Family Business Succession Planning & Executive Search Blog

Family businesses excel at maintaining personal relationships with employees and preserving organizational culture across generations. However, when it comes to rare, high-stakes hires like HR leadership succession, these same strengths can create mistakes that undermine both operational effectiveness and the culture you're trying to protect. In our experience advising families, there are three consistent mistakes family businesses make with regard to human resources. Recogni

At Stranberg, we're considering an internal question that guides every decision we make about technology implementation: How do we use artificial intelligence to foster genuine human connection? This is the reality we're navigating: artificial intelligence offers tremendous capabilities to enhance how we work, but it simultaneously threatens the people-first foundation of what makes our work meaningful.

If the phrase "I plan to die at my desk' is uttered by a family business leader, you need to stop and pay attention, because you've just stumbled upon a key risk we call the 'Die at my desk' rule. At the top of an org chart is a single accountable person who keeps an office, and in that office is a desk. If the incumbent leader plans to die at that desk, you have a succession planning problem that has the potential to thwart even the best of plans.

Your parents didn't succeed by preserving artifacts. They succeeded by being willing to make tough decisions and adapt to changing circumstances.

While industry-focused recruiters may understand your business challenges more intuitively, they face a critical limitation they rarely discuss with clients: conflict of interest restrictions that actually reduce their access to top talent.

When you work with a search firm, despite having internal candidates, you're not paying for candidates. You're investing in process. The importance lies in ensuring that people already in your system meet the same standards and are evaluated as rigorously as any external candidate would be. There's also a deeper layer to consider, particularly for family companies with internal candidates: addressing questions about bias.

"Why should you pay a retainer for an executive recruiter?" The initial reaction to this question is often skeptical. It feels like...

While family companies do face distinct challenges in drawing in top talent, those that know how to leverage their strengths can offer career paths that often exceed what's available in corporate settings. These are real, concrete advantages that can speed up your career growth, give you more meaningful work, and bring lasting satisfaction for the right executives in the right situations.

As an executive considering a role in a family business, some aspects might seem appealing: closer relationships, meaningful work, and the opportunity to be part of something with a lasting legacy. Before you sign the offer letter, there are important warning signs to consider.