The Leader's Gifts

Succession in a family business and any other leadership position may meet problems including competence and willpower on the part of available candidates. The dynamic efforts of the founder and team may flounder if left to a person with no motivation or who prefers a 'playboy' lifestyle, idleness or leisure. There are gifts to look for in a worthy successor and most business leaders recognise the fact that a company may have to look elsewhere for a successor than the immediate family.

When survival, breaking even, increasing the margin of safety and making a profit are the most important matters, bringing in a qualified and competent person may be better than passing the business down the family line, especially when it isn't wanted.

Different cultures approach the issue of family succession differently. In some countries the successor is trained up for the job and expensively and ruthlessly prepared to take over. The prevailing culture will determine so much but even in those cultures only those considered able enough will be trusted with the leadership. There is always a capacity for catastrophic mistakes.

In recent decades the number of universities and specialised colleges offering courses in the many different disciplines concerning business, marketing and economics have mutiplied considerably so there is no shortage of individuals qualified to do a wide range of jobs and gain the necessary experience for taking the helm. The debate between nativists and empiricists goes on. Some people seem to have inherited a natural aptitude while others have to prove themselves in practice which may be difficult considering different attitudes to succession. Education wouldn't do any harm any way.

A competent manager should have written and verbal communication skills, financial analytical skills, the ability to identify a problem, effective delegation skills, negotiating powers and the ability to manage human resources. He or she may also be called on to give counselling, mentor, manage conflict and other interpersonal skills at various times. The ideal manager will have many charisms. More likely to come with achieved status than ascribed status whether from within the family or outside.