What lessons emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Learn about the research on the core elements of an ownership culture that drive company performance.

Strong organizations build structures and policies that support individual leadership development.

Ginny Vanderslice moderated a panel of ESOP CEOS, who discussed ownership culture, leadership in employee-owned companies, and the impact of the ESOP structure in their companies' success.

A succession plan should spell out a process that identifies and develops those who, with time and the right experiences, could be ready to move into not only the CEO role, but other key roles within the organization.

This white paper outlines governance issues, options, and best practices in privately-held professional service firms.

This article explores how companies can develop an ownership vision that reflects their strategic business goals.

Effective boards make a significant contribution to their company’s success. However, in many cases, employee owners do not understand why their organization has a board, what the board does, what kinds of decisions the board makes, and, ultimately, how their board adds value.

This article describes the initial challenges that all ESOP companies face, and offers suggestions for meeting those challenges.

When leaders and managers have strong leadership skills and when those skills extend to more people in an organization, a company’s ability to manage internal and external challenges is enhanced, and unanticipated changes in personnel can be managed with minimal disruption.

Effective ESOP leadership is different than effective leadership in companies with more traditional ownership structures. The opportunities are greater and so are the challenges. Leaders in all companies need the basics of business acumen, strategic perspective, market awareness, and the ability to develop and communicate a compelling vision.

Hiring the CEO is typically a responsibility of a company’s Board of Directors. However it is often the case in ESOP companies that the first leadership transition following an ESOP’s implementation is made prior to the creation of a fully functioning Board.

Understanding and connecting to a company's culture can encourage an employee’s engagement and commitment to the firm.

An ESOP can be an effective tax-advantaged means of creating shareholder liquidity. At the same time, the ESOP provides an additional benefit for employees. But the ongoing payoff of the ESOP is based on its ability to align stakeholder interests.