Leading Family Business Consultant Doug Gray, Ph.D, Develops Next Gen Peer Groups, Connecting Future Business Leaders

Published in CEO World Magazine. March 26, 2024

Family businesses are inherently more complex than other businesses because family dynamics are more complex. Although family businesses drive a huge part of every economy in every corner of the world, there is a scarcity of resources designed for family business leaders, especially the Next Generation, who need to perpetuate the family legacy and assets.

In 2020, Doug Gray, Ph.D., a Leadership Consultant, Executive Coach, and Founder-President of Action Learning Associates, collaborated with Kent Rhodes, Ed.D. to develop the Leadership 360 Assessment Process for Family Businesses, a methodology that helps family business leaders identify their path to success in succession. This framework contains 50 behavioral items distilled from more than 250 items using globally validated data. It focuses on five systems, with the individual system in the center. Every individual needs to determine how to relate to these four other systems – family, business, ownership, and learning.

After launching the 360 Process, Dr. Gray’s clients’ asked how to interact with each other and share their knowledge in confidence. One of his clients said, “I would pay anything for my son and our executive leaders to be able to learn from other family business leaders.” Those client requests led to the creation of Next Gen Peer Groups, a 12-month hybrid program that provides up-and-coming business leaders the resources they need to reduce conflicts and gain more clarity in their careers. This process allows Next Gen family business leaders to connect with committed, like-minded peers to support their individual growth over time. The program includes a digital platform with 50 behaviors, including personalized learning plans designed to provide ongoing reinforcement. The digital platform also includes Community Circles to ask questions and share resources in confidence. One participant shared a succession planning template during the meeting on that digital platform which accelerated the goals of the other participants.

Next Gen Peer Groups typically consist of at least six participants and two expert facilitators. They meet once a month for 12 months. Two of those sessions are direct meetings and the rest are held online. Between sessions, participants are expected to communicate with each other through the peer group’s exclusive and private digital platform which enables both one-on-one and team conversations. They’re also encouraged to schedule monthly 1:1 sessions with the facilitators. The first two peer groups began in January 2024, with the in-person meetings to be held in Nashville, TN, and Denver, CO. More groups are set to be formed soon.

According to Dr. Gray, one of the primary topics of the 360 Assessment Process and the Next Gen Peer Groups is conflict within the family system. He says that within many family dynamics, people are too often passive-aggressive, and don’t say what they need to. This is because they’ve not been taught how to communicate well and many people naturally want to avoid conflict. The programs teach participants how to communicate better and differentiate between different types of conflict – not all of which are harmful.

Dr. Gray defines conflict as a difference between two people. Task conflict is good and spurs innovation. In contrast, relationship conflict is bad because it perpetuates judgments and emotional statements about others. Most leaders and managers have never been taught how to assess conflicts and improve their communication. Dr. Gray says, “These are coachable skills that anyone can master.”

More types of peer groups will be launched, such as a fully online version for people who cannot attend in-person sessions. Dr. Gray also plans to create specialized groups for certain types of family business leaders with unique experiences and needs, such as women, non-family, or association leaders in any organization.

Reception to the Next Gen Peer Groups has been overwhelmingly positive. Dr. Gray shared that one participant told him that it was exactly what he needed at this point in their career. Another participant dropped out of his other CEO peer group because the Next Gen Peer Group provided a better experience. A third participant said, “This consulting process has been a confidence booster for me because of the expertise, practical advice, and deepening relationships with my new friends. I can imagine working with these brilliant people for decades.”

“These Next Gen Peer Groups are an innovative response to a market that is confused and crowded,” Dr. Gray says. “I’m delighted with the participant’s statements about how impactful this process has been. They are excited about meeting each other directly next month. Our peer groups have already gained an identity as a cohort, and one participant is already planning to renew for next year, even after just two virtual sessions. We’re looking forward to creating more peer groups, including specialized ones, to bring together the next generation of family business leaders to connect, learn, and grow collaboratively.”

In response to requests from the Next Gen peer group participants, Dr. Gray recently published The Success Playbook for Next Gen Family Business Leaders, which is available on any booking platform in multiple formats.