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December 2025 Leadership Training/Mentoring Section

THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING/MENTORING CORNER

In August of this year the Silver Fox Advisors introduced a new offering in its monthly newsletter which is called the Leadership Training/Mentoring Section.  

In this section a thought-provoking situation will be presented. In most cases these situations will be real life circumstances. Our readers will think about them and play them out in their minds or on paper, as they consider what they would do or should have done if these incidents actually happened to them in their businesses.

Being a good leader requires you to be able to react to unexpected happenings or developments. Our Silver Fox Advisors have experiences they want to share with you that they have managed through, with the hope of providing you with some touch points so you can become more than a good leader but a GREAT LEADER.

There is an added benefit: if you respond to us and provide a reply to this situation, and your response is selected as the best, you will be awarded a seat at one of our Lunch & Learn events.

DECEMBER LEADERSHIP SITUATION

 You and your spouse own a $25.0 million commercial service business, and your spouse is very active in the business and originally started the business thus he knows every aspect of the operation of the business inside and out. You have really never taken an interest in the business, but have been involved in some of the decision-making over the years. Part of the management group is a husband-and-wife team who have been employees for a number of years in the business, but neither one has an employment contract or any ownership interest. The husband is the head of operations, and the wife is the controller.  The business’ debt is on the land and building and is in the form of a long-term mortgage, which is current, and a revolving line-of-credit with no outstanding balance. The owner and the spouse have wills in place stating upon the demise of one spouse, the other spouse inherits 100.0% of the deceased spouse’s belongings.

On a dark and stormy night the owner is driving home from the airport and is involved in a fatal accident and passes away on the scene. You are the surviving spouse and now the 100.0% owner of a business you know little about, and you do not have any experience in running a business. You know a number of the business’ suppliers, larger clients, bankers and attorneys socially. You do have a degree in business from a major university, and you have pretty a good understanding of financial matters.

What should your next steps be?

Please provide us a brief write-up of What are your next steps? Send your write-up to Lynn Rosado at [email protected]

In our January 2026 Newsletter one or more of our Silver Fox Advisors will provide a response to what he or she would have done and what precautions he or she would have taken in this December Leadership Situation. 

If you need assistance in becoming a better leader, I recommend you start by contacting the Silver Fox Advisors. Silver Fox Advisors are former or present business owners themselves, and they have leadership experience in running a business, and in some cases several businesses, and have dealt with unforeseen and unplanned situations throughout their careers. We encourage you to visit our website at www.silverfox.org to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.