- April 11, 2016
- 4:37 pm
- Andrew Keyt
- no comments
Center of Attention: An Interview with Suzanne Mansell
Suzanne Mansell is the President of Avant Consulting Inc., specializes in supporting emerging leaders, leadership teams, and owner-managed companies, including family businesses, through times of sensitive organizational change, such as leadership and ownership succession.
Suzanne is a frequent speaker on topics related to family businesses and multi-generational workplaces and was a Next Gen PAG leader at the FBC. She has been published in magazines and journals including Family Business magazine, Families in Business magazine and Family Business Review.
How has family business evolved over the last 25 years?
Family businesses contribute greatly to our country’s GDP, and they are the life blood of our economy; yet for many years, family businesses were misunderstood as dysfunctional systems where nepotism trumped healthy growth and profitability. Through efforts of organizations such as the FBC, there has been increased awareness of the importance of family business to our economy–particularly with its longer-term focus that benefits the business, the family, and its people. I’ve also seen family businesses embrace innovation and “intre-preneurism” more than before—thus peaking the interest of younger generations to get involved with their family’s business. As family businesses embrace change along with tradition, younger generation members are becoming more optimistic that their ideas and voices will be heard and that there will be a place for them in the business.
Can you share your memories of some of your experiences of the early members of the Center?
Some of my fondest memories were at FBC programs at The Four Seasons. During breaks in the programming, I had the chance to chat with folks like Dave Juday, Joe Perrino, and Bob Buddig about their kids and their businesses. Being a part of the FBC made you feel like you were a part of the members’ families. I also really enjoyed visiting members’ businesses when I was a Next Gen PAG facilitator. I loved seeing the members ‘in their element’. At companies such as Sloan Valve, Andis and Hoffer Plastics, there was such a great sense of pride and respect that was palpable with individual employees and apparent in the greater company culture.
In your opinion, how has the FBC impacted our families and the field overall?
One of the biggest ways that the FBC has impacted families has been the focus on being a membership-driven organization. The Center has maintained a commitment to excellence in its programming, and I’m consistently blown away by the quality of programs and Institutes that are being created. The only way this happens is with strong leadership and a stellar staff! I also believe that the focus on experiential learning for a growing membership base has allowed the Center to contribute experience-based research to the field at large.
How has the FBC evolved in the past 25 years?
The FBC began as a membership-based organization and continues to be membership-driven. Within that consistency, the FBC has evolved to become influential amongst large, national, multi-generational family businesses and continues to be relevant to the smaller, earlier stage family business. I believe the FBC has been able to evolve in this way because of a commitment to intimacy with each member family as well as a focus on deeper, experiential learning. This approach provides a customized experience for each family’s situation—and it’s priceless.
What advice do you have for the Center moving forward?
Continue to innovate and continuously improve programming, while also maintaining the warm, intimate environment that makes everyone—including myself—always feel like part of the family.
Thank you so much to Suzanne for all the time she has contributed to helping the Center grow!