Ivan Lansberg
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And asking yourself, what risks are we taking and what measures might we build into our operating models to be able to cushion uncertainty, which will come your way, one way or another. You know, whether it's 9-11, whether it's COVID, whether it is, you know, the new administration, whatever it is. Something's going to affect and touch your business.
And asking yourself, what risks are we taking and what measures might we build into our operating models to be able to cushion uncertainty, which will come your way, one way or another. You know, whether it's 9-11, whether it's COVID, whether it is, you know, the new administration, whatever it is. Something's going to affect and touch your business.
You better be ready for that and understand that any one of those measures, like a spare tire in a car, will take some resources, will occupy space, will weigh you down a little bit. But in exchange for that, you're upping the chances of continuity, which for most family enterprises, I'm very much in tune with your legacy constructs, is key. That is a key priority.
You better be ready for that and understand that any one of those measures, like a spare tire in a car, will take some resources, will occupy space, will weigh you down a little bit. But in exchange for that, you're upping the chances of continuity, which for most family enterprises, I'm very much in tune with your legacy constructs, is key. That is a key priority.
So if you want to continue, you better be attentive to risk.
So if you want to continue, you better be attentive to risk.
And to me, I became a grandfather seven years ago. And to me, that is a very important motivation to try and reflect on what can I pass on to my grandchildren that... will endure? You know, what are the stories? What are the values?
And to me, I became a grandfather seven years ago. And to me, that is a very important motivation to try and reflect on what can I pass on to my grandchildren that... will endure? You know, what are the stories? What are the values?
What are the strategies that I've seen worked and that this work actually reflects, you know, an inventory of that could be useful to them as they will tackle the world they will inherit with full knowledge that that world, as Devin suggests, will be quite different from the one I've lived.
What are the strategies that I've seen worked and that this work actually reflects, you know, an inventory of that could be useful to them as they will tackle the world they will inherit with full knowledge that that world, as Devin suggests, will be quite different from the one I've lived.
Yeah, I know. It's a great question, and I had two thoughts on that. One is, you know, there is something so important in families because you're constantly managing the relationship between the I, who I am as an individual, and the we, the identity that we hold together as a group, right? So that tension is inherently built into families. The other thought I had about this was –
Yeah, I know. It's a great question, and I had two thoughts on that. One is, you know, there is something so important in families because you're constantly managing the relationship between the I, who I am as an individual, and the we, the identity that we hold together as a group, right? So that tension is inherently built into families. The other thought I had about this was –
A story that I think Warren Buffett tells about, you know, sometimes they ask him, so how do you define success? And then he says that the person who dies with the most friends. And then they asked him, so how do you define a friend? And then he says, well, a friend is... And then he notes a friend of his who went through the Holocaust, right? Right.
A story that I think Warren Buffett tells about, you know, sometimes they ask him, so how do you define success? And then he says that the person who dies with the most friends. And then they asked him, so how do you define a friend? And then he says, well, a friend is... And then he notes a friend of his who went through the Holocaust, right? Right.
And says, a friend is somebody who will hide you, meaning somebody who will have enough conviction and commitment to you to take a personal risk on your behalf.
And says, a friend is somebody who will hide you, meaning somebody who will have enough conviction and commitment to you to take a personal risk on your behalf.
An advocate, right? An advocate who will protect you when the time comes. Our emphasis on family and on risk, basically, in the book, it really comes from being exposed to families worldwide in the US, in Europe, in Asia, in Latin America, in Africa, that are just
An advocate, right? An advocate who will protect you when the time comes. Our emphasis on family and on risk, basically, in the book, it really comes from being exposed to families worldwide in the US, in Europe, in Asia, in Latin America, in Africa, that are just
exemplary at managing that tension and being able to call forth a collective identity that allows them to get, you know, that gives them the resiliency they need to cope with the challenges they face.
exemplary at managing that tension and being able to call forth a collective identity that allows them to get, you know, that gives them the resiliency they need to cope with the challenges they face.