Insights & Feild Notes

Blogs

The floor tells the truth.

Real stories from twenty years on the shop floor - succession, authority, and the moments that don't make it into a consultant's deck.

From Operator to Owner: How Sarah Became the Successor Her Father Believed In

Björn Vikard

Published on: 23/10/2026

How Sarah Became the Successor. Eight years in operations, zero floor credibility with the veterans. Fourteen months of structured development changed that — before the handover, not after.

family business successor developmentnext generation manufacturing leadershipbuilding successor credibilityfamily business leadership transition

The Succession Readiness Score: How to Know Where You Actually Stand

Björn Vikard

Published on: 11/09/2026

The Succession Readiness Score measures eight domains — operational independence, successor capability, customer relationship transferability, financial documentation, knowledge capture, workforce stability, governance clarity, and personal readiness

succession readiness score manufacturinghow ready is your business for successionsuccession assessment family businessmanufacturing exit readiness

How to Protect Customer Relationships Through a Manufacturing Succession

Björn Vikard

Published on: 28/08/2026

Brian lost $4.7M in annual revenue in 18 months because his customer relationships weren't managed through the succession. The four-stage Customer Transition Framework prevents this — managing the timing, sequencing, and relationship-building.

protect customer relationships manufacturing successionrevenue retention business transitioncustomer transition framework manufacturing

Inside the Legacy Succession System™: The Six-Module Framework

Björn Vikard

Published on: 14/08/2026

The Legacy Succession System is organised around capability development rather than milestones. Six modules address operational independence, knowledge transfer, successor development, customer relationships, valuation readiness and legacy governance

: legacy succession system manufacturingsix module succession frameworksuccession consulting processLSS programme structure

How to Help Leaders Handle their Team and Themselves During Pandemic Times?

Björn Vikard

Published on: 03/02/2026

People have been cut off from their jobs, colleagues, and regular daily routines as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. It has often increased stress, lowered morale, and fractured team cohesiveness, all of which may result in diminished job performance. That is why it is important for leaders to actively create a feeling of inclusiveness at work.

Is It the Right Time to Start Working on Operational Excellence?

Björn Vikard

Published on: 03/02/2026

If you are looking to transform the structure and ultimately change the direction of your company, you need to integrate Operational Excellence elements into the transformational process. The best way to do this is to hire experienced and renowned Operational Excellence consultants that have ample knowledge and insight into what is needed to make a fledgling company reach its true potential.

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For readers of the paperback

Your readers' bonus

If you found this page, you have one of my books in your hands. Thank you for reading it.

The ebook from my website comes with a few extra tools that aren't sold anywhere else. Paperback readers get the same tools here, free. No email, no sign-up. Pick your book and download.

Don't Exit Wrong Leading with Character Across Cultures The Multiplying Mentor

Don't Exit Wrong

Three tools to see where your succession really stands, and what to do first.

Founder Independence Scorecard10 questions that reveal how dependent your business really is on you, across operations, leadership, relationships and knowledge.
Succession Red Flags Checklist15 warning signs across five categories that tell you whether your exit plan is missing, broken or on track.
Eye-Opener Action MapTakes your Succession Readiness Eye-Opener results and turns them into prioritised actions, with timelines and chapter references. The bridge between knowing the problem and doing something about it.

Download the bonus bundle

The templates the book refers to are on the Toolkits page ›

Leading with Character Across Cultures

Two tools for the moments when the same leadership doesn't land the same way.

Cultural Leadership Self-Check10 questions that score your cross-cultural leadership effectiveness and direct you to the chapters that matter most for your situation.
The 5-Question Conflict DecoderA field guide for diagnosing cross-cultural disagreements before you step in. Built from real manufacturing floor experience across four continents.

Download the bonus bundle

The templates the book refers to are on the Toolkits page ›

The Multiplying Mentor

The BRIDGE Quick-Start Bundle: three tools to get a mentoring pair started and keep it moving.

Mentor Readiness SnapshotA short self-check that tells you whether you, or your chosen mentor, actually have the time and standing to make this work, before you start.
The 90-Day Match PlanA simple week-by-week plan for the first three months of a new mentoring pair, so it doesn't stall the way most do.
The Legacy Chain TrackerA one-page way to see whether your mentees are becoming mentors themselves, or whether the knowledge is stopping with them.

Download the bonus bundle

The templates the book refers to are on the Toolkits page ›

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