Train the Trainer: Succession Facilitation
September 15, 2019
A ‘Succession Facilitation’ workshop delivered by Heather Wildman of Saviour Associates was held at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire on 10th September.
The workshop is aimed at those who work with farming families in various contexts to feel more confident about opening up or to even help to facilitate conversations around family succession planning. If you are interested, please keep your eyes peeled as we are running more workshops across the UK.
It was a very successful workshop and one of the participants said:
“I was blown away by your honest, funny, and completely open handed approach to sharing your approach, skills and experience- we were very lucky participants!
My mind was buzzing with so much when I got home and my 11 year old wanted to know how it had gone and what we’d been talking about … a perfect opportunity to raise business succession with the next generation- he got it and I asked him never to be afraid of raising either with me or his dad plans for the business, the future, what he might do and where he might live – how refreshing? Liberating even!
Rather different to his dad’s comments as we were checking the cattle and in particular a calf that needed a jab this morning… my in-laws are away for a few days and my husband said to the boys that ‘with grandpa away I had to make a management decision’ … really!?! He’s 42 and a really capable farmer, but has grown up in a family culture where his dad is boss (he’s 74) … and the whole family trades in passive aggressive kind of comments and so called jokes like that … so far I’ve not addressed it – I just want to scream ‘what do you want to model to the boys? That you can’t function without dad? That’s a lie! Grow up!!!’
Ah well, still buzzing – the home camp is always the hardest!!”
