Alembic Strategy

30/05/2025

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A Common Story in Family Business Succession: The Promise 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

It’s a story that plays out in family businesses all too often:

Dad says to one child, "I want you to take over the business one day." It feels like a special moment, a statement of trust and future responsibility. But what he doesn’t mention is that he’s said the exact same thing to both kids at different points — he just never told them this important qualification of the promise. Perhaps it was just a passing comment, and he did not realise what impact it had on his child.

As the years go by, each child makes life decisions based on that one statement: which university to attend, which career path to pursue, how to prepare for leadership in the family business. They invest time and energy into something they believe is their future — the business Dad spoke of.

Then, at 35, it’s time to have a real conversation about succession. The two kids come together, each thinking they’ve been hand-picked to take the reins. But when they all say, “Dad told me I’d take over,” the tension erupts. Suddenly, it’s not just about the business; it’s about feelings of betrayal, disappointment, and competition.

The knives are drawn, and the business — which was meant to unite the family — now stands in the middle of a battle for control, each sibling feeling they were the “chosen one.”

The lesson here?

In family businesses, clarity and open communication are key. When roles, expectations, and decisions aren’t clearly communicated, assumptions can create conflict that could have been avoided. Dad’s intentions might have been good, but without transparency, those well-meaning words can lead to family strife.

Key Takeaway: The best way to ensure a smooth succession is to have honest conversations early on. Avoid making promises when you probably cannot keep them. Let each family member know where they stand, realistic expectations, and what their future role in the business could look like. It’s not just about passing on a business — it’s about preserving family relationships. 🤝

In family businesses the relationships and good dynamic are vital; if you can, always move ahead in communication together; don't risk a rift that might affect you forever.

10/01/2025

The new IHT charge on death is a painful change, and a lot of focus is quite rightly being put into protesting the changes and talking to the Government about making changes to the Budget.

While for most people this is a sudden switch of policy that will have tipped up plans that were being managed over years or decades, for many people it can still be avoided by bringing succession and share transfer earlier.

However, while this is technically achievable it raises issues that need to be talked through. For example, shareholdings often form a key part of retirement income planning and passing them down sooner can create income and capital shortfalls. People might need to talk about readiness for succession, which is often an emotionally charged conversation, and hard to navigate between parents, children, siblings and cousins.

In addition to protest and pressure, we felt that family businesses needed a space to talk about the impact of these changes and take the conversation deeper.

On the 29th January in London and 4th February in Edinburgh we are hosting two much needed family business conversations together with Mairi Mickel and Martin Stellar, organised by Paul Andrews at Family Business United.

These sessions are for family business or family office owners to meet and talk about the difficult challenges that lie just below the recent budget tax changes for our clients. The aim is to give space with other family business owners facing these issues to talk through different approaches, learn from each other, share intelligence, ideas and fresh thinking.

There is no one solution and expanding the options about the human side of all of this during the run up to the new regime is vitally important.

Places are limited so early registration is recommended to secure your ticket for one of these exclusive family business workshops.

Please note that tickets are available to family business representatives only and are limited to two per family business.

To book, follow this link: https://hubs.li/Q031_Vft0

A confidential forum for family business leaders and owners to discuss with their peers challenges facing family businesses today.

08/01/2025

Have you ever completely fallen out with someone? Someone important, like your brother, your boss, or your closest friend? It's intensely distressing. Rifts like these, whether personal or professional, have an impact that bleeds into other aspects of your life. It makes you feel totally hopeless. Especially if there's a total breakdown of communication, and both of you feel like there's no solution that could ever fix the problem.

You are not alone. It's incredibly common. And what's more, none of us are taught how to cope when this happens. Either we learn the lesson from our environment when we're growing up, or we miss out on vital skills. This is not our fault. The good news is, we can learn these skills at any time. We have a choice. We can turn things around and affect positive change all around us.

Acceptance lies at the heart of dealing with difficult things well. It's an emotional process that allows you to access new options, and to tackle difficult conversations in a completely different way.

Join Dealing With Difficult to find out how to use this method and transform your relationships and leadership style. Dealing With Difficult is a live Zoom Masterclass, led by a Master of The Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health. It's for people who are looking for research-based solutions to dealing with the challenges life throws at them, quickly and effectively.

Sign up to join us tomorrow, 9th January 12:45pm - 2:00pm GMT | £4.80: https://hubs.li/Q031H7t40

16/12/2024

We have all been there. Sometimes when you have a really big problem, with someone or something, going on at work or in the family, you can get hyper-focussed and bent out of shape, or alternatively find yourself unable to focus or to deal with it at all.

We have all been there. At times you realise yourself that your reactivity is clouding your judgement, and find a way to take a step back, get perspective, look at it in a new way. Sometimes just leaving your reply until the morning, can be enough, right?

But there are other times, many times perhaps, where you can sense a better perspective but the emotional energy running in your veins means you just cannot grab hold of it. Ruminating and worrying dominates instead of useful actions, or you manage to amplify the situation and it really gets out of hand.

When you really need to take a fresh look, but your emotions are running hot, learning the practice of shifting to acceptance is really helpful.

At our next Masterclass on Dealing with Difficult we are going to be working on this invaluable perspective shifting process called acceptance. It's open to all for the price of a coffee, and you can register here.

https://hubs.li/Q02_CW5M0

27/11/2024

Just 1 day to go until our Strategy Café!

Tomorrow, we’ll be joined by Alex Atherton as he explores the issue of intergenerational miscommunication.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to better communicate with and understand younger colleagues, and how their changing work expectations can improve your leadership approach.

Tomorrow: 28th November, 8:30am (UK Time)
Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02TQ0310

25/11/2024

Coming up this week on Strategy Café!

Don’t miss our upcoming Strategy Café on 28th November, where we’ll be joined by expert Educator and Coach Alex Atherton to discuss intergenerational miscommunication in the workplace.

Alex will share his unique perspective on why understanding younger generations is crucial for effective leadership today. With the rapid rise of remote work, tech-driven lifestyles, and evolving expectations, now is the time to bridge the gap! 🤝

Coming up this week – 28th November, 8:30am (UK time)
With Alex Atherton

Sign up: https://hubs.li/Q02TPRW10

21/11/2024

1 week to go until our Strategy Café with Alex Atherton!

Are you ready to tackle intergenerational miscommunication in the workplace?

Join us on 28th November for a thought-provoking Strategy Café with Alex Atherton, who will share his insights on how leaders can bridge the generational gap and foster better communication across age groups.

With work expectations and tech-driven lifestyles rapidly evolving, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

1 week left: November 28th!
Guest: Alex Atherton
Sign up: https://hubs.li/Q02TPwV_0

Still unsure? Watch this though-provoking snippet below for a taster of what to expect in the live session next week!

15/11/2024

Is intergenerational miscommunication holding back your team?

Intergenerational miscommunication in the workplace often stems from older generations not fully understanding the unique changes young people face today. From shifting work expectations, like remote work and side hustles, to the influence of technology and social media, today's youth experience a vastly different world.

Join expert Educator and Coach Alex Atherton as he shares how to bridge the gap between older and younger generations in your business.

Put the date in your diary: 28th November
Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02TPYrF0

12/11/2024

Do you struggle with intergenerational communication in the workplace?

Join us on 28th November for an engaging Strategy Café with Educator & Coach Alex Atherton! He'll be discussing the unique challenges faced by younger generations, and how we can all work better together.

Alex says that while older generations often forget their own youth, understanding today's rapid changes in work and technology is crucial for improving collaboration. Tune in to find out how to bridge this gap as a leader.

Save the date: 28th November
Guest leader: Alex Atherton
Sign up: https://hubs.li/Q02TPy8l0

07/11/2024

What can you expect from this month's Strategy Café with Alex Atherton: How to Address Intergenerational Miscommunication as a Leader? Watch the video below for a flavour of the upcoming discussion on the 28th of November!

If you are interested in hearing watching the full discussion live and asking your questions to Alex directly, sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02TPy970

We hope to see you online! ☕

04/11/2024

How can you address intergenerational miscommunication? For our next Strategy Café on the 28th of November we will be joined by expert Educator and Coach Alex Atherton who will discuss just that.

When Alex emerged from being a Headteacher he was shocked by the negative, judgemental comments from his peers in business on the younger generation. Having seen their lives and understood their troubles as a Headteacher, the word 'snowflake' just did not apply.

Intergenerational miscommunication in the workplace often stems from older generations not fully understanding the unique changes young people face today. From shifting work expectations, like remote work and side hustles, to the influence of technology and social media, today's youth experience a vastly different world.

Alex said as we get older, we can often forget our own childhoods and struggle with adapting to newer communication styles and tech-driven lifestyles. Understanding these differences and fostering open dialogue is key to bridging the gap and improving collaboration across generations as a leader.

Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02TPrVZ0