{"id":88576,"date":"2025-07-28T06:26:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T11:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/?p=88576"},"modified":"2025-07-14T11:27:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T16:27:52","slug":"succession-planning-necessity-for-future-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/succession-planning-necessity-for-future-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Succession Planning Isn\u2019t Like the TV Show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sibling rivalry. Lying. Greed. Betrayal. A controlling, narcissistic father and a crumbling family empire with no one to hold it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though we could be looking at any number of Shakespearean tragedies, the above is a loose plotline for the HBO show Succession<\/em>. While the show is fictionalized, there are dysfunctional families and dysfunctional companies everywhere. Often, the two coalesce in a dystopian reality that makes for great entertainment but terrible business. It also gives the false impression that families that go into business together will only ever implode their relationships with their clients, their shareholders and each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Leadership<\/a>\n\n\n\n

In truth, well-educated leaders<\/a> understand that the unpredictable and shocking final episode of Succession<\/em> is what it looks like when you don\u2019t have a succession plan<\/a>\u2014something that should be in place long before the head of the company passes away or Dr. Phil is called in for an intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In real life, effective succession planning can save companies, not destroy them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one knows this better than Ivan Lansberg and Devin DeCiantis, who co-wrote The Enduring Enterprise<\/em><\/a> <\/em>as a tribute to the work they do together at Lansberg Gersick Advisors, an advisory company dedicated to serving the world\u2019s leading family enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things that\u2019s so unique about succession is just how predictable and inevitable it is,\u201d DeCiantis says. \u201cNot all risks are going to present themselves in such an obvious way to every single organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is one of the reasons why we\u2019re out there talking about this,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe want more people to attend to this proactively rather than reactively.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet reactively is how many companies\u2014including family-run ones\u2014respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do so few companies think about succession planning?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite the fact that we\u2019ve been at this now for 30 years, warning [people] that this is an important thing to do,\u201d Lansberg says, \u201clots of very sophisticated companies globally don\u2019t have good succession plans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestically, data from PWC\u2019s 2023 US Family Business Survey<\/a> reveals that in 2021, only 34% of family-run businesses had a robust, documented succession plan in place. So what\u2019s preventing so many businesses from proactively creating succession plans if they\u2019re so important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer, Lansberg says, is layered\u2014particularly when it comes to family businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany entrepreneurs launch into building companies, and at some point in their development\u2026 limitations of their own biology come in and hits them in the face, and they start wondering, \u2018How are we going to continue this enterprise? And how do I pass it on to my kids or not?\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cWrestling with that question becomes a very important feature, not just for the family\u2019s continuity as an enterprising family but for all of the families that live off the enterprises that\u2026 [these] founders create.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, broaching topics of death and hierarchy aren\u2019t things that most families are naturally hard-wired to discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you do the mental experiment of sitting with your parents to talk about what\u2019s going to happen with the family when they\u2019re no longer with you, it\u2019s a scary proposition,\u201d Lansberg continues. \u201cIt raises the question of how we\u2019re going to deal with life without them, but it also erases all of the uncertainties of\u2026 my kids being greedy. Are they pursuing other objectives and not caring about us, and so forth and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Succession planning takes time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another issue is one of obsolescence. According to Lansberg, reinvention is often necessary for a company to survive in the current marketplace. This can include bypassing blood lineage by bringing in non-family executives who may be able to offer fresh perspectives that can move the business forward. But most families may avoid these discussions out of fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sum total of all of these factors leads many companies to get caught flat-footed at the very moment when these issues need to be clarified and thought through,\u201d Lansberg says. \u201cAnd unfortunately, because of that, many end up failing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scrambling can easily be avoided, DeCiantis adds, but disaster prevention takes concerted effort.

\u201cIt behooves any organization that desires long term success to\u2026 be more proactive and not just wait for the heart attack or the final episode of an HBO series to inspire them to attend to something that actually does take a considerable amount of time,\u201d he says. \u201cSuccession planning isn\u2019t something that you sit down to at 3 [p.m.] on a Friday afternoon and finish at 4 [p.m.] and call it a day, and you say, \u2018Okay, I’ve got the plan, [so] let\u2019s go and execute this now,\u2019 and by Monday morning, there\u2019s a new regime in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which companies are doing it right?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In their book, DeCiantis and Lansberg show family business leaders across the world who they say have gotten succession planning right. In addition to highlighting notable family-run companies like Kikkoman, Samsung and the New York Times<\/em>, the duo have profiled global companies that are still standing strong after surviving military coups, war, economic challenges, terrorist conflicts, technological shifts and political instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just a few notable examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toraya<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One marker of success that DeCientis and Lansberg have seen replicated around the world in many cultures and industries\u2014as well as in this company in particular\u2014is submitting to the patronage of a powerful political entity. For instance, Toraya\u2019s founding family has been making Japanese sweets (wagashi<\/em>) for the Imperial House for over four centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToraya was the preferred sweet maker to the Imperial House,\u201d DeCiantis says. Because the family\u2019s wagashi became desirable to the crown early in the first generation, he adds, they were given an imperial crest, which cemented their lifelong relationship to the now constitutional monarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Toraya\u2019s] success was so tied to the Imperial House that when [the capital] moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in the 1800s\u2026 Toraya [moved] with them,\u201d he adds. \u201cTheir success is vested in the integrity that comes with the blessing of the Imperial House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEMEX<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another enduring enterprise in the book is CEMEX, a pioneering Mexican family business founded by the Zambrano family in 1906. DeCiantis and Lansberg say that the family navigated economic upheavals and global market expansions to transform the company from a regional cement firm into a global leader in building materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IKEA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, the Swedish startup leveraged its early mail-order business to become a global leader in home furnishings. It also deployed modular strategies in business and ownership to overcome significant economic challenges and shifting market dynamics and maintain its commitment to affordable, high-quality, resilient designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to the future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For companies that are hoping to weather the storms of unpredictability\u2014whether they\u2019re economic, political or familial\u2014Lansberg and DeCiantis say that while being rooted in tradition has its merit, growing with the times is a more direct route to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to think about the company\u2026 you want to build, not the one that exists today,\u201d Lansberg says, \u201cand then break down the skill sets you need to be able to succeed at that company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeCiantis adds that success in succession is possible\u2014\u201cYou just need to be intentional and patient and invest the time [and resources] necessary to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of <\/em><\/strong>SUCCESS+ digital magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo by dotshock\/Shutterstock.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how global brands have managed succession planning for uncertain times and how you can secure your business\u2019s future too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32421,"featured_media":88577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SOnline25_Stefanie-Ellis_Succession-Planning-Isnt-Like-the-TV-Show.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Stefanie Ellis","author_link":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/author\/stefanie-ellis\/"},"yoast_head":"\nSuccession Planning: A Necessity for Future-Minded Leaders | SUCCESS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how global 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You can get in touch at\u00a0stefanieellis.com\u00a0or on Instagram\u00a0@40somethingunicorn.","url":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/author\/stefanie-ellis\/"}]}},"meta_data":{"_edit_lock":["1753270431:82024"],"_edit_last":["32500"],"_molongui_author":["user-32421"],"_molongui_main_author":["user-32421"],"enable-for-home-page-all-post-section-set-as-first-image":["false"],"enable-for-home-page-all-post-section":["true"],"enable-for-category-section-in-home-page-set-as-first-image":["false"],"enable-for-category-section-in-home-page":["true"],"feature-video":[""],"select-video":[""],"exclude_from_trending":["false"],"type_access":["article_standard"],"disc":["c_compliance"],"resource_library":["article"],"store_type":[""],"custom_listing_image":[""],"sync":["true"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["4"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["Succession Planning: A Necessity for Future-Minded Leaders %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Discover how global brands have managed succession planning for uncertain times and how you can secure your business\u2019s future too."],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["6"],"_thumbnail_id":["88577"],"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":["https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SOnline25_Stefanie-Ellis_Succession-Planning-Isnt-Like-the-TV-Show_Social-1024x538.jpg"],"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":["88578"],"_elementor_page_assets":["a:0:{}"],"jet_engine_store_count_recently-viewed":["111"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1753701974"]},"guest_author_field_data":{"main_author_is":"user","guest_authors":[],"user_authors":[{"user_email":"sellis@mailinator.com","user_login":"Stefanie-Ellis","first_name":"Stefanie","last_name":"Ellis","display_name":"Stefanie Ellis","nickname":"Stefanie-Ellis","user_meta":{"nickname":["Stefanie-Ellis"],"first_name":["Stefanie"],"last_name":["Ellis"],"description":["Stefanie Ellis is a food and travel writer, as well as PR strategist and content creator for her own company. She has bylines in <em>The Washington Post<\/em>, <em>BBC Travel<\/em>, <em>Eating Well<\/em>, <em>Saveur<\/em> and more, and her clients are thought leaders in finance, branding, healthcare and the food and beverage space, with a former NBA player and duct work company thrown in for good measure. You can get in touch at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/stefanieellis.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc\">stefanieellis.com<\/a>\u00a0or on Instagram\u00a0<span class=\"atMention\" title=\"40somethingunicorn\">@40somethingunicorn<\/span>."],"rich_editing":["true"],"syntax_highlighting":["true"],"comment_shortcuts":["false"],"admin_color":["fresh"],"use_ssl":["0"],"show_admin_bar_front":["true"],"locale":[""],"wp_capabilities":["a:1:{s:6:\"author\";b:1;}"],"wp_user_level":["0"],"_yoast_wpseo_profile_updated":["1683558340"],"wp_user_avatar":[""],"dismissed_wp_pointers":[""],"course_points":["0"],"wpseo_title":[""],"wpseo_metadesc":[""],"wpseo_content_analysis_disable":[""],"wpseo_keyword_analysis_disable":[""],"wpseo_user_schema":["a:0:{}"],"molongui_author_phone":[""],"molongui_author_job":[""],"molongui_author_company":[""],"molongui_author_company_link":[""],"molongui_author_box_display":["default"],"molongui_author_image_id":["70508"],"molongui_author_image_url":["https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/EllisHeadshot.jpg"],"molongui_author_image_edit":["https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=70508&action=edit&image-editor"],"advanced-ads-role":[""],"molongui_author_post_count":["12"],"ppress_billing_address":[""],"ppress_billing_city":[""],"ppress_billing_country":[""],"ppress_billing_state":[""],"ppress_billing_postcode":[""],"ppress_billing_phone":[""],"pp_uploaded_files":["a:0:{}"],"wpseo_inclusive_language_analysis_disable":[""],"molongui_author_page_count":["0"],"is_geuest_user":["32421"]}}]},"custom_post_content":"<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Sibling rivalry. Lying. Greed. Betrayal. A controlling, narcissistic father and a crumbling family empire with no one to hold it up.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Though we could be looking at any number of Shakespearean tragedies, the above is a loose plotline for the HBO show <em>Succession<\/em>. While the show is fictionalized, there are dysfunctional families and dysfunctional companies everywhere. Often, the two coalesce in a dystopian reality that makes for great entertainment but terrible business. It also gives the false impression that families that go into business together will only ever implode their relationships with their clients, their shareholders and each other.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:html -->\n\n<!-- \/wp:html -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In truth, well-educated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/10-ways-to-be-a-leader-even-when-you-arent-in-charge\/\">leaders<\/a> understand that the unpredictable and shocking final episode of <em>Succession<\/em> is what it looks like when you don\u2019t have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/future-ready-leadership-succession-planning\/\">succession plan<\/a>\u2014something that should be in place long before the head of the company passes away or Dr. Phil is called in for an intervention.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In real life, effective succession planning can save companies, not destroy them.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>No one knows this better than Ivan Lansberg and Devin DeCiantis, who co-wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Enduring-Enterprise-Businesses-Turbulent-Conditions\/dp\/1541703650\/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fpv6dcUg_QN8dVoYkvTboVAdBqrxjIiwiL7Q2WScb-VbvsDAu-U5qJGQzAMeJA3RW4gHfFvh2PrCSHSbJEeHHcmmJGsk5Pge3VFaVxzQBO1w4See22zMgqsct9ZICtCvU-RVHIoMlEyhyCySDTuZBEB2E0D9e3JKOH3ow9IIuEzkC_EvmgTQrzl0mPycOxiPNM0f2E09tWmtqdbDNtbKxQ.Z2z2zoqrrx9bycb-9WiU7WEZAC6f_RDAtxhD72ENq24&dib_tag=se&hvadid=725841075975&hvdev=c&hvexpln=67&hvlocphy=9028243&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=1168960262714863730--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1168960262714863730&hvtargid=kwd-2383915904861&hydadcr=22563_13730660&keywords=the+enduring+enterprise&mcid=8e105c7e1cf8321ba918ef597281656d&qid=1743683362&sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Enduring Enterprise<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>as a tribute to the work they do together at Lansberg Gersick Advisors, an advisory company dedicated to serving the world\u2019s leading family enterprises.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cOne of the things that\u2019s so unique about succession is just how predictable and inevitable it is,\u201d DeCiantis says. \u201cNot all risks are going to present themselves in such an obvious way to every single organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cThis is one of the reasons why we\u2019re out there talking about this,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe want more people to attend to this proactively rather than reactively.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Yet reactively is how many companies\u2014including family-run ones\u2014respond.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-do-so-few-companies-think-about-succession-planning\">Why do so few companies think about succession planning?<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cDespite the fact that we\u2019ve been at this now for 30 years, warning [people] that this is an important thing to do,\u201d Lansberg says, \u201clots of very sophisticated companies globally don\u2019t have good succession plans.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Domestically, data from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwc.com\/us\/en\/services\/audit-assurance\/private-company-services\/library\/family-business-survey.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PWC\u2019s 2023 US Family Business Survey<\/a> reveals that in 2021, only 34% of family-run businesses had a robust, documented succession plan in place. So what\u2019s preventing so many businesses from proactively creating succession plans if they\u2019re so important?<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The answer, Lansberg says, is layered\u2014particularly when it comes to family businesses.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cMany entrepreneurs launch into building companies, and at some point in their development\u2026 limitations of their own biology come in and hits them in the face, and they start wondering, \u2018How are we going to continue this enterprise? And how do I pass it on to my kids or not?\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cWrestling with that question becomes a very important feature, not just for the family\u2019s continuity as an enterprising family but for all of the families that live off the enterprises that\u2026 [these] founders create.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Still, broaching topics of death and hierarchy aren\u2019t things that most families are naturally hard-wired to discuss.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIf you do the mental experiment of sitting with your parents to talk about what\u2019s going to happen with the family when they\u2019re no longer with you, it\u2019s a scary proposition,\u201d Lansberg continues. \u201cIt raises the question of how we\u2019re going to deal with life without them, but it also erases all of the uncertainties of\u2026 my kids being greedy. Are they pursuing other objectives and not caring about us, and so forth and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-succession-planning-takes-time\">Succession planning takes time<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Another issue is one of obsolescence. According to Lansberg, reinvention is often necessary for a company to survive in the current marketplace. This can include bypassing blood lineage by bringing in non-family executives who may be able to offer fresh perspectives that can move the business forward. But most families may avoid these discussions out of fear.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cThe sum total of all of these factors leads many companies to get caught flat-footed at the very moment when these issues need to be clarified and thought through,\u201d Lansberg says. \u201cAnd unfortunately, because of that, many end up failing.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Scrambling can easily be avoided, DeCiantis adds, but disaster prevention takes concerted effort.<br><br>\u201cIt behooves any organization that desires long term success to\u2026 be more proactive and not just wait for the heart attack or the final episode of an HBO series to inspire them to attend to something that actually does take a considerable amount of time,\u201d he says. \u201cSuccession planning isn\u2019t something that you sit down to at 3 [p.m.] on a Friday afternoon and finish at 4 [p.m.] and call it a day, and you say, \u2018Okay, I've got the plan, [so] let\u2019s go and execute this now,\u2019 and by Monday morning, there\u2019s a new regime in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-which-companies-are-doing-it-right\">Which companies are doing it right?<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In their book, DeCiantis and Lansberg show family business leaders across the world who they say have gotten succession planning right. In addition to highlighting notable family-run companies like Kikkoman, Samsung and the <em>New York Times<\/em>, the duo have profiled global companies that are still standing strong after surviving military coups, war, economic challenges, terrorist conflicts, technological shifts and political instability.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Here are just a few notable examples:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-toraya\">Toraya<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>One marker of success that DeCientis and Lansberg have seen replicated around the world in many cultures and industries\u2014as well as in this company in particular\u2014is submitting to the patronage of a powerful political entity. For instance, Toraya\u2019s founding family has been making Japanese sweets (<em>wagashi<\/em>) for the Imperial House for over four centuries.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cToraya was the preferred sweet maker to the Imperial House,\u201d DeCiantis says. Because the family\u2019s wagashi became desirable to the crown early in the first generation, he adds, they were given an imperial crest, which cemented their lifelong relationship to the now constitutional monarchy.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201c[Toraya\u2019s] success was so tied to the Imperial House that when [the capital] moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in the 1800s\u2026 Toraya [moved] with them,\u201d he adds. \u201cTheir success is vested in the integrity that comes with the blessing of the Imperial House.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cemex\">CEMEX<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Another enduring enterprise in the book is CEMEX, a pioneering Mexican family business founded by the Zambrano family in 1906. DeCiantis and Lansberg say that the family navigated economic upheavals and global market expansions to transform the company from a regional cement firm into a global leader in building materials.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ikea\">IKEA<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, the Swedish startup leveraged its early mail-order business to become a global leader in home furnishings. It also deployed modular strategies in business and ownership to overcome significant economic challenges and shifting market dynamics and maintain its commitment to affordable, high-quality, resilient designs.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-looking-to-the-future\">Looking to the future<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>For companies that are hoping to weather the storms of unpredictability\u2014whether they\u2019re economic, political or familial\u2014Lansberg and DeCiantis say that while being rooted in tradition has its merit, growing with the times is a more direct route to success.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cYou have to think about the company\u2026 you want to build, not the one that exists today,\u201d Lansberg says, \u201cand then break down the skill sets you need to be able to succeed at that company.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>DeCiantis adds that success in succession is possible\u2014\u201cYou just need to be intentional and patient and invest the time [and resources] necessary to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"fontSize\":\"small\"} -->\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><strong><em>This article originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/offer.success.com\/success-plus\/\"><strong><em>SUCCESS+ digital magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"fontSize\":\"small\"} -->\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><strong><em>Photo by dotshock\/Shutterstock.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","tag_names":[],"post_attachment_urls":[],"author_email":"sellis@mailinator.com","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88576\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}