I was recently listening to an episode of the Harvard Business School podcast Cold Call, whereby the host Brian Kenny sat down with Professor George Serafeim and Dimitri Papalexopoulos, the long-time CEO and current Chair of Titan Cement International. Founded in 1902, Titan Cement has survived world wars, economic depressions, and radical political shifts. The …
Continue reading The Founder Mindset in Family Business – A Blessing or a Curse?
I was reading the article published on the Financial Times on the 6th June about the Swatch Group. The recent financial turmoil surrounding Switzerland’s Swatch Group reads like a classic corporate family business tragedy. Despite engineering wild consumer marketing hypes the group’s underlying reality is grim: net profits collapsed by nearly 90% to just SFr25 …
There is a recurring tragedy in the history of family businesses: the first generation builds the empire, the second expands it, and the next generation—insulated by absolute privilege but devoid of the sharp instincts that forged the dynasty—slowly dismantle it, sometimes under the guise of "modernisation." John Elkann, the chosen grandson and designated heir of …
Continue reading A Case Study of a Failed Succession…John Elkann
The latest global research on family businesses is outlining that such businesses are undergoing a fundamental structural transition. For decades, research indicated that such family businesses needed to focus on external threats —macroeconomic shocks, sudden liquidity crunches and supply chain updates. However, empirical findings from the world’s leading researchers are now indicating that the primary …
I recently came across a compelling article from the Harvard Business Review titled "Why Effective Leaders Get Branded as Problems" by Luis Velasquez, published on May 7, 2026. As I read through Velasquez’s analysis of how organisations misdiagnose high performers, I couldn't help but be struck by how frequently I have witnessed these exact dynamics …
I was recently listening to two Harvard Business Review Podcasts "Scaling a Business Beyond the Family Playbook" and "How a Family-Owned Greek Cement Company Evolved Its Leadership While Pivoting Its Product Portfolio". While listening to these podcasts I could hear about so many relevant insights for Maltese family businesses, which I face on a daily …
Continue reading Don’t just protect the past. Build the future.
In the ecosystem of a family-owned business, "loyalty" is often treated as the highest form of currency. Owners frequently speak of the those employees who stayed through thick or thin. However, as these businesses scale, a painful irony emerges: the very people who helped build the foundation often become the primary obstacles to the renovation. …
I was recently listening to the latest book of leadership guru Brené Brown. For twenty years, Brené Brown has tracked the trajectory of leadership. From the early days of The Gifts of Imperfection, where she begged leaders to believe they were "enough," to the battle cry of Dare to Lead, where she prepped leaders to …
For many family business owners, "growth" is the declared holy grail. It's their primary metric of success. However, there is often a profound disconnect between the desire for the result and the willingness to undergo the process. When I peel back the layers, I often find a growth paradox: owners who crave an ever-increasing topline …
Continue reading The Growth Paradox: Do Family Business Owners Truly Want to Grow their Business?
Albert Einstein may have coined the phrase "Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over and Expecting Different Results" although he was likely not a football fan, this famous "quote" perfectly encapsulates the current state of Italian football. For over a decade, the Azzurri and the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) have stared at a …
A Business Blog for SMEs & Family Businesses 