Instilling the Family Values in the Family Office Design and Culture with Eric Hohauser

Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Eric Hohauser, President of Harvey Hohauser & Associates, a firm specializing in the assessment, identification, integration, and placement of culturally aligned and strategically adaptive C-Suite & Vice President level leaders. Prior to joining Harvey Hohauser & Associates in 2008, Eric worked at a multi-site distribution and retail business, where he was responsible for the management of cross-functional operations, merchandising, recruitment, and training teams. Eric, and his firm Harvey Hohauser & Associates, is a valued and generous advisor member of FOX, and we are fortunate to have his expertise available to our membership community.

Recruiting executive leaders and expert staff for family offices continues to be one of the top priorities, and challenges, for enterprise families. Eric talks about what it takes to successfully recruit and assimilate senior leaders into a family office, as well as what the family office recruiting landscape and marketplace looks like today.

Beyond identifying and recruiting talented leaders, building a strong culture in the family office is really important – and has its own unique challenges. Eric points to what wealth owners and family leaders should be doing to foster a vibrant and attractive culture within their family offices, and how they can imbue the family office with a strong purpose and vision that attracts and retains top talent.

One practical tip Eric has for family leaders is to link the family office design, governance, and even culture with those of the family. He describes how that can be done and why it helps strengthen the bonds between the family and its family office staff.

Another strong suggestion Eric has for family leaders is to engage in continuity planning for the family office in a systematic and intentional manner – actively managing the organizational design of the family office and aligning it with the needs and values of the family. Eric paints the picture for our listeners of how to do that and what are some of the best practices you see families apply to achieve this goal.

Please enjoy this very relevant and illuminating conversation with one of the most experienced thought leaders and practitioners in the world of family office talent recruiting and development.