We were working recently with a £40m family business. Good people and strong values. They had a loyal senior leadership team that had been together for years. But no board.
There was no crisis. The business was performing well but big decisions were becoming harder to make. Strategy conversations kept starting, then losing momentum. Everyone was busy, but no one was really guiding the future.
It’s a pattern we come across often.
There’s leadership, commitment and a sense of history or what has gone before..
But there’s no real structure around long-term decisions. No rhythm or forum to challenge or test thinking. No separation between what’s being managed day to day, and what’s meant to be thought about more deeply.
“If you’re making £10m decisions without a governance structure, who’s really holding the risk?”
What gets missed when governance is light
Many family businesses rely on instinct, loyalty, and deep operational knowledge. And for a long time, that works.
But eventually, things begin to bottleneck.
What we call the Operational Ceiling sets in. It’s where the same people keep being pulled into every decision. Meetings stay focused on the short term and the senior team feel stretched. Mid-career leaders feel like they’ve gone as far as they can and the next generation are stuck somewhere in the middle – interested, but unsure where they fit.
Meanwhile, the bigger questions – about direction, growth, or leadership – hang in the air.
And it’s not that the business is lacking talent. It’s that the structure doesn’t support forward-thinking leadership.
What a board can bring
Bringing in a board, whether advisory or formal, isn’t about adding red tape. Done properly, it’s about creating space. Space to step back. To think ahead. To make decisions with perspective, rather than pressure.
It introduces:
- A clearer divide between running the business and guiding its direction
- External voices who can stretch thinking and add challenge
- A practical way to involve the rising generation in real decisions
- A steadier rhythm around future planning, risk, and investment
And perhaps above all, it signals that the family is willing to think beyond the present.
It’s not just about structure. It’s about authority.
Often, the real reason a board hasn’t been formed is that no one wants to let go of the reins.
Power tends to sit with a handful of individuals, usually with good reason and even better intent. But putting structure in place can feel like losing something. Even when everyone agrees things need to move forward.
We understand that. It’s a natural tension in many businesses. But the families who choose to deal with it directly – and start the conversation – tend to be the ones who move forward with clarity and confidence.
What to do if this sounds familiar
You don’t have to leap into board appointments straight away. For many families, it starts with an honest conversation. Others begin by inviting an experienced advisor into the room to observe or contribute to a few key meetings.
We often start with a short review to help families understand how decisions are being made now – and what might be missing as the business evolves.
There’s no fixed model. Just a set of practical options that fit your stage, size, and direction of travel.
Final thought
If your exec team is doing well, but feels stretched.
If strategy keeps being delayed because there’s no clear place to hold it.
If the next generation are present but not yet progressing.
It’s probably time to ask:
Is your current structure really helping you look ahead with confidence?
David Twiddle is the Founder of TWYD & Co, a leadership advisory firm working exclusively with family businesses and family offices. A former founder and CEO himself, he now helps business families think clearly about leadership, succession, and continuity – and make confident decisions for the future.