01 /
A successor is named but cannot decide
An owner announces a successor yet continues to approve every meaningful choice. Staff keep returning to the founder, and the successor cannot demonstrate leadership in practice. The title changes while the operating pattern stays the same.
Define which decisions transfer, what support is available and how exceptions are handled. Use the leadership readiness guide to identify evidence of progress.
02 /
A price is agreed before affordability is tested
The parties may settle on a number without examining how it will be paid or what the business must fund afterwards. A transition can stall when the incoming owner, outgoing owner and business depend on incompatible assumptions.
Bring valuation, funding and cash forecasts into the same discussion. Record the assumptions behind each proposed stage rather than treating the headline amount as a completed plan.
03 /
Family agreement is assumed
One family member may expect to lead, another may want an investment interest and another may want an exit. Silence does not establish agreement. Mixing employment, ownership and family expectations can make the discussion harder.
Our family succession guide helps separate these questions. Give people a clear forum to state their objectives before committing to a route.
04 /
The plan has no fallback
A preferred successor may withdraw or the owner's circumstances may change. A plan built around one untested assumption leaves little room to respond. Identify the dependencies and the events that would require a different route.
Use the succession template to record contingencies, owners and review dates. Our succession planning advice can help connect the workstreams.
Use this in your business
From warning sign to next action
| Warning sign | Possible cause | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| Staff bypass the successor | Authority is unclear. | Agree a decision-rights handover. |
| Terms keep changing | Funding assumptions differ. | Reconcile the financial scenarios. |
| Family conversations stall | Objectives remain unstated. | Separate ownership and employment questions. |
| Actions have no owner | The plan is only an intention. | Assign decisions, owners and review dates. |
| One setback stops everything | No fallback has been considered. | Identify alternate routes and triggers. |
A practical example
Repair the assumption before accelerating
A founder may interpret a successor's hesitation as lack of commitment when the successor is actually unclear about authority and funding. Pushing for an earlier transfer date will not resolve either question. A more useful first step is to name and test the assumptions holding the decision back.
Your next move
Discuss what is holding your transition back
Bring the part of the transition that keeps returning to the same unresolved discussion. We can help identify the decision that needs to be made next.
Discuss what is holding your transition back