A media mogul, based in Hong Kong, is overseeing a complex generational transition while navigating family tensions. How will you help him facilitate it?
THE ISSUE
A. Lee, born in the 1930s in Hong Kong, took over from his father’s business and built a global media empire over several decades. His empire has included newspapers, television networks, film studios and more. With his advancing age, questions have arisen about who would lead his media companies in the future.
A. Lee has had children from multiple marriages. Two of them are sons, Ken and Ben, who both have significant roles within the company. In 2020, Ken resigned from his positions in the company after a bitter conflict, signalling a significant shift in the family’s succession plan. The move seemed to solidify Ben’s position as the key successor.
In 2022, A Lee’s business empire underwent significant restructuring and part of the assets were sold to a global competitor. In 2023, A Lee formally appointed Ben as the new CEO. However, A. Lee also appointed himself to play the role of an ‘overseer’ in the company’s affairs and children from other branches also wanted involvement in the business. You have been chosen as a coach to A. Lee and a family facilitator to navigate this complex generational transition in a family-owned enterprise. How will you approach this?
- This issue’s Troubleshooter has been curated byVeronica Munro, international C suite executive coach, performance facilitator and author
THE INTERVENTIONS
Felicia Heng, Founder and managing director, Wise Purpose
I would start with a candid discussion with A Lee to define the meaning of his legacy. Then, I would agree with him on follow-up coaching sessions with key family members who need to agree and commit to the plan.
Key coaching areas may include:
1. Governing platforms
- Exploring and defining the family values and legacy. Using appreciative inquiry so the family members can leverage their strengths and honour the founding patriarch’s values
- Identifying the long-term mission of the family business that will help address challenges in the changing landscape of the media industry
- Identifying key roles of the immediate family as well as the extended family
- Agreeing the best way to formalise their values and ideals in a written family constitution that may facilitate future decision-making and succession
2. Governing principles Identifying:
- A. Lee’s options for the most effective departure from his role as CEO
- options for determining which family branches and generations will be involved in next steps to avoid disputes
- available roles and developing the talent within the family for these
3. Implementing practices
- Exploring how the family will know when to adjust/amend the constitution
- Agreeing how social and other media communication will create a culture of transparency and inclusion
- Two-phased coaching will empower A. Lee and his family to build a robust family governance system that increases the chances of a smooth transition.
John Johnstone, Master executive coach and founder, Lead Real Change
This assignment has multiple layers of complexity with four potential interconnected pieces of work.
1. Coaching A. Lee
a. Inviting A Lee to tell his story
b. Listening for his heart’s desire for the business
c. Asking him what he needs to sacrifice to achieve his heart’s desire – and work with this
2. Discovery – building a system map
a. Identifying all key players in the current system
b. Meeting with each individual for discovery conversations to:
- i. describe the current situation (what works well and the key issues)
- ii. what their desired future is
This would reveal their different ideas, where they are aligned and pain points to be addressed. They would also feel a greater deal of inclusion in the process and the coming solution.
3. Whole-system playback and reaction – starting a systemic dialogue
After playing back the key themes to A. Lee, and supporting him to think through these in depth, the discovery report will be played back to the whole system in a facilitated workshop where space is made for each person to reflect, respond and be heard. Ideally some areas of agreement will emerge along with any fracture points. A. Lee would then decide on what is next and what and who will gain his blessing.
4. Individual coaching for each key player – enabling growth and change
Each key player would be offered their own confidential depth coaching to:
- enable each person to feel fully heard and included
- encourage them to let go of any attachment to an ‘old story’
- identify their values, motivations and hopes for themselves and the business
- approach the future with open minds and prepare them to think about the next ahead