Generation change in the company: How it (does not) succeed
It is well known: A change of generations in a company is associated with many pitfalls. Management consultant, keynote speaker and author Bruno Aregger knows this from his own experience. He has now packaged some ideas on how to be successful as an entrepreneur across generations in a kind of novel.
And this is how the story begins: Marco Maurer arrives in the Seychelles. At first, nothing points to a relaxing vacation on the paradisiacal group of islands in the Indian Ocean. First Marco gets upset about an elderly passenger, then about the receptionist at the hotel, and the protagonist seems to have built up a lot of frustration. He has a problem: He is supposed to take over his father's company, even though he has no desire to do so. In addition, his girlfriend is pressuring him to get married and have children, but is obviously more interested in his money. Marco's trip to the Seychelles initially turns out to be an escape from responsibility.
Making a company "turnkey
But then Rob - of all people, the passenger who provoked Marco with the statement that his life consists only of vacations - enters his life and gives it a new turn. It turns out that Rob is a successful entrepreneur who runs his company rather unconventionally - in any case differently than Marco knows it from his patriarchal father. He is the one who pulls all the strings, and no decision is made without his final say. And that includes deciding on the succession to the company: it is to be his son Marco. Rob invites Marco to a mysterious party on a private island. It turns out that Rob's company invites the management team to a luxurious event every year to "talk about the current situation in our company," as Marco then learns on the spot. Marco gradually succumbs to the fascination of a corporate culture that is new to him. Then Stefanie, an equally fascinating woman, crosses his path. She reveals to him the first secrets behind Rob's successful company management and invites him to learn more about it as a guest. Then something like a "school of life" for entrepreneurs begins for him in a condensed form: Marco thinks about his role in his father's company, memorizes phrases like "work more AM instead of IN the company" or "make yourself redundant from the start" or "a lot of work doesn't necessarily bring more money." Little by little, Marco discovers how to make a company "turnkey", i.e. fit for a succession plan. What Marco's decision looks like in the end cannot be revealed here, only this much: The book ends with a smile...
Generation change in the company as a question of optimal corporate management
In this "business novel", the author Bruno Aregger, who himself accompanies entrepreneurs during company succession, processes his ideas of an optimally managed company. The frame story is cleverly chosen: A frustrated entrepreneur's son is thrown out of the "hell" of a patriarchally run company quasi by chance into the "paradise" of a corporate culture in which everything seems to be just right: the way employees treat each other, a high degree of self-responsibility on the part of all, flat hierarchies, a healthy mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on the part of the key people, all of whom are less "bosses" and much more "coaches" and "mentors." And a bit of romance and country information about the Seychelles can't be missing either. The characters are - sometimes perhaps a bit clichéd - clearly drawn: There's frustrated Marco, who knows he has to take over a company that doesn't suit him at all, there's jovial Rob, who shows how much fun entrepreneurship can be. And then there is Stefanie as the "saving angel" who takes Marco by the hand, gives him new knowledge, other views and ultimately the insights that lead Marco to his decision. Marco's father, who can be seen as the epitome of outdated ideas about how to run a company, and Marco's mother, who freed herself in time from the constraints of a family business by getting divorced and founding a startup, also play their roles on Marco's path to becoming an "optimal" entrepreneur.
A novel as nonfiction
Conclusion after reading: Bruno Aregger's book is a guidebook for entrepreneurs who are themselves facing a generational change in the company or otherwise at an entrepreneurial crossroads. Despite the "romantic" storyline, it remains a non-fiction book, but it is certainly more entertaining to read than some other specialized literature on topics such as corporate management, succession, corporate culture, and so on. This is because the emotional aspects of corporate succession and important messages for coping with them can be conveyed in an ideal way in the form of a "business romance". A good spirit in the company does not have to be a pipe dream, nor does it have to be a utopia; the practical tips for everyday entrepreneurial life that Bruno Aregger packs into a framework story are practicable and implementable - but, as with the main character, they require a change in personal mindset. The book, which is easy to read in this form, would have deserved more careful editing. But that can be made up for in a second edition, because the book certainly deserves one.
Bruno Aregger
My son takes over my company not
Being successful over generations.
ISBN 978-3-9524975-2-4 (Print)
ISBN 978-3-9524975-3-1 (e-book)
1st edition 2020
