Through a series of expanded essays originally published in the New Yorker magazine (and referenced in The Enduring Enterprise), Osnos offers an eye-opening look at the indulgences, insecurities, and immense influence of the ultrarich in a new Gilded Age. This deep dive provides a crucial perspective on the complexities of wealth management, succession planning, and the responsibility of managing a family enterprise with a focus on continuity and legacy.
- “Where Should We Begin?“ (Podcast): Globally renowned psychotherapist and author Esther Perel’s award-winning podcast offers an intimate exploration of relationships through real-life couple therapy sessions. Perel provides raw, unfiltered insights into the emotional landscapes of connection, offering strategies for communication, emotional intelligence, and understanding the delicate personal and professional dynamics vital for enterprising families.
- Chimp Empire (Docuseries): This Netflix limited series offers an intense look at the complex, multi-decade society of the world’s largest known chimpanzee community in Uganda’s Kibale National Park. Viewers witness intricate social politics, leadership battles, and a dramatic civil war as the tribe splits into warring factions vying for power and territory. The series serves as a vivid metaphor for the delicate balance of power, succession, and resource management in a complex multigenerational family enterprise.
We hope you find these resources as inspiring and thought-provoking as we have. Please feel free to send us your favorites as well, as we are always on the lookout to gather and share great ideas!
Meet Our Newest Advisors
In our ongoing efforts to broaden our global impact and better meet the needs of our clients, we recently welcomed the following new Advisors to our team, each of whom brings a wealth of expertise and experience to their work with enterprising families.
Anurat Kongtoranin
Thailand
Anurat Kongtoranin is a second-generation member of an 80-year-old Thai family business, and a trusted advisor to multi-generational enterprises across Asia.
With over 35 years of operational leadership, including as Executive Director in his family business, which is Thailand’s largest family-owned fastener manufacturer, Anurat brings deep, lived experience to his advisory work in family governance, succession planning, and strategic development.
Anurat focuses on helping enterprising families build governance structures, develop family constitutions, and prepare rising-generation leaders. His approach blends theoretical rigor with practical wisdom, shaped by his own journey navigating generational transitions within his family enterprise.
Dr. Sharilyn Hale
Canada
Dr. Sharilyn Hale provides expert advice to generous families to channel their wealth and influence to create a better world. She works with changemakers across North America and the Caribbean, guiding them to give well, engage their families, and envision a meaningful legacy aligned with their values.
Whether families are new to philanthropy or have a long philanthropic tradition, Sharilyn expertly blends corporate and family governance principles in her work with family foundations and boards, helping them define and build systems to support their vision for impact.
A respected educator and author, Sharilyn’s doctoral research on governance and multi-generational family philanthropy produced a groundbreaking model that helps families approach their giving more cohesively. She teaches governance and leadership in the Masters of Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership program at Carleton University, where she also serves on the Advisory Council.
