Dancing with the Family Enterprises

Click here for Spanish Version

This week, allow me to abandon my usual preamble and get straight to introducing our esteemed guest article contributor, Guillermo Salazar. In addition to his role as director of family enterprise consulting firm Exaudi Research, Guillermo is also an FFI GEN faculty member, teaching webinar GEN 102: Uno mismo en los sistemas: el pensamiento sistemico, los genogramas y el papel del consultor de empresa familiar, which examines the role of the family business consultant.

In both his consulting and his teaching roles, Guillermo brings his research to bear. To prove it, look no further than this week’s article,‘Mambo, Tango or Salsa…What’s the Rhythm of the Family Business in Latin America?’ in which Guillermo dissects the findings of a cutting edge study jointly conducted by Exaudi Research and several other esteemed educational entities, examining the operational and psychological differences of Latin American family enterprises.

Some of these results are unexpected, but all are backed by compelling quantitative data. And most importantly: the article illustrates how critical it is for advisors to understand the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) differences within the Latin American client base, in order to win and retain business. And the clever way in which Guillermo highlights the regional differences within Latin America is sure to bring a smile to your face!

Finally, I hope you enjoy the twist this week, where this blog entry is presented both in English and in Spanish—just like Guillermo’s article. No need to thank me for the language lesson, just enjoy.

About the Contributor

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 1970), Guillermo Salazar received his degree in Architecture in 1996, and began immediately working in his family’s construction firm. In 2001, while finishing a Master in Construction Management degree, Salazar became interested in family business enterprises, and the following year he won a scholarship for a Master in Management and Internationalization of Family Business program in Barcelona, Spain. In 2006 he graduated in Systemic Family Therapy from the Sant Pau Hospital and in 2008 he received the Certificate in Family Business Advising (CFBA) from the Family Firm Institute (FFI). He became an FFI board member in 2010.  Guillermo can be reached at [email protected].