In the recent 2026 Family Business Survey family business leaders demonstrated clear awareness on the importance of training. Survey respondents overwhelmingly agreed that “besides training for our employees, it is also important that family business owners and directors get trained on how to lead a family business” (scoring a decisive 1.87 on a 1-to-5 scale, where 1 represents full agreement). Yet, this acknowledged priority clashes directly with governance reality: 78% of family businesses have no policy requiring family members to attend training on family business governance and management. So why is there such a divide between intention and action? The survey pinpoints the primary culprit: lack of time and daily operational inertia. Leaders in family enterprises spend 90% of their ongoing daily time on operational firefighting—handling staffing friction, routine sales execution, cash flow crises, and daily problem-solving—leaving a mere 10% for strategic direction.

The 2026 survey rigorously analysed the drivers of profitable growth in family business across size, sector, and governance structures. The conclusion is unequivocal:

• Size is not a guarantee: Mid-sized businesses (10 to 250 staff) frequently fall into a “squeezed middle” trap where payroll swells without institutional scale, leaving over 60% facing margin compression.
• Sector is not a determinant: Margin compression affects over 50% of businesses across all sectors.
• Governance stabilizes, but doesn’t drive: While independent boards provide vital downside protection, they do not replace commercial pricing power and strategy.

The primary actionable enabler for profitable growth is strategic planning. Enterprises with an active, written strategic plan achieved 41.5% profitable growth (higher turnover and higher profits), compared to just 33% among those operating without one. Crucially, having a formal strategic roadmap reduced the incidence of profit dilution by nearly 12 percentage points (49.2% vs. 61.0%), protecting margins against unguided top-line expansion.

Recognising these realities, EMCS Academy—in collaboration with The Malta Chamber and the Family Business Office—delivers the accredited Award in Leading a Family Business (MQF/EQF Level 5) training course.

Specifically designed for family business owners, successors, and directors, the program directly confronts the barriers identified in the survey. The course dedicates an entire Module to developing a Strategic Mindset and Strategic Planning in Family Business. Participants learn how to dismantle operational firefighting, build structured market-entry and pricing models, and formulate an executable strategic plan that safeguards gross margins. Moreover, the course is built with the demanding schedule of family business leaders in mind and so it pairs focused classroom instruction with one-to-one coaching sessions, providing the structured accountability needed to step away from daily tasks and formulate actionable frameworks. Beyond strategy, the course covers ownership structures, conflict resolution, and modern corporate governance, ensuring the next generation is trained and ready to lead.

Registrations for the next cohort of this course, which will kick off in January 2027, are now open. Click HERE for more info and to REGISTER.