37: Making Decisions in an Ever-Changing World
Release Date: 07/12/2022
73: Understanding ADHD in Family Enterprises
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Host Aileen Miziolek speaks with Dr. Tamara Rosier about how ADHD can show up in adults and the common misconceptions that can shape family enterprise dynamics. They explore how traits such as emotional dysregulation, risk-taking and divergent thinking influence communication, trust and generational roles within enterprising families. Dr. Rosier also shares practical ways to design systems that support neurodivergent minds, and highlights the value of coaching and self-awareness in helping families work more effectively together. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this...
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72: Navigating Complexity in Enterprising Families
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Host Steve Legler speaks with Michelle Osry about how families need to deal with both complicated issues that require specific solutions, as well as complex challenges that require different skills to navigate to help the family make progress. They discuss the challenges in getting both advisors and families to understand these distinctions and find ways to work on having each family's best outcome emerge from co-creation. Guest bio Michelle Osry works with family enterprises and offices on governance and generational transition. She draws from a broad experience and range of disciplines and...
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71: Parenting Adult Children in Family Business
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Aileen Miziolek hosts an in-depth conversation with Alyson Schafer, an acclaimed author and Adlerian family counsellor. In this thoughtful 30-minute episode, they touch on issues around over- and under-functioning children, why the notion of fair vs. equal in childhood can impact long-term family business dynamics, and how tackling the unique challenges of enterprising families requires maturity, open-mindedness and an understanding that sometimes personal responsibility is the only path forward. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the...
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70: How to NOT Ruin Your Kids With Money
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Steve Legler speaks with U.S. estate planning attorney Mark Shiller about his book, How to NOT Ruin Your Kids With Money: Navigating the Challenges of Transitioning Wealth in Families. Together, they discuss issues around character, competence, and capacity, the maturation process, and the uniqueness of each family member, with lots of useful tidbits for parents and rising generation family members along the way. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of . Guest bio...
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69: The Skilled Facilitator
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
In this episode, Aileen Miziolek speaks with renowned facilitator and author Roger Schwarz about the critical roles facilitators and consultants play—especially in complex systems like family enterprises. Roger explores how mutual learning, clear boundaries and transparency can elevate the value professionals bring to their clients, offering practical insights and tools for navigating advisory roles with compassion and clarity. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of ....
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68: Stop Frankensteining It
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Join host Steve Legler for a video episode with guest Cindy Radu, recorded at the 2025 Family Business Symposium right after Cindy's session, which she conducted for a room full of attendees. Together, they discuss the challenges of professional collaboration when working with families, and highlight just how important it is for the families we serve so they don’t end up having to deal with a “scary monster.” All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of . Guest bio Cindy...
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67: Wealth, Continuity & the Long Game: Insights from Philip Marcovici
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Host Aileen Miziolek sits down with Philip Marcovici to explore long-term wealth continuity, the pitfalls of tax policy and how enterprising families can avoid common traps while building meaningful legacies. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of . Guest bio Philip Marcovici is retired from the practice of law and consults with governments, financial institutions, and global families in relation to tax, wealth management, and other matters. An area of focus for Philip...
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66: Fatherhood Unlocked
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Host Steve Legler speaks with Dan Doty, an executive and wilderness guide, about his upcoming session at Family Enterprise Canada's Symposium in Halifax. Together, they discuss the challenges that fathers face when leading a business and a family, and how the roles and expectations of fathers are rapidly evolving. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of . Guest bio Dan Doty is a writer, wilderness guide, men’s work leader, and somatic meditation teacher, and has...
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65: "Owning" Ownership with Barbara Dartt
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
In our 65th episode, Aileen Miziolek sits down with ownership expert and co-author of Own It!: How to Develop a Family Enterprise Owner's Mindset at Every Age, Barbara Dartt, to ask her how she started and grew her career in the family business consulting world, what being an owner of a family enterprise can mean and the different roles that owners often have to navigate in their ownership journey. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of . Guest bio Barbara Dartt has...
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64: Getting Beyond Addiction in Enterprising Families
Let's Talk Family Enterprise
Host Steve Legler speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Foote, one of the authors of Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change. Together, they discuss how family members and FEAs can become important catalysts in helping people with addiction issues overcome them, for the benefit of the entire family. Welcome to Let’s Talk Family Enterprise, a podcast that explores the ideas, concepts, and models that best serve Family Enterprise Advisors in supporting their clients. All views, information, and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals...
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Welcome to Let’s Talk Family Enterprise, a podcast that explores the ideas, concepts and models that best serve Family Enterprise Advisors in supporting their clients.
All views, information and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Family Enterprise Canada.
Description
Governance expert Matt Fullbrook speaks with host Steve Legler about the ways that family enterprises make decisions, whether informally or formally, and how there are so many ways that organizations can improve the ways that they set themselves up for success in an ever-changing world.
Guest bio
Matt Fullbrook is a board effectiveness researcher and consultant and is the manager of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management. Under his direction, the Rotman School has evolved into the central hub of governance research in Canada.
As an independent consultant, Matt has advised dozens of boards of directors as an educator, facilitator, and researcher, helping them to maximize their effectiveness through the development and implementation of valuable governance processes, policies, and structures.
You can find out more about Matt Fullbrook on LinkedIn.
Key Takeaways
[0:26] Steve Legler welcomes today’s guest, Matt Fullbrook — Manager of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation at the Rotman School of Management — and asks him to share a little about how the idea behind his most recent interview came about: “To Make Boards Work Better, Look to Family Enterprises?”
[1:45] Matt offers up his preferred definition of governance and highlights the words he specifically didn’t use in that definition. He touches on the advantages of creative and innovative freedom family enterprises benefit from in that regard.
[6:11] Counterprogramming is a tool Matt uses to give permission. He explains what this means as well as why sometimes exaggeration can work in your favor.
[9:16] Matt touches on some of the challenges executives face when it comes to how decisions are made in their enterprises and it’s got more to do with our workspaces and habits than we might think.
[10:41] Either new generations are more flexible or they’re being better prepared for leadership, Matt shares his thoughts on the new workforce when it comes to governance.
[13:52] Matt speaks about the inclusion aspects of decision-making and the need to try many different configurations in order to optimize the inclusion of many different perspectives.
[17:44] Matt’s thoughts on the Chair and their role in inclusivity as well as the natural tendencies of people pushing their agenda or needing to have information pulled from them.
[20:21] Setting up boards differently presents challenges because of the natural tendency of people to look for answers and conventions. Matt shares some of the ways he circumvents those in his own advisory practice.
[25:27] In cases where the client is looking for a technical “right” answer and there isn’t one, Matt offers that reframing the question might be the only solution.
[27:54] Generic tools make Matt nervous!
[29:40] Matt shares his advice for advisors and a book recommendation.
[34:30] Steve thanks Matt for joining us and sharing his knowledge and perspective on governance.
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Share your thoughts with us at fea@familyenterprise.ca
Mentioned in this episode
The Let’s Talk Family Enterprise podcast is brought to you by Family Enterprise Canada.
To Make Boards Work Better, Look to Family Enterprises?
Matt’s reading recommendation: Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words, by Randall Munroe
More about Family Enterprise Canada