From Friction to Flow: Navigating Engagement in Family Business Transitions

Masterclasses are an additional extra, add it on to your conference registration

This masterclass explores why engagement often breaks down in family businesses and how it shows up as disengagement, conflict or stuck decisions. Wendy Sage-Hayward will share practical tools to navigate unspoken rules, unclear roles and differing priorities, helping advisors support family business clients to participate meaningfully, rebuild trust, and strengthen succession and continuity planning.

Engagement is essential for continuity and succession in family businesses, but it often breaks down. Conflict, exclusion, family history, fear of change and poor communication can all get in the way. This masterclass helps advisors understand why different stakeholders (i.e., owners, operators, spouses/partners, and next-generation members) disengage, and how this shows up as stuck decisions, “box-ticking” involvement or pulling away.

We’ll explore key ideas such as voice vs. vote, informal power, unspoken rules, unclear roles and different time horizons across generations. You’ll learn simple, practical ways to spot and address engagement issues without making the process overly complex. We’ll share tools to surface interests and concerns, set clear inclusion rules, calm tensions and create credible ways for people to participate that rebuild trust and accountability.