The University of Washington Foster School of Business will feature a special family business leadership and strategy module to the popular and highly regarded Business Management Certificate Program. Starting January 30th, 2025.
Family Business Leadership & Strategy Module
JANUARY 30 – MAY 31, 2025
The Business Management Certificate is a four-month work-compatible program that curates key business principles and leadership skills for advancing your career. It is ideal for early to mid-career professionals who want to lead projects and teams more effectively.
The Family Business Leadership & Strategy module is tailored to meet the unique needs of family-owned businesses, addressing both the opportunities and challenges that arise from generational transitions, governance, and strategic alignment. This module is designed to integrate with and complement course content of the Business Management Certificate Program, offering participants a focused approach to leading family enterprises effectively.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Generational Alignment: Facilitate intergenerational dialogue to align family and business goals, ensuring continuity and shared vision across generations.
Strategic Visioning: Develop a strategic plan that reflects the family’s legacy while driving the business towards sustainable growth and innovation.
Family Dynamics & Governance: Strengthen family relationships and governance structures to promote trust, transparency, and effective decision-making.
Succession Planning: Craft a succession plan that ensures a smooth transition of leadership and preserves the integrity of the family enterprise.
Change Management in Family Firms: Learn to navigate and lead change within the family business context, ensuring adaptability in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
Program Format:
Group Sessions (Four 1.5-hour class sessions): Engage with peers in facilitated discussions, case studies, and simulations that explore real-world scenarios faced by family businesses. The first group session will take place in person from 4:00pm to 5:30pm on Thursday, January 30, 2025, which is directly before the Business Management Certificate welcome dinner and orientation. The three virtual class sessions will be scheduled as a group at regular intervals throughout the Business Management Certificate.
Individualized Coaching (Six 1-hour sessions): Receive one-on-one coaching to address specific challenges and opportunities within your family business, tailored to your unique context. Coaching sessions will be scheduled based on participant availability.
Capstone Project: As part of the course, participants will complete a capstone project where they identify a key challenge or growth opportunity within their family business and develop a strategic plan to address it. They will present their project to peers, sharing their progress and insights on implementing the solution in their business.
Who Should Attend:
Family Business Leaders & Successors: Ideal for family members who are currently in leadership roles or are being groomed for succession within the family enterprise.
Non-Family Executives: Executives and senior managers who work within a family business and seek to better understand the dynamics and strategies that drive family-owned enterprises.
Family Business Advisors: Consultants and advisors who work with family businesses will gain insights into the strategic, operational, and emotional complexities unique to these firms.