Family dynamics can exacerbate ever-increasingly complicated challenges in the business world – especially when it comes to appointing a new leader of a family business. Author Ronald P. Smyser, founder of business leadership company Spinnaker Leadership Associates, Inc., simplifies this otherwise intricate process in his new guidebook “Family Business: Practical Leadership Succession Planning: Exceed Your Expectations” (published by Abbott Press), according to a December press release.

According to the Spinnaker Leadership Associates website, the business is Philadelphia-based and has a Landenberg address.

“Less than 15 percent of family businesses survive into and through the second generation,” Smyser writes.

“Family Business: Practical Leadership Succession Planning” highlights leadership succession as an essential priority to preserving the current and future health of a successful family business. The guidebook also describes how family business founders can implement practical leadership succession planning throughout their business – well before they plan to move on – to create a seamless leadership succession process that enhances current and future family business success.

“Family Business: Practical Leadership Succession Planning” provides step-by-step advice that, for example, may enable the reader to: 
—Focus on and lead practical leadership succession as a key priority. 
—Identify and overcome barriers to successful leadership and leadership succession. 
—Specify the leadership strengths needed to match or exceed the founder’s leadership capabilities. 
—Better understand the next generation’s real professional passions and motivations. 
—Objectively seek fully qualified leadership candidates from within and outside the business. 
—Work smarter to magnify leadership impact and accomplish practical leadership succession for enhancing the current and future health of the business – while reducing personal stress.

The book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Smyser is chairman of Spinnaker Leadership Associates, Inc. He formerly held leadership positions in a Fortune 100 company and subsequently led family businesses in a variety of industries. Over the last 20 years, Spinnaker has assisted leaders of startups to global family businesses with insightful leadership counsel based on proven, practical business principles.