Leave a Legacy

RSS By: Kevin Spafford, Legacy Project

Kevin Spafford is Farm Journal’s succession planning expert for the Farm Journal Legacy Project. He hosts the nationally-televised ‘Leave a Legacy’ TV, facilitates an ongoing series of workshops for farm families across the U.S., and is the author of Legacy by Design: Succession Planning for Agribusiness Owners.

Have a succession planning question? Ask Kevin.

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Where Do We Start?

Mar 16, 2010

From Legacy Moment eNewsletter (March 12, 2010)
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One of the most frequently asked questions I receive following a succession planning presentation is:

“Where do we start the process?”

How about beginning with the action steps outlined below?

Schedule a Family Meeting.
Distribute Conversation Starters to all family members and ask each of them to be prepared to discuss their interest.
Use the Goals Clarification Worksheet to define the succession planning objectives for the family.
In the meeting, distribute and have each attendee complete the Succession Planning Self-Assessment.

Conclude the meeting by making a Commitment Agreement and scheduling a follow-up -- either another family meeting or a facilitated consultation with a succession planning professional.

Roll Up Your Sleeves:

Participate in a Legacy Project workshop. Upcoming locations include Middleton, WI, Owatonna, MN, and Sioux Falls, SD.
Another good place to start is with the Legacy Project Primer.
For more on organizing a successful family meeting, see “Staring Down Succession” (Farm Journal, Mid-November 2009).
And, please – if I may help in any way, don’t hesitate to ask Kevin…

Don't miss the March 25, 2010 episode of Leave a Legacy TV