Holding leadership instead of handing it off

Client Story

Construction company · 2 years into business pivot

This business had been passed down for five generations. Longstanding. Profitable. Deeply rooted. Each successor had modernized according to their time. This time was no different, aside from the creative vision this leader brought. 

They were bringing in new technology, new types of partnerships, and they launched a new line of business. They also committed publicly to community investment, fostering Black and Brown Queer folks in an industry that rarely makes space for them.

The weight was real and they were carrying it well, though definitely feeling the heft. 

Every decision carried legacy while they were trying to evolve things for longevity. While those who came before did the same, this transition was larger than any prior. 

There were moments in our work where the pull to outsource leadership was completely understandable. Especially when the family members that preceded were there giving direction. Input was coming from everyone in the family. This leader wanted to honor their roots while ensuring that the business would make it to the next generation and beyond. It was a lot of pressure.

So our work centered on articulating this person’s leadership logic.

It’s like when someone looks to their therapist to just give them the answer - or is that just me? Haha… But truly, it’s natural to want to lean on an “expert” to simply tell us what to do. We had our moments and we could laugh through them. It’s a good thing advising isn’t about giving direction.  

Our sessions, given all that, were about slowing decisions down just enough to locate:

• which were values-led vs. fear-led

• which honored the past without being bound by it

• what kind of steward they wanted to be and what their legacy would look like

Between sessions, impressively, they held the line. Through all the conversations, meetings, pitches, and an acquisition... They consistently made visible choices that signaled change without erasing history. And they gave themselves time to think before acting when needed. 

This showed up in very specific moments.

When introducing new construction technology that significantly changed job workflows, they resisted pressure from senior family members to roll it out immediately “the way we’ve always done.” Instead, they piloted with a single project, involved long-standing crew leads in the testing process, and used their feedback to refine implementation before scaling. The technology stuck, and they deepened trust with the team. Crucial here because with this level of organization change, people naturally begin to worry about their job security. 

During negotiations for a strategic acquisition, they paused the deal. It was financially sound, but it would have quietly undermined their commitment to community investment to push forward at that exact moment. Rather than defaulting to growth logic and external advice, they took the time to rework the structure so the acquisition aligned with their long-term values and vision. While this meant slowing momentum in the short term, they still acquired the new vertical and the team had time to prepare for it. So the acquisition went more smoothly than most I’ve seen. 

They also held firm when family members offered strong opinions about partnerships that felt familiar but were misaligned with the future direction the company was moving in. Instead of dismissing that input or complying out of obligation, they articulated why certain relationships no longer served the future of the business. By naming both the history and the limits of it the family was brought into the fold and ultimately is very excited about where their business is headed. Those conversations were not easy, to say the least. But they were clear, and that made them successful. 

Internally, they shifted how decisions were communicated. Rather than presenting changes as inherited authority or external necessity, they spoke directly from their own leadership stance. This meant naming intention, trade offs, and direction and creating a communication system that worked for employees across the company. Over time, that style of leadership reduced second-guessing and made innovation feel less threatening to both their family and their employees. 

And finally, something settled. Innovation went from feeling like an unmanageable disruption to becoming a living evolution.

Beyond modernizing the company, this leader claimed authorship of it.