Family business succession is a critical process shaped by societal myths and pressures of legitimacy. We offer the concept of succession myth defined as the societal expectations towards a ‘legitimate succession’ that take the form of a nepotism, meritocracy, and gender equality myth. Drawing on theories of myths, feminist perspectives, and reflexivity, we argue that successors engage in reflexive practices to negotiate their hierarchical position as a CEO. To gain better insight into the pressures of legitimacy and how successors reproduce, challenge, or acknowledge societal expectations, we empirically explore how next-generation successors engage in reflexive practices to navigate these myths. By analyzing LinkedIn posts from German family business successors, we engage into a critical discourse analysis of the narratives in which successors reflect on their promotion. Our findings reveal that successors employ both critical and self-reflexive practices, including reflexive inquiry, dialogical exchange, temporal disruption, iterativity, context sensitivity, and emotional engagement, to navigate legitimacy pressures. While some narratives reinforce myths, others critically engage with and challenge them, revealing moments of heightened meta-awareness. This study contributes to family business and organizational literature by introducing the concept of succession myths and their reproduction or transformation through reflexivity. It emphasizes the interplay between individual agency and societal structures, offering insights into how successors legitimize their roles while addressing broader social inequalities. The findings underscore the need for systemic approaches and critical feminist perspectives to address the perpetuation or challenging of systematic inequalities in family business contexts.
