传承宝典: 强大的文化是家族企业不可缺少的养分
传承宝典|强大的文化是家族企业不可缺少的养分 导读 本篇分享的是又一家绵延数代的家族企业的案例。雷蒂夫(Retief)家族自1937年以来一直在酿葡萄酒,1980年,家族开始用自己的商标装瓶,诞生了梵劳伦(Van Loveren)品牌,此后业务持续增长。2000年,家族第三代人中的两对表兄弟推出了 “四表兄弟”系列酒并大获成功。今天,该企业拥有超过600名员工。 通过雷蒂夫家族企业掌门人的这篇访谈,您或许可以了解家族业务发展与传承背后的文化力量。 本文内容由雷梭勒家族办公室根据Stonehage Fleming文章编译整理,版权归原作者所有。 我们在位于南非西开普省(Western Cape)罗伯逊谷(Robertson Valley)家族庄园的办公室里采访了梵劳伦董事总经理菲利普·雷蒂夫(Phillip Retief)。他说:“在春天,这里美不胜收,就像托斯卡纳(Tuscany,密布葡萄园,被认为是意大利最美的地方——编者注)。我们这儿和朗格多克(Langedoc,法国南部主要产酒区——编者注)或者勃艮第(Burgundy,法国东部主要产酒区——编者注)一样,夏天既暖和又清爽,充沛的雨水从80公里外的山上流下,满足了我们的用水量。这里是南非的一块宝地。” 与自己的兄弟以及两个表兄弟一起工作是什么感觉? 我们一直以来都有这样的想法:如果想加入这个行业,我们所有人之间必须既像同事又像表兄弟一样相处。我们兄弟几个是一起长大的,所以肯定有一种情感上的联系。我们虽然都生活在这片土地上,但并没有住在同一屋檐下,中间还隔着其他的几个农场。我们几个人的差异还挺大,每个人想要的东西不同,在不同的社交圈子里活动。我想这就是为什么我们之间很少发生争执。25年来,我能记得的争执只有一次。 这些年来,企业有什么变化? 当我们接手这个生意时,酒厂里有四个表兄弟和三个行政人员,还有几代人员工,他们一直忠诚地在农场里干活儿。今天,我们的规模已经大大超过了这个数字。这种增长带来的影响是巨大的。曾经你只需要开一开叉车,在晚上下班时锁好门就行。后来,你成为一名经理,因为你招募了更多的人。再后来,你要开始考虑战略,以及如何以正确的方式发展业务。我的兄弟、表兄弟和我就是这样在职业上一步步地成长,并沿着这条轨迹共同发展业务。 您如何进行家族治理? 我们一直打算着制定某种形式的家族宪章,十多年来都在讨论这个想法。我们请教了从事农业的同行家族,了解不同的家族如何就宪章达成一致,有宪章的好处是什么,没有宪章会出什么问题。最后,大约一年多以前,我们把所有这些内容写成了一份由家族拥有的文件。 家族宪章的制定是否改变了家族的状况? 我认为宪章的制定在家族里巩固了这样一种意识:企业从来都不是一群人的事,而是 “我们集体”的事。对我来说,制定宪章带来了一种新的自豪感和对未来的希望。“这一代人具有前瞻性,并积极为下一代进行规划”——这是一个令我们骄傲的想法,值得代代相传。这也给了我们的父母一个信念,那就是他们的宝贵财富将会绵延不断地传下去。 文化资本对企业的顺利运行有多重要? 简单地说,如果没有强大的文化,你无法将企业从50人发展到600人。我们的文化是基于家庭的理念;每个人,从员工到我们所有的消费者都是这个家庭的一员。我们不进行事无巨细的管理,而是为大家创造空间,让他们以自己的方式工作、承担责任和发展。最终,这样的文化使我们能够招聘到合适的团队来实现增长。这一点让我无比自豪。 下一代人最大的挑战是什么? 下一代是十个人,年龄从15岁到27岁不等。其中有些已经结婚,有些已经大学毕业,有一个在伦敦,一个在美国。我们和他们所有人都这么说:“去成为你想成为的人吧。去别的地方工作个三年,想清楚你想做什么”。在这十个人当中,也许只有五个人会参与家族业务,这完全由他们选择。另一方面,我们产的所有葡萄酒都与家族有着密切的关系,因此需要取得一种平衡。我们面临的挑战是要保持开放的心态,以确定如何接纳想要参与家族业务的孩子,并确保他们的才能得到最佳发挥。 度过了漫长的一周,现在是周五晚上,您会给自己倒什么酒? 南非的天气起到了一定的作用,所以白葡萄酒是我的首选。我们的梵劳伦长相思酒(van Loveren Sauvignon Blanc)多年来一直是我的最爱。我会点上火,给自己倒上一杯。它清新、优雅、果味浓郁且精致,有一种圆润平衡的口感。而且幸运的是,瓶里的酒可以倒不止一杯! Original English Text You can’t grow a business without a strong culture – Phillip Retief Meet the Managing Director of Van Loveren Family Vineyards The Retief Family has been making wine since 1937. In 1980, when they started bottling wine under their own marque, theVan Loveren brand was born. The business continued to grow since then and in 2000, the third generation – two sets of cousins – introduced the very successful Four Cousins range. Today, the business employs over 600 people. We spoke to Managing Director, Phillip Retief, from his office on the family estate in South Africa’s Robertson Valley, in the Western Cape. “In spring, it looks like Tuscany”, he says. “Like the Langedoc or Burgundy, we have warm, dry summers and enough rain off the mountains 80km away for us to have sufficient water when we need it. It is a lovely part of South Africa”. What is it like working with your brother and two cousins? There has always been this idea that if we wanted to join the business, we were all going to have to get along as colleagues as well as cousins. We grew up together so we definitely share an emotional connection. Despite the fact we all live on sections of the property, we don’t live in each other’s pockets as there are other farms in-between. We are all quite different, want different things and operate in different social circles. I think that is why we have such few arguments. In 25 years, I can think of only one of any significance. How has the business changed over the years? When we took over the business, there were the four cousins and three admin staff in the winery with our loyal generational employees on the farm. Today, we are significantly bigger than that. The implications of that growth have been huge. One day, you’re riding the forklift and locking up when you leave in the evening. The next, you become a manager as you recruit more people. Then you start to think about strategy and how to grow the business in the right way. That’s how my brother, our cousins and I have all evolved professionally and have grown the business together, according to that trajectory. How do you approach family governance? We talked about the idea of writing down some sort of family constitution for over a decade. We consulted with our peers in the farming sector to understand how different families have managed to agree on a constitution, the merits of having one and what can go wrong without one. Finally, around a year or so ago, we wrote it all down into one family-owned document. Has having a constitution changed things for the family? I think it has cemented the sense that the business was never about a group of individuals and more about a collective ‘us’. For me, having the constitution in place has brought out a new kind of pride and hope for the future. The idea that this generation is forward-looking and actively planning for the next generation is a legacy to be proud of. It also gives our parents a belief that their legacy will continue for generations to come. How important is cultural capital to the smooth running of the business? Put simply, you cannot grow a business from 50 to 600 people without a strong culture. Ours is based around the concept of family; everyone – from our employees to all our consumers – is part of that family. We don’t micro manage; we create the space for people to work, take accountability and develop in their own way. Ultimately, our culture has enabled us to recruit the right team to enable our growth. That is something of which I am immensely proud. What will be the biggest challenge for the next generation? The next generation consists of ten people, ranging from fifteen to 27 years old. Some are married, some have graduated, one is in London, one in the US. We tell them all the same thing: ‘Go and become who you want. Go and work elsewhere for three years and figure out what you want to do in life’. Of the ten, perhaps only five will get involved in the business and that is entirely their choice. On the other hand, all the wines we produce are strongly associated with the family, so there is a balance to strike. The challenge will be to keep an open mind as to exactly how to accommodate those that want to be involved and ensure they their talents are put to the best use. It’s Friday evening after a long week, what do you pour yourself to drink? The weather in South Africa plays a role, so white wine is my go-to. Our van Loveren Sauvignon Blanc has been a favourite for many years. I would light a fire and pour myself a glass of that. Fresh, elegant, fruity and stylish – it is a well-balanced wine. And luckily, there is more than one glass in the bottle! 本文转载自雷梭勒家族办公室,如有侵权,敬请告知删除。 Sooswiss为您提供 瑞士方向私人管家式的定制服务: 1)家族传承 2)财富管理 3)瑞士投资 4)居留计划 5)税务优化 6)家族治理 更多资讯请登录网站 www.sooswiss.com