September has become something of a second new year. Summer winds down, familiar routines return, and leaders refocus on priorities, budgets, and longer-term plans. Yet one important question is often missing from the fall agenda: Who will lead the business into the future? Succession planning is...
This blog comes from a trusted resource partner, Jim Naylor, Marketing Therapist at Protem Marketing. We all recall that ominous time of year – back-to-school – when we’d snap photos on our front steps, new shoes, backpacks, supplies, and even get haircuts. This year, over...
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...
Trust is one of those things we don’t think much about until it’s gone. We notice it when a leader breaks a promise, a colleague undermines us, or a relationship begins to fray. Suddenly, something that felt like a given requires tremendous energy to...
Over the past month, millions of people around the world watched the FIFA World Cup. We’ll remember the spectacular goals, dramatic saves, and defining moments. But championships aren’t won in a single match. They’re earned through thousands of hours of practice, many small adjustments,...
Co-authored with Ann Quinn of Quinn Strategy Group Summer is vacation season and it’s time to turn on your OOO message. Along with checking your flights and packing your suitcase, there’s something else you have to do: figure out who will handle things while you’re...
Exploring Freedom through the Lens of the Enneagram -- As we celebrate July 4th, a symbol of our collective independence, it’s a great time to reflect on freedom as an ideal that we experience in highly personal ways. One framework to explore how we view...
Three Questions Every Growth-Minded Leader Should Ask Co-Authored with Ann Quinn of Quinn Strategy Group When you’re leading a growth company, you’re faced with daily decisions, some inconsequential and some weighty. You’re so focused on the next project, the next sale or the next new hire...
Most leaders know that succession matters. Far fewer organizations are actively preparing for it. The transition itself is rarely the biggest challenge. More often, succession shines a light on work that should have started years earlier. Every organization eventually faces a leadership transition. Succession is...
They say that being a parent is the hardest job you’ll ever have. But in a family business, the challenge is being both a parent and a leader at the same time, especially when your adult child is struggling in the business. While this...
“I’m too busy to meet with my team.” We hear it all the time, and on one level, it might even make sense. Leaders have significant responsibilities. The higher you go, the more complex the work becomes. There are decisions to make, problems to...
Most leadership teams don’t have a clear strategy for how they spend their time together. Meetings fill the calendar, but they aren’t always effective. Over time, they start to serve the calendar more than the work that needs to be done. This is why...
As organizations navigate an environment defined by constant change, leaders are being asked to answer a familiar set of questions: How do we chart a strategic course amid uncertainty? What strengths have we built that will help us go the distance? How do we...
Co-authored with Ann Quinn of Quinn Strategy Group. A CEO transition is one of the most critical events in an organization’s life, whether leadership is accountable to a board, an ownership group or a founder-led leadership team. Yet organizations often focus on the search itself,...
Employee burnout is real. And while it’s not new, it has intensified in recent years as organizations navigate prolonged uncertainty, shifting models, talent shortages, and increasing demands. Research consistently shows that large numbers of employees feel stressed during the workday and are questioning their long-term...
By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group Sometimes succession is truly a surprise. Other times it only feels like one. The difference matters, because what you do next and what you should have done before are not the same. There are moments...
Has anyone complained to you recently about a lack of communication in your organization? Are you hearing that people feel like they don’t know what’s going on? Maybe you’ve even privately thought this to yourself. Or maybe you decided to conduct an employee survey...
One of the top priorities for leaders in the current environment is to build teams that work well together to drive strategy forward. Sounds like a no brainer. Great strategy and great teams have always been a business goal. But the truth is, they haven’t...
At the beginning of the year, we often promise ourselves that this year we’ll finally get our time under control. We set priorities, refine our systems, and rework our calendars. We hope that with better planning, we’ll get more done and feel less stressed....
First it was one client. Then another. And another. Over the last six months, several CEOs have told me about employees who left and later returned, one even calling it “The Comeback Club.” What first seemed like isolated stories is apparently part of a...
Succession planning often grabs headlines with dramatic CEO exits at major brands – like the recent shake-ups at Disney or the bold ownership handoff at Patagonia, where founder Yvon Chouinard made Earth the company’s only shareholder. But you don’t have to be running a...
Entrepreneurial energy isn’t just for startups. Whether you lead a mission-driven nonprofit or a multigenerational family enterprise, keeping that spark alive is essential, especially in times of uncertainty and transition. In our work with leaders, we’re hearing a common question: How do we stay...
As we celebrate July 4th, a symbol of our collective independence, it’s a great time to reflect on freedom as an ideal that we experience in highly personal ways. One framework to explore how we view freedom is the Enneagram, a tool for understanding...
At a recent event honoring family-owned businesses in our region, one message stood out: Success depends not just on family, but on the team surrounding them. Many honorees gave credit to the founders and generations of family members who shaped their companies, as well...
These days, the future often feels like a moving target. Shifting priorities and constant change have made it harder to plan with confidence. With so much noise and change around us, it’s no wonder so many leaders find themselves hesitating, stuck in a kind...
Several weeks ago, my spouse and I found ourselves unexpectedly stranded on one side of the Mackinac Bridge. A severe ice storm had whipped through Northern Michigan, and massive sheets of ice were falling from the bridge’s cables and towers, making it unsafe to...
Succession is no longer just a possibility – a wave of leadership transitions is already underway. According to recent data, nearly 40% of family businesses expect a leadership transition in the next five years, yet only a fraction of them have started planning for...
As winter comes to an end, it’s a great time to clear out the cobwebs and invite fresh air into your business. Just as dust and dirt are a natural byproduct of living in our homes, clutter comes with normal business operations. Over time,...
At Tandem Partners, we often reflect on the qualities that sustain leaders through challenges, big and small. The New York Public Library’s iconic lions – Patience and Fortitude – stand as powerful symbols of endurance and resilience. Originally named by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia during...
It’s safe to say that the past few years have kept leaders on their toes. While the crisis of the pandemic is well behind us, the workplace continues to evolve. Hybrid models, shifting employee expectations, and the rapid integration of AI are just a...
The willow that bends to the tempest often escapes better than the oak which resists it. – Albert Schweitzer, physician, philosopher, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Change is a constant, and the ability to navigate uncertainty has never been more valuable. Some leaders and organizations adapt...
Reflecting on nearly 14 years with our Labrador Retriever, Belquest Charlotte Brontë – known to all as “Charlie” – I'm reminded of the many lessons she taught us about life, leadership, and loyalty. Just a few weeks ago, we said goodbye, and with that...
By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group It has been suggested that many family business problems stem from the inherent conflict between the distinct, yet overlapping parts of the family business system. Each part of the family business system – business,...
In most organizations, everyone is doing a second job that no one is paying them for. In public and private companies, in non-profits and government agencies, people are spending significant time and energy masking their vulnerabilities, hiding their limitations, and covering up their mistakes....
Every transition marks both an ending and a beginning. Whether it’s stepping into a leadership role, passing the torch to the next generation, or navigating the complexities of ownership transfer, transitions invite us to pause, reassess, and recalibrate. But they also come with unique challenges:...
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 longest suspension bridge may not be the Mackinac or the Golden Gate, but rather the span between generations in a family business. More often than not, the emphasis in succession planning begins with the senior generation and their pressing concerns. When do they...
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...
When facing leadership transitions – whether in a family business, a non-profit organization, or any other type of enterprise – one of the most pressing questions is: Can this team take the helm? This isn’t just about managing day-to-day operations; it’s about whether the...
As summer begins to fade and the crisp air of autumn settles in, we find ourselves in a season of transition. Daily rhythms shift as kids go back to school, families adjust to new routines, and businesses begin planning for the final quarter of...
Part 4 of the Series: The Family Business Planning Roadmap By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group In Part 1 of our series on integrated planning for family-owned businesses explored the unique challenges they face and why they require a different approach...
Part 3 of the Series: The Family Business Planning Roadmap By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group In Part 1 of our series, The Family Business Planning Roadmap, we explored the unique challenges faced by family-owned businesses and why they require a...
“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....
Having just celebrated Independence Day, a time when we reflect on the values of freedom and democracy, it’s worth considering how these principles apply to our workplaces. In a world where the pace of business keeps accelerating, balancing freedom and authority within a team...
Part 2 of the Series: The Family Business Planning Roadmap By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group Any discussion of planning for a family business begins with an obvious but complicated truth: Family businesses are different from other types of organizations. Families...
Indecision is a challenge in many organizations, characterized by leadership’s inability to make definitive choices or commit to specific courses of action. It often manifests as lingering uncertainty among team members about their priorities and direction, or as anxious passivity driven by the fear...
Part 1 of the Series: The Family Business Planning Roadmap By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group For family businesses, where the ties that bind carry as much weight as a strong bottom line, traditional business planning can fall short. After all,...
As Mother’s Day approaches, we celebrate the unique relationship between mothers and daughters in business. Undoubtedly, the connection between a mother and daughter can be a strong bond. Mothers are often there to advise during difficult times, while daughters represent the ambitions of the...
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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.
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.
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.
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