5th April 2023

Succession: how not to do business

Piers Larbey

Partner

This week's episode of Succession saw the return of influential board members Stewy Hosseini and Sandi Furness, desperate for CEO Logan Roy to renegotiate the sale of his company to Lukas Matsson.

At the centre of this comes the drama and risks of renegotiation - could it be worth asking for a higher sale price, which would then run the risk of losing out on the deal entirely?

One of the most compelling aspects of this series is the way the writers effectively convey the role of the 'ego' in business disputes and management.

To run an effective company, directors must be bullish, innovative and creative in the choices they make. However, crucially, they must remember - and are in fact legally obligated to do so - that they should act in the best interests of the company, not for their own personal needs and grievances.

Deals can in fact be scuppered because personalities get in the way of effective business decision-making. The key to avoiding this is the ability to communicate effectively with other members of your team and to trust each other's judgement - examples we definitely do not see in the Roy children.