A leader whose family has run businesses this size hears a second opinion at the dinner table. Someone who has held the same job tells them what the report left out. It costs neither of them anything.
A first-generation leader has one source: the business itself. Everything they hear about the business comes through the business.
Second opinions come from who you know. Not everyone has the same access.
| With an inherited network | As a first-generation leader |
|---|---|
| The board pack and a private reading of it | The board pack |
| Someone who has seen this problem before | Meeting the problem for the first time |
| Peers outside the business | Colleagues inside it, who report to you |
| A realistic sense of what a number should be | The number and the person presenting it |
| Advice from people with nothing to lose | Advice from people the decision affects |
Building the second view on purpose
The answer is not encouragement. It is building, on purpose, the second view that a family network gives others for free.
There is an upside too: no inherited blind spots and no old friends to protect. The aim is to add a second view without losing that.
A large share of Southern and East African infrastructure is led by people in exactly this position. That is an observation about who holds these seats, not about how good they are.
Skill is rarely the problem. Information is.
Does this sound like your organisation?
Bring it as you see it. One 30-minute call is enough to know whether it needs a closer look.