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,...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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:...
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...
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...
In recent years, much has been written about leadership and the importance of playing to our strengths. While this is certainly essential, the reality is that other people more often pay attention to our bad habits than they do to our good deeds. In...
In organizational psychology, few concepts have garnered as much attention and debate as the Peter Principle. Coined over 50 years ago by Laurence J. Peter, this principle highlights the tendency for individuals to be promoted to positions beyond their level of competence, leading to...
Resilience is one of those buzzwords that seems to be everywhere the last few years. And for good reason. In a crisis, resilient organizations don’t just survive – they rebound quickly and come out stronger and more prepared for the next challenge. Some of...
In the realm of family business, especially those where husband-wife teams, siblings, or multiple generations are working together, the dynamics are intriguingly complex. Family businesses aren’t just about profits and market shares; they embody deep emotional bonds and legacies. Central to these dynamics is...
As we reflect on the past few years, it’s apparent that we’ve navigated through what was a life-changing experience on a worldwide scale. The pandemic, a defining moment in our lives, taught us resilience, adaptability, and the importance of proactive leadership. Now, as we...
The people practices that brought your organization to where it is today, may not be enough to propel you forward into the future. That’s certainly true of succession strategy, where the traditional approach of preparing people for specific roles is like trying to use...
Leadership is often tested in the face of persistent challenges. Picture this: a sudden cash flow issue, the unexpected departure of a key team member, a critical hiccup in quality control – any of these can jolt an organization out of its regular routine....
If you find yourself racing toward the end of the year like a runner to the finish line, you're not alone. At work, the last quarter of the year can be busier than all the other months combined. At home, the holidays are approaching...
By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group There are times in every organization’s lifecycle when everything hums along without a bump in the road. At moments like this, it can be tempting to take your eye off strategy and simply enjoy...
By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group In a world marked by constant flux and the unforeseen, the ability to adapt is important to individuals and organizations alike. If we’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that the readiness...
Did you know that by 2026, Fortune 500 companies – the iconic list of largest companies in the U.S. by revenue – are projected to maintain their status for an average of only 14 years? That duration is less than half what it was...
By Margaret Wilson, Tandem Partners & Ann Quinn, Quinn Strategy Group It’s no secret that winning organizations have both a clear strategy and a cohesive team (what we call a People Strategy). After all, fast-paced organizations operating in dynamic environments know that building team cohesion...
Here’s a question to ask the managers in your organization: “What kind of employees do we want to have in our workforce? Employees who think for themselves? Or workers who mechanically do only what we tell them to do, exactly when and how we...
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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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