Family Business Retreat
April 20, 2011
Family Business Retreat
Strengthen
Family Communications
“Organizing a family business retreat is one of the most important strategies used to help strengthen the communication system in a family-owned business,” according to top family business expert Don Schwerzler
“The retreat can involve all the family members who work in the family business, those family members not active in the business and the spouses of the family members – even young adults.”
Schwerzler, who has been studying and advising family business entrepreneurs for more than 40 years, is the founder of the Family Business Institute, headquartered in Atlanta GA.
More Effective Retreat? Use a Facilitator!
Many family businesses elect to retain the services of a facilitator trained in family business dynamics to ensure the optimum results for the retreat. Using a family business expert as a facilitator can help identify the issues that need to be addressed while ensuring that a non-confrontational atmosphere is maintained.
Conduct your retreat offsite
A family retreat is generally conducted off-site because it is almost impossible to maintain the attention and the focus on critical issues and objectives in the conference room during normal business hours.
Benefits of a family business retreat
The retreat helps to integrate and connect the personal and professional goals of each family member to the family’s strategic vision for the business. The retreat helps to strengthen family ties by building trust and creating clarity of vision for both the family and the business. They help to establish balance between business responsibilities and family obligations. They provide the best environment for family members to share their dreams and expectations about the legacy of the family business.
There’s lots to discuss!
The discussion topics during a family business retreat can include a wide range of issues such as compensation, individual roles in the business, succession management, retirement planning, financial performance of the business, strategic objectives for the business, how family values and culture influence the family business, corporate governance, business policies and to communicate the strategic goals and objectives of the family to the executive management team of the business.
Process – not an event
It is important to note that the retreat is not an event – it is the beginning of a process that will enable the family business to grow and prosper and to help ensure that family members maintain and develop healthy relationships.
Operational Analysis
Conducting an operational analysis of the family businesss, prior to a family business retreat, provides insights to the business differently than the financial analysis. We encourage family members and their spouses to be involved in the retreat. Information from the “operational analysis” enables everyone to better understand the workings of the family’s business without discussing confidential financial information.
Change Management
Crucial to the success of a family business is the ability for the business to adapt to change – and to do it quickly. Working on “change management” and understanding the dynamics of change on the family business should be on the agenda of every family business retreat!
Organizational Alignment
As family businesses grow, key family executives may become less involved in the day to day running of the business. To ensure the managers and the allocation of resources are aligned with the goals and objectives of the family business owner(s), we recommend that an organizational assessment be part of the family business retreat. The best online assessment tool, one that is inexpensive and easy to use is ODS-OL.
Family Business Innovation
Succession management is all about a family business making a successful transition from one generation to the next. Succession time is a perfect time to include transformational changes in the family business as part of the family business retreat. Learn about the 10 critical mind-set changes that should be addressed as part of a “family business innovation program”.
Celebrate and Reflect
The retreat is a great time to celebrate the success of the family business and to reflect on the sacrifices made by the family members who founded the business and the legacy they aspired to pass down to future generations.
Source: http://www.family-business-experts.com/family-business-retreat.html
More and more, wedding couples prefer outdoor venues for wedding ceremony and wedding reception. A beautiful setting can really make a wedding reception more memorable for not only the bride and the groom but also for wedding guests attending the ceremony and the reception.
Frequently visited, best wedding venues outside Manila in Pampanga and Subic are listed here including a beach resort which is a semi-private establishment located in the central business district near shopping, business, entertainment, airport and other conveniences of Philippines Clark Freeport Zone.
www.philippinesweddingvenue.com
Philippines Wedding Venues Service Center
Creekside Road corner of Centennial Road,
Central Business District, Clark Freeport Zone,
Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Tel: (045)599-5949 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
Email: Wedding@Yats-International.com
For any assistance in planning and organizing a wedding ceremony, indoor or outdoor garden reception or to find other wedding service providers, Click here to contact us click here
For assistance in hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, log on to
http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com
To inquire with the highly recommended beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com
For more information about Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com