The other day, while reading a "Message from the Chair" from a Chairman of one of the associations to which I belong, I found myself wondering how many people within the association actually read it? I wondered this because what was being said was a little controversial, and based on the history of this particular association, the Chairman was taking a risk. It was also something I wondered about because so few of the people I met shortly after during an association event seemed to know what I was talking about when I mentioned the message and the position our Chair was taking. So why I am I bringing this up? You'll see at the end..
CAFE, as an association, as a collective of 14 Chapters across the country, as a volunteer driven model with limited staff-based resources, as an organization committed to assisting business families with their plans for continuity - CAFE is on the path of change. As many of you know, we are in the midst of a search exercise to find our next chief staff executive. As we begin this process, it forces our national Board of Directors to define what CAFE Canada is, what it does for CAFE Chapters across the country, and what it could be and could do that isn't doing today. We must be thoughtful about these questions and their implications because it is through this process that we will define the future of CAFE, nationally and locally.
More will be announced in the weeks to come, however, the national Board of Directors will be meeting just before Symposium in Regina on May 26th to determine our direction on a number of things, among them, these:
A national strategy for the development and delivery of a core curriculum for business families.
A national strategy for the development and delivery of a core curriculum for business family advisors.
A national strategy for the development and delivery of a cutting edge peer advisory group system.
A national strategy for the development and delivery of a consistent brand experience from coast to coast.
A national strategy for the development and delivery of a compelling value proposition for members.
A national strategy for the development and delivery of a compelling value proposition for sponsors.
A national strategy for the development and delivery of the premier business family award in North America.
So all of those are pretty big buckets and pretty ambitious goals. You can help in two basic ways:
One way is to contact the national Board (me directly or through the CAFE Canada offices) and tell us what you think.
The other way is to attend Symposium and be part of the discussion by meeting me and your Board and deliver your message in person. If you've read this message, come to Regina and meet me, and recite the quote I opened with, I will give you a personalized copy of "Last Canadian Beer - The Moosehead Story" by Harvey Sawler. It is a fantastic and candid look at a multi-generational family enterprise and how the Oland family has sustained it through wars and explosions and a few fires..and family dynamics. Worth your time to read! The catch? You'll have to have a conversation with me about CAFE and its future.
Looking forward to the conversations to come!
Allen S. Taylor
