Will, Harper, and Nora Lee Dawson are heirs to a vast Southern empire. But when their father dies without a will and their calculating mother disappears, the family’s motto becomes a curse. Do they “Protect our assets? Trust nobody?”
Threats include legal ambiguity, AI manipulation, cyber predators, bizarre beneficiaries, and new advisors with contradictory expertise. To unlock – and protect- their family legacy, the siblings must develop new powers that their parents never taught them: Hope. Agency. Resilience. Optimism.
They have to do what they’ve never done before— trust each other.
FREE access is at https://action-learning.com/product/legacy-locked-book/. Use the coupon code crubne3q
Legacy Locked is more than a novel.
It’s a journey into the forces that shape what we inherit… and what we hide.
Gift #2: Download Legacy Locked book now. While it’s still free. FREE access is at https://action-learning.com/product/legacy-locked-book/. Use the coupon code crubne3q
Because the only thing scarier than a locked legacy… is never knowing what was inside.
Over decades of work with family business leaders, wealth advisors, and family office professionals, I see the same pattern. Failures result from too much dependence on financial and legal matters. People are emotional. Families are doubly emotional! Right? Think of your family or a client’s emotional mess. Yikes!
Those blind spots can be avoided. Most successful wealth transfers and succession plans occur when some third party expert facilitator supports the process- not the financial and legal factors.
The Missing Piece in Traditional Wealth Planning
While financial and legal expertise IS necessary, they are NOT sufficient. This insight comes from decades of observing what actually happens in family wealth transitions.
Traditional approaches to succession planning typically excel at the easy details that AI can now provide:
Creating tax-efficient structures
Drafting comprehensive legal documents
Developing sophisticated investment strategies
But owners and advisors frequently overlook critical components such as:
The psychological readiness for wealth responsibility – As I’ve written previously, “Next Gen leaders always question if they truly belong, especially if they joined through marriage or face complicated family dynamics. Many Next Gen leaders feel anxiety, loneliness, or self-doubt… and optimism.”
Family communication dynamics – In my experience, even the most brilliantly crafted estate plan fails when the family can’t effectively communicate about difficult topics. Someone is likely to say or do the wrong thing. Unless the process is expertly facilitated.
Leadership development beyond technical knowledge – As noted in my work with books, “Next Gen leaders need more than financial literacy. They need communication skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to balance innovation with tradition.” Those are dynamic skills. Measurable skills. And very coachable skills!
Thoughtful technological integration – When technology serves human connections instead of replacing them, even the most traditional family members can become enthusiastic supporters.
The Kitchen Table Council Approach
In my article “Making AI Work for Family Businesses,” I described the concept of a “kitchen table council” where multiple generations come together to solve problems collaboratively. This approach exemplifies what effective wealth transition looks like in practice. It is bringing together different perspectives while respecting each voice.
This methodology addresses the full spectrum of challenges facing family enterprises, not just the financial and legal aspects but also the crucial human elements that ultimately determine success or failure. This approach tackles all challenges for family businesses, including financial, legal, and critical human factors impacting their success.
The Four Pillars of Our Legacy & Wealth Leadership Approach
Based on decades of work with family enterprises, our Legacy & Wealth Leadership approach addresses four essential dimensions:
1. Individual Coaching
Next-generation leaders face unique challenges in assuming wealth responsibility. Our coaching helps them develop:
Decision-making frameworks for complex situations
Communication skills for difficult conversations
Emotional intelligence to navigate family dynamics
Personal clarity about their role in the family legacy
Next Gen leaders particularly benefit from structured peer environments where Family and Non-Family Business leaders can share experiences, expert practices, and gain clarity.
2. Team & Family Facilitation
Even brilliant individuals falter without effective team dynamics. Our facilitation services help family enterprises:
Resolve communication breakdowns
Transform destructive conflict into productive dialogue
Align around shared values and vision
Develop governance structures that stand the test of time
In my experience, the power of an interdisciplinary team of advisors cannot be minimized. It’s hard for advisors to ‘sing from the same page’ as if huddled around one piece of paper, but we can do so! And the results can be a beautiful four-part harmony.
3. AI Strategy & Integration
Technology is transforming every industry. Our approach helps family businesses:
Identify the right technological opportunities for their unique situation
For the past year, I’ve focused on how AI can accelerate leadership development. In speeches and product demos clients have practiced difficult communication skills. One client went to www.JITCoach.com and selected role plays and avatars, then practiced 14 times before her next family meeting. The implications are profound for any individual or team leaders who are committed to professional development.
4. Family Office Structuring
For more complex family enterprises, comprehensive wealth structures are essential. Our family solutions help:
Design integrated governance systems
Create communication protocols that strengthen family bonds
Develop decision frameworks that balance innovation with tradition
One of the most influential thinkers alive today is XPrize founder and MD, Peter Diamandis… [who shared] “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” I wrote about those changes for Family Business Consulting in the International best seller,
Why 2025 Demands New Action
The coming months represent a critical period for family enterprises for several reasons:
Technological transformation is accelerating at unprecedented rates
Economic uncertainty accelerates both risks and opportunities
Generational expectations continue to diversify
The pace of wealth transfer is increasing as Baby Boomers age
Families who address these challenges holistically will not only preserve their wealth—they’ll strengthen the bonds that give that wealth meaning.Families who comprehensively tackle these issues will safeguard their wealth and reinforce the relationships that make it valuable.
Join Me for a Virtual Open House: Legacy & Wealth Leadership
If you’re responsible for family wealth—whether as an owner, Next Generation leader, or advisor—I invite you to join me for a virtual event where we’ll explore these topics in depth.
On May 22nd at 11am ET, I’m hosting a short “Legacy & Wealth Leadership” Virtual Open House. You’ll learn:
Why traditional approaches to wealth transition often fall short
Our integrated methodology addressing human dynamics alongside financial structures
Real outcomes in both family harmony and financial returns
As I often tell my clients, “Smart leaders don’t wait for the perfect moment… because they understand there is no perfect moment.” The time to address these critical family wealth challenges is now.
With so much noise surrounding artificial intelligence these days, it’s easy for leaders to feel overwhelmed. Is AI just another tech fad, or is there genuine value beneath the buzzwords? In this conversation, we explore how AI has rapidly evolved from a novelty into an essential business tool and why family businesses are uniquely positioned to benefit from its practical applications.
The Technology Adoption Lifecycle
Think about where Siri and Alexa were just a decade ago. People found them odd and creepy, resisting the idea of being recorded or having their preferences tracked. Fast forward to today, and these AI assistants have become so integrated into our daily lives that we interact with them as if they’re another person in the room.
The technology adoption lifecycle follows a predictable pattern. We’ve moved beyond the innovators and early adopters phase of the 1990s and are now firmly in the early majority phase, where 34% of users are seeking pragmatic use cases. We know AI works, just like Siri and Alexa work. People are using ChatGPT regularly because it’s faster, more reliable, cheaper, and can be confidential.
And who makes the best users? Small business owners and family businesses. They’re agile and adaptive, without the compliance requirements and legal teams that might say “no” in larger organizations. They’re curious about how AI can benefit their businesses.
How Families and Small Businesses Can Cut Through the AI Noise
For leaders feeling overwhelmed by AI hype with countless platforms being thrown at them daily, it’s understandable to feel a sense of AI fatigue. Rather than trying to figure out everything at once, it’s more effective to focus on specific problems you’re facing and then explore how AI might help.
Let’s take sales as an example. A two-year cross-industry study found that sales teams using AI-powered training sold 24% more than teams that didn’t. Most companies would go to extraordinary lengths for even an 8% increase in revenue. This represents a simple, cost-effective tool that eliminates the risk of salespeople learning on the job with real clients. They can safely master all personas, objections, and value propositions before stepping into the field.
Overcoming Fear and Resistance to AI Adoption
Fear often defines us. Whether it’s fear of geopolitical decisions, new technologies, or change in general, we naturally resist what we don’t understand. But when evaluating any new technology, we should consider three key factors: Is it efficient? Is it effective? And what are the outcomes?
Every specialized profession is facing disruption right now:
Attorneys may resist robo-advisors
Wealth investors might shy away from AI-driven investment strategies
Organizational employees might fear automation replacing human roles
Yet every industry will be affected by AI in direct ways within the next 5-10 years. So why not overcome that resistance and learn how to implement AI in your business?
When faced with change, we typically respond in one of three ways: freeze, flight, or fight. We can freeze like a rabbit in the forest and try to ignore AI’s inevitable adoption. We can run away from it. Or we can fight—not against AI, but alongside it, wrestling with its potential until we master it.
If 45% of business owners are already using AI and your competitors are among them, the question becomes: why wouldn’t you use it now, especially if you had a secure way to do so in a closed system?
The Human Element: Why a Hybrid Approach to AI Coaching Matters
While AI platforms like Claude can help draft emails or prepare for difficult conversations, they lack the human dimension that addresses the emotional challenges we face. What if you could combine AI with human coaching to improve your ability to handle difficult and sensitive conversations?
Imagine practicing a difficult conversation with an AI avatar programmed to respond like the actual person you’ll be speaking with. As you rehearse multiple times, your confidence grows. Then, when you discuss your progress with a human coach who can address your internal struggles and provide personalized feedback, you’re getting the best of both worlds.
This hybrid coaching approach is three-dimensional rather than flat. The AI component provides consistent practice opportunities and immediate feedback, while the human coach adds depth, emotional intelligence, and personalized guidance that helps the learning stick.
Communication capability makes a tremendous difference in business success. Strong communication skills in leaders allows them to put out “people fires,” handle employee conflicts, reduce turnover, and free up business owners to focus on leadership and maintain work-life balance.
Effective management hinges on the ability to have productive conversations around delegation, feedback, accountability, hiring, termination, and performance improvement. Developing these skills traditionally required significant time investment from the manager and trainee. Now, with AI-assisted practice, managers can rapidly develop these crucial skills through repeated role-plays and targeted feedback.
Another study showed that this approach improved management capability by 24%. For small business owners struggling with operational challenges, this represents a fast, cost-effective way to make significant improvements.
Getting Started with AI
For those excited about AI and already using various platforms, the key is to just begin. Experiment and dabble. Pick any platform—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Poe—and start using it. The paid options ($20/month) generally provide better results.
If you have digital content—books, research, business documents—you can upload them to create a personalized AI that speaks your language. And by selecting privacy options that prevent sharing your content with large language models, you’ve created a confidential AI system for your organization that nobody else can access.
Many businesses are already using these tools for business protocols, operational processes, manufacturing, and marketing analyses. The question isn’t whether to adopt AI, but why wait any longer?
The future of professional development isn’t just AI or just human coaching—it’s both working together to accelerate your growth and success.
This blog post was adapted from a conversation with Doug Gray and Israel Hillegeist on practical AI applications for small businesses.
Interested in learning more about AI Coaching for Communication? Join the next edition of the Next Gen Leadership Series. https://www.nextgenpeergroups.com/the-next-gen-leadership-series
We wrote this conversation based on a short video recording… edited by AI tools that summarized us. Then edited by our marketing manager, Erin, who is a real person. We imagine that any leader, in any sector, can learn how to use AI in their business immediately. Reply or comment or connect?…. see www.JITCoach.com or schedule a demo
A grey-haired patriarch recently told me, “I love my kids and grandkids. But I don’t trust their ability to manage my money when I’m gone. My lawyer tells me that I need to restrict their access. What do you recommend?”
This Family Business Chaos myth assumes:
That fears motivate most human behaviors
That Elders need to restrict access to financial assets
That the Next Gen family members are unable to manage money
That advisors can recommend effective solutions
How silly.
Tragically, I’ve met “Family Business Consultants” who boast about $100,000 annual retainers to “manage the process.” They presume that family business leaders are inherently unstable, dysfunctional, heading toward chaos. With a wink they say, “And who knows when you will need me?”
How tragic and silly.
I call it the Family Business Chaos myth. In future posts I’ll share some more related myths. In this post, let’s look at each of these 4 statements in turn.
Fears do motivate most human behaviors. When we are hungry we eat. When we are threatened we fight. When we are confused or uninformed we create stories to “fill in the silence.” I recently heard about two Elders who anticipated a visit from their niece, whom they had not seen in 15 years. They created stories to explain the visit, from “she must have cancer” to “her husband may have abused her.”
In the same way, Elders often create stories to explain their kids and grandkids. It’s a delightful, ancient past time! When I visit Elders they may entertain me with stories, just as we drink lemonade on the porch. They often voice fears such as “she will never find a man who appreciates her” or “he couldn’t make money if we served it on a golden platter.” Those stories are entertaining. But they may be downright silly.
That idea that Elders need to restrict access to financial assets is ancient, and often based on some local precedent. We all repeat stories that reinforce our biased beliefs. Have you heard about our neighbor named Bubba who received a trust fund when he turned 21, then became an opioid addict? Confirmation bias occurs when we repeat desired beliefs. The fact is that most people with access to money learn to live below their means. They practice financial literacy.
Restricted access to wealth, or any resource, does not accelerate social change. In fact, restricted access can imprison people. Look at global slavery, work conditions, oppression of women or poverty. Restricted access may cause violence. Look at global divorce, broken families, suicides, loneliness, drug abuse. Instead, what if wealth advisors actually shared their knowledge in a series of educational sessions? What if digital courses encouraged Next Gen leaders to ask questions about index funds, incentive trusts, donor assisted funds, IRAs, retirement, employee matches?
The #1 web browser is Google because people search for information. The #2 web browser is YouTube, because people search for answers. And they are both owned by Alphabet. The fact is that Next Gens are digitally trusting, better educated than many Elders, and often want to develop more financial literacy. Just ask them!
The notion that Next Gen family members are unable to manage money is based on ignorance. Throughout recorded history, in every corner of the world, most assets are quietly transferred to the Next Generation. (Also called the Rising Generation, like a Rising Tide or a tsunami). If Elders are not able to teach responsible wealth management, then other advisors can do so. One positive outcome from the Certified Financial Professional (CFP) designation is that wealth advisors are better self-managed to actually serve their client interests. For many decades “financial managers” were incentivized by higher commission fees or transactional incentives from their product managers.
Throughout my career I’ve taught people how to manage their precious time, money, treasures and talents. Nothing is more important. Perhaps anyone reading or sharing this article shares that same commitment.
Teaching financial literacy assumes that Elders and Next Gens are willing to learn. When I facilitate family meetings, I encourage the Next Gens to ask questions, because curiosity is the currency of learning. When they ask questions, the wealth advisors can share resources. I also encourage the Elders to bite their tongues- which is difficult. They often want to share their values and knowledge. But our kids learn to swim from other adults, not from their parents. Our kids learn to golf from professionals, not from their parents. In the same way, when Next Gen leaders ask questions and learn, the Elders smile with delight. They are practicing financial literacy and seeing that “light in their eyes” when their children and grandchildren actually learn.
We want to believe that advisors can recommend effective solutions because we want to trust “experts.” We go to physicians when we require healthcare, and they diagnose and treat us. We go to lawyers when we require asset transaction or protection. For many years, when I asked Google “Can you provide some business consulting?” it replied “Not at this time.” Now over 40% of my clients use ChatGBT for business consulting. Immediately. I have copied responses from one platform, like Claude, to ask other platforms, like Inflection, to provide more details. And recent studies confirm that some AI platforms demonstrate more empathy than “professionals.”
Let’s assume that advisors using AI will be more effective than those not using AI. And they will become even more effective next month. And every month thereafter. The best advisors are already using AI to provide more recommendations than ever for their clients. In seconds. Converging technologies, such as healthcare and AI consulting, will increase in power and provide even more value. Accurately. Imagine an empathic robot that suggests how Elders can bite their tongues. Imagine a hologram of the founders that can explain the values and challenges faced 50 years ago. Imagine a family meeting with 5 generations of healthy, opinionated owners instead of 3 generations.
Now imagine that one “family business consultant” can serve your legacy needs. How silly.
The example of the $100,000 annual retainer from that winking “family business consultant” who says, “you never know when you may need me” could be a waste of money.
My experience is that the presumption that family business leaders are inherently unstable, dysfunctional, heading toward chaos is downright silly. It may be lucrative for those using retainers. But it ignores the reality that family business leaders can flourish.
Yes, I’ll address HOW to flourish in a series of future posts. Please share this post with anyone who might appreciate it.
And add your thoughts or comments on this post about the Family Business Chaos myth? This could become a discussion.
How to make your next proposal better than your last one.
Let’s face it, of all the skills you can bring to bear to help your clients, the limiting factor is your ability to get proposals signed. You need to make money. You want to share your genius with the world world. You need to get your proposal written and sold. You need to deliver value at each step of the sales process. Here are three great ways to write coaching proposals that sell. You can be smarter than your competitors.
Less fluff, more value. Your job is to add value and solve your client’s problems. Nothing else matters. Your model, framework, tactic or magical gifts do NOT provide value to your client. Your solution is the value. Stay focused on the results you can deliver.
2. Fewer credentials, more results. Congratulations, your certification/ degree is a huge accomplishment. But nobody understands what it means. Make sure more space is devoted to results than credentials.
3. Make it easy to understand. If your buyer has to exercise their brain to realize how good your proposal is, then you haven’t done the work required to make it great. Keep the structure simple.
The Feedback Process
EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR: Tom Stone
We all talk about feedback a lot. Most leaders think they do it well. But my opinion is that we simply don’t know how to give feedback well. The problem is our inability to give good feedback creates problems down the road.
A lack of feedback gives people unspoken approval for unacceptable behavior. This false approval encourages people to continue patterns of behavior that don’t help them or anyone else.
But it gets worse. Everyone in an organization is constantly evaluating competency. So a lack of feedback not only affects the person who needs to receive, but it also affects everybody else who knows that feedback should be given.
A leader is never out from under the microscope. Giving good feedback is one of the surest ways to encourage effective behavior and to demonstrate leadership competency. It is a skill that can be learned, and we can learn to teach it and demand it as part of our culture.
Feedback leads to learning.
The Leadership Wisdom of Dogs
EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR: Krissi Barr
The attributes, traits and characteristics that separate leaders from the rest of the pack can be clearly seen in the behavior of dogs: loyalty, perseverance, friendship, teamwork, honesty, bravery, ingenuity, playfulness, curiosity and an unflagging desire for more information.I call it the Fido Factor.
Faithful leaders earn the trust of their team and their customers by doing the right things and living up to their word.
Inspirational leaders move people to do the meaningful and the extraordinary.
Determined leaders combine perseverance with a dose of fearlessness to keep moving toward goals.
Observant leaders are committed to taking in as much information as possible in order to make the best decisions.
Our Credo: (if you like these beliefs, then you’ll love us)
1. Chaos in the marketplace for “professional coaching” can be reduced with outcome-based protocols.
2. The strengths of professional coaches (e.g., integrity, fairness, collaboration, leadership, bravery) can be leveraged to co-create the future of professional coaching.
3. Teams are stronger than individuals. Collaborative projects reduce individual risk and yield higher rewards.
4. Expert leadership coaches and authors will contribute best practices and attract more users or followers.
FACT:
There are over 50,000 “professional coaches” in a $7B global industry that lacks professionalism. Literally anyone with a business card can self-declare that they are a “professional coach.”
OPINION:
The result is chaos in the marketplace, unethical practices, and a market ripe for disruption and consolidation.
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Recently I was asked this question by someone who desperately wanted to be certified as an “executive coach.”
Be careful. Here are the facts.
There is not one “best coaching certification or methodology for those who work with executives,” for several reasons.
1. Executive coaching is a new approach with a short history (about 20 years) within psychology (about 100 years). The protocols that would be “certifiable” have not yet been well defined. There is no external board or established practices, as in other professions such as healthcare, finance or law. I often ask, “Who certifies the certifiers?” (And I have been certified by several coaching providers for decades.) One example of certification based on my dissertation research with global professional coaches is here.
2. The coach training industry is estimated at 53,500 global coach practitioners and over $7B in annual revenue, with 115 accredited coach training programs (ICF, 2016). The reality is that coaching certifications and silly acronyms abound. I co-developed one back in 1999, when there were only about 20 ICF accredited coach training programs.
3. There is market confusion about definitions and coaching outcomes. The result is that vendors have responded to the market confusion. A gap exists between theory and practice because executive coaching lacks rigorous measurement, evidence-based protocols and standard processes. The largest organization, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) stated “the top future obstacles for coaching are (a) untrained individuals and (b) marketplace confusion (ICF, 2016).” That survey understates the confusion. Your question illustrates the desire by many to “get certified.”
4. In any marketplace vacuum, competitors emerge. Countless colleges and universities will declare that their certification programs define standards. Be careful. That archaic model presumes that academics know best, and we are increasingly aware of disruption in the marketplace. I like academics. My dissertation explored the competitive advantage of coaching protocols, using global professional coaches. As the “coaching profession” develops momentum, I encourage you to study the practical market demands for coaching protocols. You may want to be cautious. “The top future opportunities for coaching are (a) increased awareness of the benefits of coaching, and (b) credible data on ROI/ROE/outcomes (ICF, 2016)”. In short, we need to define protocols for outcome-based coaching, including useful certification programs.
5. Certification programs exist. I favor the ROI methodology described at the ROI Institute, and a 2-level executive coaching certification process. Last week the co-founder, Patti Phillips, and I discussed certification programs that moved beyond knowledge to practical demonstrations of mastery. She encouraged me to focus on practical applications. (Disclosure: I trademarked the AD-FIT coaching protocol when some F500 clients asked “How do you operationalize what works?” Those details are at Products Archive – Action Learning (https://actionlearnin.wpengine.com/products/) and throughout this website. The fact is that “Many professional consultants or coaches do not adhere to evidence-based protocols (Foster & Auerbach, 2015; MacKie, 2014. Citation sources available upon request.)
6. Organizational clients may design their own executive coaching certification programs. They are cost-effective and foster cultural expectations. (Disclosure: I also serve as an engagement manager and executive coach at CoachSource | Executive Coaching Excellence (http://coachsource.com/), the largest global provider of executive coaching.) Those internal coaching certification programs are customized internally, with expertise from coaches like me, for specific business outcomes that are proprietary.
Bottom line: Certification for executive coaching implies a mature profession with protocols that satisfy a market demand.
If useful, please contact me here. I’d love to discuss your interest in executive coaching certification programs.
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