Emma Combe
speaker
323 appearances
4 recordings
1 series
first heard Jan 2026
last heard 9 Sep
Emma Combe’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 4 in all, peaking in Sep 2026 with 1.
Appearances
How can an outside CEO best prepare for joining a family enterprise?
I love that idea of treating the history of the business as a book you need to read.
A new CEO may naturally be eager to focus on the next chapter, but they cannot write it effectively without understanding everything that has come before.
And taking the time to learn the story, the core values of the business and its shared history is such a powerful way to demonstrate respect.
And then in my experience, one other area to try and get real alignment from family members on is the need for dividends, for cash flows in the shorter term versus investing for the longer term.
This is always a dynamic tension in businesses, but trying to get alignment from family members on that key topic, I believe, is absolutely crucial.
And Barak, that brings us to listening.
What role does listening play during the first year?
And who should outside CEOs make sure they're listening to across a family enterprise?
What's particularly important in that example is that the relationship building started before the formal start date.
It did not happen only in boardrooms or scheduled meetings.
That doesn't mean you need to take up every family member's hobby, but it does highlight the importance of being intentional about creating the conditions for open conversations.
And larger, more mature family businesses will have different governance structures in place.
They'll have family councils for whom some matters are reserved and the board can't deal with them.
And really understanding how the governance works and also what support mechanisms you'll have.
Have as the new CEO.
If there isn't an independent chair, for example, thinking about putting a mentor in place, thinking about a coach, how to make sure that you've got the resilience and the sounding boards that you need, independent of the immediate ecosystem in which you're operating, I think is really important to ensure longer-term success.
Now of course, even with the best preparation in the world, disagreements will inevitably happen.
Barak, what happens when trust breaks down between the CEO and the family, and how can it be repaired?
That instinct to become defensive is really understandable, Burak, particularly when you believe your intentions or decisions have been misunderstood.
Showing 121–140 of 323 · page 7 of 17
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