I have spent most of my life preaching to various family businesses, that they are killing themselves by sticking to just an operator’s mindset. Recently I came across this video of Andrea Pontremoli – CLICK HERE to view this short video (Andrea Pontremoli is the CEO and partner in Dallara Automobili since 2007. He began at IBM in 1980 as a Hardware Customer Engineer and after a number of experiences he returned in Italy in 2001 as a General Manager for IBM Global Services South Region and by 2004 he was appointed as President and CEO for IBM Italy). In this video he explains things in a short and effective way. He says “The leader is the one that pulls, the manager is one that pushes. The manager is the person that works very hard to keep everything in line. However if the manager is not there, nothing happens. The manager is the person who arrives first and gives orders to anyone and then every so often comes to check if you have executed the order given. Whilst a leader is a person that pulls people behind him/her and so the leader presents the ultimate goal e.g. we need to climb Mount Everest….and then gives space for all team members to organise themselves to achieve the goal. The leader is the person that creates the conditions for the goal to be achieved and if you have any difficulty the leader helps you to get there. However if a business is built on people awaiting an order, business owners cannot be present all the time and everywhere in their business, to constantly give orders to anyone. So the power of sharing the ultimate goal and one’s dreams is so very strong, because it helps business owners to enable and empower team members to give their very best to achieve the ultimate goal.” So well put.
When family business remain stuck to just an operator’s mindset, the do not build governance systems and structures, they do not plan ahead, the do not look around them to adapt to changing circumstances. The remain inefficient ecosystems built around a single or a few persons.
Below please find some of my past Blog Articles that I have written on this subject:-
In the family business survey research done in February 2024, whose results will be presented in the upcoming Family Business Conference to be held on the 23rd May at the Malta chamber, we have asked the 160 family businesses we interviewed to list the top 5 priorities that take up their time on a daily basis. We then analysed each reply and categorised such replies between those priorities linked to operational matters and those linked to strategic matters. What do you think is the split between the listed priorities that are operational and those that are strategic? To know more about this, click HERE to register.
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