Leading Before the Role: How Family Enterprises Shape Future Leaders

In this episode, we’re joined by Wendy Sage-Hayward, Senior Consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, where she advises family enterprises, business leaders, and boards on continuity, governance, and generational transition. She is also Academic Director at Family Enterprise Canada, leading the Family Enterprise Advisor program, and co-author of Own It!, bringing both practical and research-based insight to how families prepare the next generation and work through the questions that continuity raises across generations. Our conversation explores how families navigate expectations that are often left unspoken, why learning together matters, and what helps create more honest and mature conversations across generations. We also look at where tension can quietly build over time and how greater trust and clarity can help families move forward well.About Wendy Sage-Hayward Wendy is a senior consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, where she advises business leaders, family enterprises, and boards around the world on how to navigate the complexities of continuity, governance, and generational transition. What makes Wendy’s perspective unique is that she doesn’t just advise family businesses. She lives it. She’s an owner of Sage Hayward Vineyards, her family’s winery on British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands, and previously served as a partner and director in her family’s five-generation U.S. business. Wendy is also the Academic Director at Family Enterprise Canada, where she leads the Family Enterprise Advisor program, and she teaches in the Family Shift program at Ivey Business School. She’s the co-founder of mGen Education and co-author of 'Human Resources in Family Business' and 'Own It!', bringing both practical and research-based insights to her work. She’s based in Vancouver and is passionate about helping families build strong businesses and even stronger relationships across generations. Resources discussed in this episode: Jay Hughes David York University of Alberta Alexander Saunders John Ward - Unconventional Wisdom Own It! How to Develop Family Enterprise Ownership Skills At Every Age Contact Cory Gagnon | Beacon Family Office at CI Assante Financial Management Ltd.  Website: BeaconFamilyOffice.com LinkedIn: Cory Gagnon LinkedIn: Beacon Family Office Email: [email protected] Contact Wendy Sage-Hayward | The Family Business Consulting Group:  Website: mgeneducation.com | thefbcg.com | familyenterprise.ca | sagehaywardvineyards.com LinkedIn: Wendy Sage Hayward Email: [email protected] Phone: (604) 803 7420 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.