2009-10 Program Calendar
1. What Non-Family CEO’s of Family Businesses Must Know to be Successful with the Family and in the Business
JoAnne Norton, Freedom Communications
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
8:30 am – 11:30 am
Who should lead the family firm when a family member can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t? What strategies can be used to improve the odds of success of non-family CEOs? What can family owners do to develop successful relationships with their non-family CEOs? Finally, what advice would those who have been in the trenches give to those who are now leading or who might someday want to lead a family business?
Dr. JoAnne Norton explored the relationships of successful non-family CEOs of successful family businesses and the family owners for her doctoral dissertation. She also has the unique perspective of having served four non-family CEOs as the Vice President of Shareholder Relations of a major media company. In this dynamic presentation, you’ll learn what contributes to a successful relationship between the non-family CEO and the family owners, the characteristics non-family CEOs absolutely must have, and the specific strategies used by some of the best. You’ll also learn the tactics employed by the owners of family firms to develop effective relationships with the non-family CEO. Whether you are considering hiring a non-family CEO, becoming one, or working with one, this is a presentation that will provide insight as well as practical advice.
2. Estate Taxes and the Family Business: How to Plan for Succession When the Rules Keep Changing.
Bud Smith, DeWitt Ross & Stevens
Thursday, January 28, 2010
3:30 pm – 6:00 pm
When will Congress get around to reforming the federal estate tax? Will the federal exemption go back down to $1,000,000 in 2011? Is the State Legislature likely to bring back the Wisconsin estate tax? Please join Bud Smith, an experienced attorney with DeWitt Ross & Stevens in Madison, for his views on these issues and his insights on how best to plan for passing wealth to the next generation in this uncertain tax environment. Mr. Smith will share ideas and techniques which family business owners have used successfully to transition their business to children and grandchildren. He will also discuss how you and your family may take advantage of this low interest rate environment in your planning.
3. Once Upon a Family Legacy—video stories that spark a path to the future
Kathy Wiseman, Working Systems
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
8:30 am – 11:30 am
The Succession Chronicles. Watch succession unfold on the screen as two families think about and experience the process of leadership succession in their family businesses one a small private enterprise and the other a NY Stock Exchange company. Excerpts of videos filmed over an eight-year period give viewers a front-row seat as the families manage their relationships, business demands, marketplace changes, and the process of aging. Business owners who have viewed the chronicles say the stories provoke new ideas, increase their motivation, and serve as a call to action to finally do what they have been putting off until “next year”.
4. Communicating and Managing Conflict within the Family Business
Deb Houden, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin Family Business Center
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
8:30 am – 11:30 am
Communication and conflict resolution are always hot topics in a family business. Many times, family members manage conflict the way they would in the privacy of their own home, not realizing how their (mis)management affects their employees’ productivity. Other times, family members are ultrasensitive to putting on their “game face” that they shun any conflict with family members at work – an unrealistic goal that leaves employees frustrated because issues are not addressed.
Conflict is good, and conflict is healthy if managed effectively! We all manage conflict differently – some get geared up for the fight, and some get physically sick at the thought of any type of rift, while others want everyone to be friends. Understanding how each of us manages conflict, in different situations, with different people is the first step to handling conflict successfully. Effective conflict management builds trust within the family and employees, increasing creative problem solving and productivity.
This interactive workshop helps individuals understand their own conflict styles and the preferences of those around them, and how their styles change depending on their conflict partner. Come away with strategies for understanding and managing conflict, how to approach issues with different individuals effectively. Develop useful communication tools and new techniques for building better, more effective working relationships, with family and non-family members.
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