Late last year, I wrote a blog about using the Christmas Dinner Test as the measure of the true success of a succession plan.

Two sons were committed to taking over the family business from their parents.  I told them they needed to change their approach to their parents.

At the start of 2026, I received an email from the Mum:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the coaching you have done with our 2 sons. They called a meeting at a neutral space and had an agenda and proposal to start the conversation of succession planning. So proud of them and the way they approached it, very respectful and open. Thank you for this as I know in the past they have been completely different – we are setting up another meeting, this time I will include others such as our head bookkeeper, our accountant, our financial advisor, and our business manager and hopefully we can work together towards an exit strategy for us sooner rather than later.”

 What really caught my eye was the last line: “…sooner rather than later.”

The sons were not pushing for their parents to exit the business by June 2026.  They stopped trying to convince their parents to be ready.  They created space for their parents to exit the business on their terms.

And Mum moved toward them.

That’s the paradox of succession.  Chase it, it runs. Create space, it comes to you.