In my last Blog Article I spoke on the importance of having line managers well trained and coached in Leadership & Emotional Intelligence, Communication and Teamwork. We call this training as the foundational training. It is truly the baseline of what we used to call "soft skills". I prefer calling them "core skills". No person …
Train your Managers!
Everywhere I go, I get flooded by business owners with the huge problems they have with their human resource. Many of these problems are related to attitudes, reliability and performance. Many business owners feel at a loss at how to improve the attitudes and boost the performance of their team members, especially when they find …
What determines the value of your Company?
Many times I find myself having to handle the difference between how business owners view the value of their business and how investors would view the value of any business. Investors would base themselves on detailed, quantitative valuation models on which they would base themselves before making any investment decision and at what price. Surprisingly …
Budget 2023 – An Overview
Government is forecasting that it will remain in a budget deficit at least until 2025. Government is forecasting a public debt level that will go from over €8 billion in 2021 to around €12 billion in 2025, with an annual deficit of almost €1 billion forecasted for 2022 and 2023. This will mean that the …
Now is not the time to abandon Strategic Planning
My very 1st article on this Blog was on the importance of Strategic Planning. I did so on purpose as I always (and still) believe that Strategic Planning is of fundamental importance for any business. However, I am now seeing a growing worrying trend where business leaders are running away with the idea that the …
Continue reading Now is not the time to abandon Strategic Planning
Why are family businesses so slow at making decisions?
Decisions in a family business are made in the context of not just the business, but of the family relationships. Families are complex, emotional systems, so what can seem like straightforward business decisions are deeply affected by the history of the family relationships and the health or complexity of those relationships. That is why taking …
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IMF Economic Outlook October 2022
Yesterday the IMF issued its updated Economic Outlook. As anticipated it does not carry good news. In a nutshell the report outlines that the global economy continues to face steep challenges, shaped by the lingering effects of three powerful forces: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a cost-of-living crisis caused by persistent and broadening inflation pressures, …
Parents leading Family Businesses – Please note!
Invariably at one point or another owners of Family Businesses often ask me "How can I get my son or daughter to be more committed and better prepared at leading the family business in the future?" It seems that present family business owners are all seriously concerned on the continuation of the family legacy through …
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Excessive Conflict is bad, Artificial Harmony is Worse
I find that often people think about conflict when they think about family business. Many believe that there is a direct link between family businesses and rowdy meetings whereby conflict is the order of the day. That may all be true. However I feel that far worse than conflict, family businesses are plagued by a …
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Adapt & Change or Perish
We have now been going through a sustained period of time whereby family businesses & SMEs have to deal with various unprecedented challenges. Over the years I have learnt that on average family business have important positive traits like a strong financial resilience and a strong commitment to the business, that will help them overcome …
A Business Blog for SMEs & Family Businesses 