![Inside the mind of a successful Manager [infographic]](https://ashtonmanufacturing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Website-Media-Resources-image-15-1080x675.jpg)
An effective manager isn’t tyrannical. They don’t command unnecessarily, micromanage or instil fear. A successful manager can be approachable, amicable and even downright compassionate. These managers lead teams of satisfied employees, which reduces turnover and boosts morale and productivity. Here are the key qualities of a successful manager…
Growing a business is one thing, but passing the baton is just as important. In private and family enterprises, it’s essential to think of the future first. KPMG Partner Dominic Pelligana looks at succession planning in small business.
Many small-to-medium enterprises and family businesses share a common risk – a lack of succession planning. It is easy for founders or CEO’s to get so focused on day-to-day operations that they fail to consider future leadership.
Dominic Pelligana is adamant that a succession plan is vital for a sustainable business model. He suggests that both owners and boards must face this issue.
“Succession planning is about developing a pool of capable leaders…get people wrong and you put the business’s ability to perform at risk,” he said.
In its simplest form, strategic planning involves setting a clear plan and then aligning an organisation to execute that plan. That is, it requires a plan and capability.
It is also important to understand and align where the owners, the board and management believe the organisation is in its lifecycle, and the leadership style required. Only then can it have a meaningful conversation in relation to strategic planning and developing and/or acquiring the capabilities (succession planning) required to execute the plan at the board and/or management levels.
What good strategy looks like
Pelligana described succession as the orderly transfer of management (the CEO), control (the board) and equity (ownership) to the next generation.
For company founders who have a business in their bones, he recognised that it can “take a bit of humility to step aside and let another CEO take over the business”.
However, getting succession on track can actually help a founder grow their business without fear of losing control and suffering burn out.
He said signs that a business is off track to succession include a lack of awareness of issues and challenges, a lack of goal alignment and trust, and inability to separate from a focus on operations to future management. In family business, another poor sign is blurring the best interests of the business with interests of the owners or family.
Signs that a business is on track include awareness of the issues and challenges, having inside and outside perspectives, and strong alignment on the key issues and context. Clear plans for the transfer of management, control and ownership are essential, along with the trust and commitment to follow the plan.
The key is to build a leadership team that complements the founder’s entrepreneurial strengths, along with professional management capabilities, Pelligana said. Boards need to be active in this process, helping to align activities to the future vision.
An inside perspective
Succession in family business can be unique due to the competing expectations of the founders and subsequent generations.
“People say it’s the third generation [that lets a family business down], but I think the first generation hangs on too long,” he said.
Pelligana said the first generation of family business is generally “all about survival”, the second is usually about establishing professional management systems, and the third is often about financial strategy.
“How do we allocate capital…are we all in?” he said.
Pellagina has spoken to Claire Mackay and Tim Mackay, siblings who are Principals of Sydney-based family business, Qantum Financial. Their father, Bill Mackay, set it up in 1994 and is now the Chairman.
Fortunately for succession purposes, Claire and Tim shared their father’s passion for financial management, but Bill did not immediately grant them a place in the company.
“He [Bill] wouldn’t let us in the business until we had worked elsewhere – he wanted us to make our mistakes elsewhere,” said Tim Mackay.
They said succession has been a key focus for the family and they have “everything in writing” in regard to future ownership. However, they regularly revisit the plan to ensure their goals remain aligned. The siblings commented that they didn’t want a succession plan that “relied on an 11 year-old to run the company”, recognising that the third generation may not be inclined to take on the business.
“It is about embracing the legacy – but taking it forward,” they agreed.
Read more on the KPMG website
Image courtesy of: https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/prince-charles-receives-rare-photo-mother-queen-elizabeth-89411
Ashton’s Chief Executive Officer Rohan Kerr recently met the Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, at a function in Brisbane. The often serious and uncompromising Minister was relaxed and good-humoured at the event.
Rohan had a detailed conversation with the Minister about Ashtons and the challenges that Australian manufacturers face. Mr Joyce was interested to learn about Ashtons and expressed his desire to ensure that manufacturing remained strong in Australia.
The Minister is very much aware of the challenges of small business. In his early years, when faced with a choice between a senior role in banking or starting his own business, Mr Joyce chose the latter and owned and operated Barnaby Joyce & Co for ten years in the western Queensland town of St George.
Mr Joyce says that operating his own business was among the most challenging yet rewarding decisions of his career and is unashamedly pro small business and is a strong advocate for the sector.
0:04 What was it about Expression Coffins that initially attracted you to offer them to your client families?
0:24 What makes Expression Coffins different from other products on the market?
0:45 Have Expression Coffins helped to change the traditional funeral experience for families?
1:25 What feedback do you receive about Expression Coffins from people at funerals?
1:42 Which designs do you find are the most popular?
2:23 Can you talk about your experience of working with the Expression Coffins’ creative team to organise a personalised design?
3:13 What would you say to funeral home owners who are thinking about introducing Expression Coffins into their range?
Throwing open the front doors of your funeral home to let inquisitive groups look through your facility may be a cause for consternation in some. In an industry where discretion is of foremost concern, welcoming groups of interested people through your premises may seem counterproductive. However, there are some very positive reasons to conduct ‘Open Days’ at your funeral home, where the local community is invited to come and learn about your business and services.
Demystifying funeral homes
The most compelling reason to host an Open Day is to demystify the stigma which is often associated with funeral homes and ‘death’ generally. For the layperson, funeral homes are seen as places to avoid; only to be visited at the worst possible times during your life. However, our research suggests that encouraging the local community to an Open Day will result in the understanding that your funeral home is a welcoming space that offers an array of specialised services, respectful care of deceased and dedicated support for families during times of great stress. Some attendees at the Open Day will be contended to see your front office and possibly an arranging room, others will want the full tour of back offices, mortuary and cremation facilities. Both experiences however will help people to understand that your funeral home is a safe, caring environment, which does not warrant preconceived anxiety or fear.
Opportunity to explain the importance of funerals
An Open Day also gives the funeral home the opportunity to explain the importance of a funeral and related services in the grieving process, which is important information that is often misunderstood and undervalued in today’s society.
As Dr Alan Wolfelt (from the Centre for Loss & Life Transition) suggests, funerals help families to:
People who understand the importance of the funeral process have a better chance to creating a more meaningful experience for themselves and others.
Outlining services offered
Many funeral homes are moving towards providing a more comprehensive range of services to families, including: chapel facilities, catering services, in-house video production, and butterfly releases etc. An Open Day allows visitors to become aware of your range of services which can help them leave more explicit instructions to their families regarding their wishes for their own funeral service, and to share with others what services your funeral home offers.
Community interaction
Open Days are a positive way for funeral homes to interact with the local community, to share knowledge and to promote the variety of services that they offer. They do not have to be highly orchestrated events, they can be as simple as inviting the community to your funeral home for a free sausage sizzle and tour, where every attendee receives an information pack with further reading material about your funeral home and/or prearrangement, plus other marketing collateral or freebies. For relatively little expense, these days can lead to new requests for prearranged funerals and to new enquires from word-of-mouth referrals.
Image: theshorthorn.com
![You can almost eat our new pillow filler [infographic]](https://ashtonmanufacturing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Website-Media-Resources-image-11-1080x675.jpg)
One of our brand values is our commitment to environmentally sustainable practices. We continually work with our suppliers to develop products that will achieve this end.
We have recently been working with one of our suppliers and have developed an amazing biodegradable, Australian-made, environmentally-friendly filler for the pillows that we supply with our lined coffins.
This new filler is a remarkably clean, sustainable product made from Australian wheat starch and has some remarkable attributes:
Read more about our commitment to sustainability:
Our new contemporary, award-winning coffin range: Return to Sender
Please note: Our pillow filler cannot be eaten!