One of the top priorities for leaders today is to build teams that work well together to drive strategy forward. Sounds like a no brainer, right? Great strategy and great teams have always been a business goal. But the truth is, they haven’t always been...
As the echoes of fireworks and festivities subside, we reflect on the significance of July 4th and the ideals it represents – freedom, unity, and the pursuit of a better future. Today’s leaders can draw inspiration from the independent thinking that led to the...
From Wal-Mart and Mars to the corner store in your neighborhood, about 90% of all U.S. businesses are family-owned or family-controlled. At any given time, a large percentage of these companies is facing a generational transition. Yet it’s reported that less than half have...
Most leaders will encounter this dilemma at least once in their careers: An employee who’s pretty bad on some days and just good enough to get by on others. An employee who shows up consistently, but doesn’t ultimately contribute a whole lot. A manager...
Years ago there was a popular game show called What’s My Line?, in which blindfolded celebrity panelists played “20 Questions” to determine a mystery guest’s occupation. In many companies, there’s a similar guessing game going on: “Whose job is that?” “How did that decision...
Like many of you, we belong to professions that require us to be licensed or certified to practice. Every year, Tandem Partners coaches and consultants engage in continuing education, just like our friends who are social workers, engineers, estheticians, and architects. We do it...
No one knows exactly when people started making New Year’s resolutions, but whenever that was, the habit of breaking them probably started a few weeks later. Failed resolutions are such a common occurrence that a lot of leadership coaches aren’t in favor of making...
It has been famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Take a second to think about that. The people you spend time with can lift you up or bring you down. We all need other...
You were born with your IQ, and you’ve developed your EQ, but how would you rate your PQ? IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, is a number resulting from one of several standardized tests. IQ is used to assess someone’s cognitive ability as compared to the population...
Some unusual events have surrounded the Summer Games since the first modern Olympics in 1896 – wars, boycotts, and this year, a pandemic and an absence of spectators. But the Games went on, and the Olympians persevered. We all know it takes more than...
As we celebrate Independence Day, freedom is very much on our minds. It is fitting to reflect on the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson who said, “…let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollection of these rights, and our undiminished devotion to...
One day, a son walked into his father's office. His father sat behind the desk, wearing a baseball cap with the word "Boss" on the front. Looking up at his son, the father said, “I’m glad you stopped by. I’m sorry to have to...
How we as business leaders deal with our most pressing concerns about driving growth, developing leaders, managing change, and so many other issues, depends largely on whether we’re able to see old problems in new ways. That’s certainly true in a family enterprise, where...
Last month’s news that Jeff Bezos was stepping down as Amazon’s CEO put succession planning in the headlines. But you don’t have to be the third biggest company in the world to be concerned about succession. Every day, hundreds of business leaders wrestle with...
In January 2011, when we re-launched Tandem Partners, the economy was still recovering from the 2008-2009 financial crisis. If you think that move was ill-timed, you might be right. But at least we were in good company – Instagram, Lyft, Slack, Tinder and Impossible...
If you feel like you’re slowly crawling your way to the end of the year like an exhausted runner to the finish line, you’re not alone. It has been one of the most challenging years we can remember, and we’re all exhausted. Like many...
All over the world, companies have been challenged by the pandemic to adapt and find new ways of working. Flexible structures and “flatarchies” have emerged to support rapid response and decision-making. Remote work has kept businesses operational and many will stay with at least...
The longest suspension bridge around may not be the Mackinac or the Golden Gate, but the span between generations in a family enterprise. More often than not, the emphasis in succession planning begins with the senior generation and their pressing concerns. When do they...
In this pandemic year, back-to-school has taken on a new, and very confusing meaning. Depending on the region, schools may not be fully reopening - while others have announced virtual learning until later in the year. Traditional jitters have been magnified by the uncertainty...
It's too early to tell, but a shift in perspective on succession may be playing out in organizations all across the country. Over the last few months, the magnitude of a global crisis has caused many leaders to re-examine their priorities. In some companies,...
By the end of May, all 50 states had begun easing the restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. In many places now, people can go back to restaurants and retail stores – yet not everyone is ready to venture out....
Has anyone else noticed a rash of aggressive driving lately? It seems that some people are taking advantage of the empty roads to drive at excessively high speeds. And reckless driving is far from the worst behavior that’s been making headlines over the last...
It’s been interesting to see over the last several weeks how people are adapting to life in a pandemic. Our ways of learning, moving, shopping and cooking have all changed. Our ways of working have shifted too, as technology enables and alters the way...
Here at Tandem Partners HQ, we’re entering week six of our new work-from-home, stay-at-home life, as are many of you. People are still sick, stores are still closed, and business is still taking place inside four walls and our computer screens. But also, people...
It’s safe to say that the last month has kicked us way out of our comfort zones and the routines we took for granted. This crisis has also disrupted the way leaders are interacting with their teams, and not just in the working-from-home sense....
The willow that bends to the tempest often escapes better than the oak which resists it. -- Albert Schweitzer What a month it has been. The last few weeks have been dominated by a barrage of sobering headlines, new working-from-home schedules, and all kinds of big...
Yesterday our state moved into new Stay-At-Home orders, and it really hit me: We’re going through what will probably be a life-changing experience on a worldwide scale. People everywhere are in defensive mode, scrambling to protect their health, their families and their livelihoods. Business...
Over the last week, we’ve been in touch with many leaders who are struggling with everything from crisis communication and resource planning to rapid decision making and managing employee fears. The Coronavirus is changing our lives and work in ways we don’t yet fully...
The If-I-Want-Something-Done-I’ll-Do-It-Myself Solution - A business owner named Sue had initiated a succession process at her company. Like many leaders, Sue struggled to relinquish responsibility to younger leaders. She’d always been reluctant to delegate, and often found herself re-doing others’ work. This tendency seemed to...
Four Principles for Preventing Culture Shock - Almost 20 years ago, America Online agreed to purchase Time Warner for $165 billion in what would be the biggest merger in history. People still talk about it today – not just because it was big, but because...
When you’re a leader, it’s easy to become preoccupied with your own significant workload. However, when that happens, you’re necessarily less available to your team. Of course, there will always be issues that you personally must attend to. But think about what it means...
6 Keys to Making it Work - Sigmund Freud famously said that “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” And most people would agree: Having love and doing meaningful work are deeply connected to our satisfaction in life. But how do you manage...
Back when our daughter was a junior in college, she came home one weekend and announced that she’d missed the deadline for on-campus housing assignments and would have to find an apartment. (Oops. Sorry Mom and Dad.) Her parents (us) had equally strong, but...
“I’ve owned 400 to 500 stocks in my lifetime and made most of my money on 10 of them.” – Warren Buffett It’s a well-known fact in the investing world that the lion’s share of results will come from a small percentage of investments. In statistics,...
Ask most Copreneurs if they have and use written job descriptions and many will say, “Not really. We like to keep things pretty informal around here.” In fact, many founder-entrepreneurs pride themselves on the informality that often goes hand in hand with early stage...
Did you know that nearly a quarter of the U.S. workforce spends part of each day working at home? Commutes are longer, offices are smaller and technology is better – all contributing to the number of people who work from home at least part of the time....
Gates had Buffett, Oprah had Maya, and Dylan had Guthrie. In your world, who do the next generation of leaders look up to? Many family-owned companies say they expect to transfer leadership to the next generation, yet only a small percentage have a plan...
We all remember that foreboding time - back-to-school - the photo on the front steps, shopping for new shoes, backpacks, supplies, and a haircut. This year, over 78 million students returned to the classroom, with a reported 2.5% suffering from Didaskaleinophobia, the fear of...
When you hear the term “leadership development” what comes to mind? Who comes to mind? If you’re like most people, you think of leadership development as about the people coming up behind you. People younger than you, or less experienced. The next generation, you...
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” - Mark Twain In the world of family business, it seems that some generally accepted axioms are out of date, yet still frequently quoted. Some...
Some songs just say summer, like Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, recorded almost 40 years ago now. But even if you’re not a fan of the music, it’s hard not to admire Buffett’s entrepreneurial spirit and success. On the lighter side, enjoy these business gems from Ron...
At the end of a trip to Utah last fall, we flew home to Maryland via Las Vegas. While we were in the neighborhood, we thought we’d check out a show. We understand now why Cirque du Soleil is always sold out. It’s because...
In the early years of a committed relationship, all couples have to learn to make adjustments. Reality turns out to be different than our expectations. Quirks we hadn’t noticed in the dreamy days of dating start to drive us nuts. The two of us...
Long before there was Dr. Seuss, there was Tom Brown. In 1680, young Tom Brown was expelled from Oxford University for mischief making, and in response, he wrote this now famous nursery rhyme: I do not like thee, Doctor Fell; The reason why, I cannot...
It has been famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Take a second to think about that. Who you spend time with can lift you up as much as it can bring you down. We...
Early in our careers, there was a time when we both worked in CPA firms – Ron in auditing and Margaret in marketing. Our kids were six and three at the time and the “busy season” between January and April just about crushed our...
If you’re feeling burned out in the family business, you’re not alone. It can happen when you’re feeling overwhelmed by business problems or prolonged tension in a relationship or any number of reasons. Whatever the cause, burnout doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s practically impossible...
“The final test of greatness in a CEO is how well he chooses a successor and whether he can step aside and let his successor run the company.” Those deceptively simple words are from Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, whose ideas continue...
Most leaders accept that at some time in the future, their time at the helm will end and the business will be given into the care of the next leader. However, just thinking about the transition can be daunting and overwhelming for the senior leader. If that weren’t enough, most owners experience their own succession just once. Tandem Partners provides the experience and professional guidance needed to move through the strategic, operational and interpersonal issues that are all a part of transition.
When it comes to developing leaders and teams, one size does not fit all. Your business is unique, and has specific strategies and capabilities that drive it forward. We help you identify and develop the specific leadership competencies that make you who you are as an organization and who you’d like to be. We work with leadership teams on the real issues they’re facing now, helping them to see more, be more, do more and lead more effectively, together.
For families in business, success is not just measured in fiscal years, but over generations. Yet often, leaders are so focused on the day-to-day that they aren’t able to step back and focus on the issues that impact long-term sustainability. We help leadership teams assess where they are now, where they’re trying to go and how they’re going to get there. Our expertise in the areas of organizational strategy, structure, process and performance is a unique feature of our work, and integral to our transition management approach.
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