In turbulent times, strategic planning takes on greater importance, at the same time that is becomes more difficult due to the uncertainty in the external environment. The best way to move forward is to tap the expertise and experience of stakeholders in your organization, and even those outside it (e.g., customers, suppliers, government authorities). Simply asking for input is not enough – it will leave you with the impossible task of balancing competing demands and needs, and inevitably leads to some group being unhappy and potentially obstructive.

Providing a structure for the stakeholder groups to talk with one another unleashes surprising creativity, innovation, and energy. With the right methodology, they will discover their common ground and eagerly work to implement a shared vision of the future of your organization. And you can be confident that they will be behind you.

For more details about how I approach Strategic Planning, see this page [link to the strategic planning page].

The traditional approach when there is a conflict between people or groups in an organization or community is to talk to the parties, perhaps get them to talk with one another. Mediators try to find compromises in positions that still address the parties interests. This can sometimes be effective. But often this approach leaves everyone at least a little unhappy, and can drive the conflict underground, emerging in other difficulties you will have to address.

I go deeper. When I work with such situations, I treat the conflict as a symptom of some systemic issue. Rather than limiting my inquiry to the parties in conflict, I will do a wider systemic assessment, interviewing other stakeholders and groups to make an organizational diagnosis. I have found that addressing the systemic issue most often relieves the conflict and leads to innovative solutions that all parties find satisfactory.

The Three-Circle Model of family businesses is very helpful to understanding the dynamics of owner-led businesses. The intersections of family, ownership, and the business provides a helpful frame when helping family businesses thrive. As a psychologist, I am particularly attuned to family dynamics, generational differences, sibling relations, and succession issues. These must be addressed along with classic business dimensions.

One of the challenges for leaders of family businesses is finding a place to reflect and talk about their struggles with family dynamics in the business. They often feel that they can’t discuss family concerns with their family, and they fear talking about them in the business will have a harmful impact on valued employees. That’s why I believe in the power of peer groups, and offer Executive Roundtable Groups – a place where family business leaders can discuss things they can’t talk about anywhere else.

For more details about these peer groups, please see this page [link to the Roundtables page] on Executive Roundtable Groups.

Many people think that burnout is a function of the individual’s personality, and many attempts are made to help people avoid burnout. Offerings such as yoga classes, relaxation lessons, company outings, recreational retreats, etc. are often aimed to reducing individuals’ stress and combating burnout.

Research and experience show that these steps are not effective. Burnout is really a symptom of systemic issues, not individual characteristics. A psychologically healthy person will burnout and want to leave their job if the environment in which they work is too stressful. And even someone who is more fragile can thrive in a work environment that pays attention to these issues. Similarly, turnover and low morale are evidence of systemic problems. A full organizational “check-up” can reveal where the problems lie, and point to ways to address them effectively.

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