Journal

DEI as a leadership operating system starts with a hard fact: 76% of respondents say leaving every human the organization touches better off is very or critically important to success, yet only 10% say their organizations are actually making that shift ( Deloitte , 2024) .

Three in four cross-functional teams underperform on key metrics. If you run a business unit, that is not an abstract collaboration problem; it is a direct warning that the way work moves across functions is likely costing you speed where customers can feel it ( McKinsey , 2024).

You announce the successor at the quarterly leadership meeting, and everyone nods. Then the real decisions still route back to the founder by Friday. That is the succession paradox in a second-generation family business .

Discover how AI helps CEOs anticipate market shifts and disruptions for smarter strategic decisions.

Learn how to turn founder ideas into actionable early-stage business models for startup success.

63% of employers say skill gaps are a major barrier to business transformation. For a CHRO, that changes the question from “What should we teach? ” to “How fast can talent move where the business now needs it?

Gallup found global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025 . If commitment is this thin inside organizations, a GM should assume trust is even harder to earn outside them in a new region ( Gallup , 2026) .

85% of family business executives say strategic CEO succession planning is critical to long-term success, yet many still approach the transition as a date on a calendar, not a system of leadership transfer ( Deloitte , 2026) .

The enterprise technology leadership model has already changed: 80% of tech leaders say their roles have significantly expanded to meet business objectives.

Over 3,000 enterprising families have worked with The Family Business Consulting Group since 1994—so ask yourself: if family values are so central, why do they still fail so often in leadership transitions?

Explore strategies CHROs use to build inclusive mentoring programs that speed diverse leadership growth and break career barriers.

Only 5 to 15 percent of family businesses continue into the third generation —so what exactly are you still assuming informal governance will handle? If your family firm is approaching that handoff, the real risk is rarely a lack of commitment.