Bridging Generational Gaps: How to Involve Younger Members in Legacy Conversations

By Tsitsi Mutendi : Family Governance Advisor 🔹 Multigenerational Wealth Architect 🔹 Legacy Builder

In the African savannah, an elephant herd moves in perfect harmony. The matriarch leads with wisdom, guiding the group across vast landscapes, but it’s the younger elephants who scout the terrain, testing new paths. Together, they create a balance of tradition and exploration—a beautiful dance of generations.

Family businesses can learn from this natural dynamic. Involving younger members in legacy conversations ensures that the family’s wealth, values, and purpose endure. It’s not about replacing the matriarch but about working together to navigate the terrain ahead.

1. The Matriarch’s Wisdom: Human Capital

The matriarch shares her knowledge not to hold power but to equip the next generation. Similarly, older family members must actively mentor younger ones, ensuring the roots of the family tree remain strong.

Practical Tip:Start an intergenerational mentorship program. Encourage younger members to ask questions and older members to share both successes and mistakes.

2. Mapping the Terrain: Intellectual Capital

Younger generations often bring fresh perspectives, leveraging technology and innovation to explore new opportunities. These insights complement the wisdom of experience, creating a holistic approach to decision-making.

Practical Tip:Organize innovation workshops where younger family members pitch ideas while learning from older members’ strategic insights.

3. Strength in Numbers: Social Capital

The herd thrives on collaboration. In family businesses, unity comes from shared experiences and strong relationships. Engaging younger members in community initiatives fosters this bond while expanding the family’s network.

Practical Tip:Involve younger members in philanthropic projects. These activities build connections and instill a sense of responsibility for the family’s reputation.

4. The Shared Path: Spiritual Capital

The matriarch teaches the herd the routes to waterholes—lifelines during dry seasons. Likewise, families must pass down their shared vision and values, ensuring younger members understand their purpose within the legacy.

Practical Tip:Host family storytelling nights where elders share the history of the business and its core values. These stories inspire younger members to see themselves as stewards of the legacy.

5. Leading the Way: Financial Capital

As younger members gain experience, they begin to lead initiatives, guided by the principles instilled in them. Like the elephant herd, the family moves forward together, leveraging both tradition and innovation.

Practical Tip:Gradually transition financial responsibilities to younger members, starting with small projects. This builds confidence and prepares them for larger roles.

A Harmonious Herd

Bridging generational gaps is not about replacing the old with the new; it’s about combining the strengths of both. Like an elephant herd, families move forward when wisdom guides and youth leads the way.

“Legacy isn’t what we leave behind; it’s the path we pave together.” Start bridging generational gaps today, and let your family move harmoniously toward a shared future.

Tsitsi Mutendi is a renowned expert in family governance, with a strong focus on African family firms. As the co-founder of African Family Firms Expert, she has dedicated her career to advising and consulting family businesses and family offices. Tsitsi is a skilled facilitator, speaker, and author, known for her insightful contributions to the field. In 2023-24, she serves as the President of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa. Tsitsi is also the co-founder of Mutendi Montessori, a primary and secondary educational institution, and the founder of DanTs Smart, a technology and software development firm. With over 23 years as an entrepreneur. Tsitsi is a renowned multi-potentialite entrepreneur whose expertise has earned her recognition in leading publications such as Forbes Africa and Arise Africa, and she has been invited to speak on prestigious global stages, including the Athena40 panel. Her work can be found on www.tsitsimutendi.com www.nhakalegacy.com www.africanfamilyfirms.org and her trending podcast for families of wealthy and their advisors https://anchor.fm/enterprisingfamilies. You can Also get her book RAISING THE BAOBAB https://amzn.to/42cpFdL