The Alchemists Forum addresses the everyday pressures felt by CEOs and business owners
Employees
It comes as no surprise that those who ‘sit at the top’ carry a heavy load on their shoulders to ensure the smooth day to day running of a business. Although many aspire to work their way up, more often than not, the responsibility factor isn’t considered on the journey to the top of the pyramid. This can often result in many CEOs and MDs feeling stressed and unprepared once they’ve finally been given responsibility – this is where a business peer group can help.
Business peer group the Alchemists Forum understands the pressures faced by CEOs and MDs on a daily basis as our membership groups are compiled of a network of professionals who have walked in the same shoes.
The Alchemists Forum helps advise and guide CEOs or MDs through making the best decisions for their teams.
Ensuring the right people are ‘on the bus’
As many businesses are beginning to rebuild and restructure due to the after effects of the pandemic, it’s so important to make sure you have the right team around you who have the same goals and aspirations for the business.
Now is the time to take a step back and ask yourself; “Where are we going right now and who are we going with, who wants to be on this journey?” These are the questions many of the Alchemists Forum members are currently addressing in their own businesses.
It is common in all sizes of businesses to ‘panic hire’ or ‘panic fire’ in a crisis and this is absolutely not the right approach to take when reducing or extending your workforce. It’s so important to take time out to think about your current workforce and the changes it needs in order for your company to grow in the right direction.
It’s extremely difficult to make these decisions on your own without being influenced by the wider employee network and that’s ok. This is where your business peer group can come in handy. Your fellow members will act as your sounding board of non-biased advisors to help guide you through these decisions, offering insight and advice based on their own experiences and will hold you to account on your commitments.
Creating a safe working environment
We are currently living in a hybrid working world that is quickly becoming the new normal for many businesses no matter what the size. Our members’ are business owners, CEOs and MDs of £1M plus businesses up to large multi-million pound companies with large employee bases and each are currently grappling with the hybrid work model in some shape or form.
Although this new working model has many benefits to the employee, the one that has been seen to make it most appealing is safety. After a turbulent year for all, it must now be a top priority for CEOs and MDs to create a safe working environment for their employees, whether this be through hybrid working or a restructured and re-imagined office space.
Psychological safety is real and is vital for the wellbeing of your employees to ensure they remain confident, at ease and inspired when carrying out their role. From many discussions with one another over the last year, our members have learned to accept a work model that works best for both their businesses and each individual employee – this is now crucial for business regrowth and success going forward.
The way we work is constantly changing and it is essential that CEOs and MDs feel confident to guide their workforce through these changes. The members within your business peer group will also be facing the same challenges and you will all be there to guide each other each step of the way.