As 2019 approaches, we reflect on a year of inspiring conversations with business leaders and experts from all over the world. Here are some of our favourite quotes from 2018:
“The problem with family business is the assumption of a natural bond to the tribe. The key word here is assumption. If we assume you are bonded to the tribe because you were born into it, that is a mistake. Blood may indeed be thicker than water, but a disenfranchised individual will feel cut off from the heart of the tribe and even if the financial flow remains, the heart, soul and emotional connection will not.”
-Dov Baron, Author, Speaker, and Leadership Coach
Family Business Culture – Issue 37, February 2018
“There are some things money can’t buy. Integrity and character are two things that can’t be bought, and neither is our reputation; these things mean a great deal to us. And the customers pick up on that.”
-Angelo Perryman, CEO, Perryman Construction
Family Business Culture – Issue 37, February 2018
“I have come to see that most people want harmony, love, and of course, opportunities. So I would advise others to take a chance on all the opportunities that are available and work hard to develop something better. If you put in the work, you will find success. If you don’t, it is very likely that you will regret it and face difficult situations for lack of planning what you want as a family and a business.”
-Guillermo Sención, Executive Vice President, Grupo Sención
Family Business Culture – Issue 37, February 2018
“I learned a lot from my father. Especially the need for honesty and that the truth has a lot of value. There is something to be said for being trustworthy. This is what it’s all about. I would like to create a company where people are happy to come to work every day. Where I look forward to working alongside my employees. It doesn’t matter if it’s as an executive or as a labourer.”
-Alejandro Zimmermann, Founder, Southern Crops
Family Business Culture – Issue 37, February 2018
“Once you’ve owned and managed a company over so many generations, you have a responsibility to keep it going.”
Family Business Culture – Issue 37, February 2018
“The fact that we are a family business means there is a passion that is not comparable with a non-family-owned company. They are often managed only by looking towards quarterly profits, or stock options. It’s different for us; we have a mission now because we are carrying on the family tradition that was started with our grandfather and with our father.”
Big Data & The Family Business – Issue 38, May 2018
“Family businesses are different in one important way. They don’t have what I call ‘quarterly amnesia’. I think the short term-ism of today’s world leads to this kind of crazy idea that this time around everything is different, and things are changing more drastically than ever before. If you live three months at a time, the beginning of the next quarter means everything is new again. Everything is fantastic. […] Family businesses are in it for the long run. You don’t have to forget your history every quarter. You can leverage on it.”
-Peter Seligson, Chairman, Antti Ahlström Perilliset Oy
Big Data & The Family Business – Issue 38, May 2018
“I think over the generations family members can lose passion for the business. You can see the older generations, who’ve worked in the business, who’ve been weaned into the business by their fathers and their grandfathers, and the business is everything. And the mistake that people can make is saying to the upcoming generation that they have to join the business. We were always given a choice and there was never any pressure. And because of that lack of pressure, it made us want to be in it more.”
Big Data & The Family Business – Issue 38, May 2018
“Large corporations have standard operating procedures. They have the rule book. A family business is much more flexible, adaptable, nimble, and agile. And that’s precisely what we need here. We need the humility, but also the nimbleness, the swiftness, the agility. Because data is all about trying things out, learning iteratively. This is something that is deeply built into a lot of family business’ DNA. And I think that’s precisely what will mean success in their future.”
Big Data & The Family Business – Issue 38, May 2018
“…If you’re not open to change and innovation, you’re going to get left behind. We’re not averse to taking risks and trying new things, whether it’s in our product or on the operations side of the business. Companies that don’t have a change mentality are going to struggle going forward…”
Roles in the Family Business – Issue 39, August 2018
“…Shared purpose will ensure family members are aligned and pulling in the same direction. We can ask each other, ‘What are you going to do? What am I going to do?’ It’s important to stay in the collective space – isolation is never useful when trying to solve problems.”
-Amelia Renkert-Thomas, Business Consultant, Author and Fifth-Generation Family Business Member
Roles in the Family Business – Issue 39, August 2018
“It’s with great pride that I can say, ‘I am surrounded by my children and we work together for the greater good of the family business.'”
-Giuseppe Picchiotti, Founder, Picchiotti
Roles in the Family Business – Issue 39, August 2018
“I truly believe in the power of collaboration. My father taught me that in any partnership, you can’t expect to win all the time – it’s about give and take, reciprocity even.”
-Phyllis Ong, Deputy CEO of Armstrong
Roles in the Family Business – Issue 39, August 2018
“The shared values that typify family business will continue to help us maintain quality and sustain success. We are willing to reinvest and make sure the company comes first.”
-Maxime Holder, President, Paul
Artificial Intelligence – Issue 40, November 2018
“We’re like a lot of family businesses in that we operate with long-term goals in mind; we’re not trying to make a quick profit. That’s why we invest so much of the revenue we generate back into the company. We don’t want to take money from ISKU – we want to see it grow.”
-Seppo Vikström, Chairman, ISKU
Artificial Intelligence – Issue 40, November 2018
“As a parent, there is no greater satisfaction than seeing my children working together.”
-Máximo San Román, Founder, Nova
