WHO CHALLENGES THEIR BOSS?

You run your own business. It may be where you've spent the majority of your working life. As a result life can get rather claustrophobic making it hard to see things from an outside perspective. You have a team of staff around you but you can’t develop your vision, strategy and ideas for the business with them until it is a confirmed plan. And your staff rarely challenge you or follow up on your outstanding actions because you’re their boss. So who keeps the business sharp except you?

A CRITICAL BUSINESS FRIEND

An independent expert in the form of a Non-Executive Director (NED) can be just what you need to cover these gaps. A NED can play several key roles in your business including:

- Act as a sounding board for your ideas

- Provide an independent and impartial view on your strategy

- Bring specialist and complementary skills to enhance the team

- Bring fresh ideas, methods, advice & experience to help you scale your business

- Help you evaluate your options and make the best decisions

- Ask tough questions and hold you to account in delivering your plans

- Act as a diplomat where there is tension or disagreement among directors

- Introduce you to a network of expert professionals

AN ANCHOR IN THE STORM

We are in turbulent times that are giving business owners sleepless nights. A critical business friend can help you make sense of the uncertainty. You will find reassurance that your plans are strong if you’ve tested them against expert advice. But you need to find the right fit – especially personal chemistry. Your critical friend does not necessarily need experience of your industry, products or services because you already know that. But they do need to have wide commercial experience of managing businesses, have sat in your seat before and understand your culture.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

- Who can I share my ideas and concerns with?

- How do I ensure I get a wider perspective on my businesses?

- Who holds me to account to achieve the goals I’ve set myself?

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The Critical Business Friend

Anyone who runs their own business knows that it can be a lonely place to be. Who do you share your ideas and plans with? Who challenges you and highlights areas of improvement in your business? An independent expert can be the perfect critical friend for you and your business.