How One Family Took Back Their Business – and Their Future – with a Succession Plan
Succession planning isn’t just about choosing who signs the checks next, it’s about safeguarding your family, your culture, and the company you’ve worked so hard to build.
But what happens when you assume the next gen isn’t ready? Or when you trust the wrong person to lead?
We’ve seen it happen: a well-meaning owner brings in an outside leader to “carry the torch,” believing their next gens aren’t capable or interested. The new leader appears competent, even charismatic… but behind the scenes, they create division, hoard information, and erode trust.
The Hidden Cost of the Wrong Choice
When family members feel sidelined and disempowered, relationships strain and the company culture suffers. Employees retreat into fear and self-protection. Good people leave. And the business you intended to protect starts to slip away.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
At Meridian, we’ve guided families through these difficult succession situations so they can reclaim their businesses, their confidence, and their future. The Meridian Method™ provides clarity not just about who should lead, but about the kind of culture and leadership that will carry the company forward.
Where to Start
If you’re navigating succession or unsure whether your current plan is working, here are 3 questions to ask yourself today:
- Have I clearly and openly talked with the next gen about their interest in, and vision for, the business?
- Are the leaders I trust aligned with our core values? Not just good at saying what I want to hear.
- Is our culture transparent and empowering, or do people seem afraid to speak up?
These questions can help reveal whether your succession plan needs adjustment and where to focus your next steps.
The Meridian Method™ helps families tackle these challenges head-on, combining proven systems for succession planning, next gen/leadership development, and culture-building, all tailored to multi-generational family businesses.
You don’t have to figure it out alone and you don’t have to settle for a plan that risks everything you’ve built.
If you’d like to hear the full story of this family who overcame these exact challenges and took back their business and their future, listen to the full conversation here on the Family Business Breakthrough podcast.
