Who is Aide de MD?
Me, Charlotte Rimmer, and I support the MD / CEO of businesses across a broad range of industries including design, NFP, training, construction, recruitment, cosmetics.
Why?
Because business owners have a full-time job running a business and as their business grows their time doesn’t increase incrementally.
What are the main issues?
Business strategy and investing time on the business rather than in the business. It’s challenging to split time between ensuring business is effective and profitable and improving efficiencies, infrastructure and staff management to enable growth.
When and how do you support the growth of a business?
Through regular reviews and clear accountability in meetings set fortnightly, monthly or quarterly. The key is to ensure that the review is consistent and that the difficult, challenging issues are addressed, not ignored.
Is this successful?
Yes, addressing and confronting issues which could be avoided due to time constraints generally gives control back to the MD.
How do you address issues?
By setting time aside to consider if the business is on track – asking questions about what they expected of their business, purpose and vision.
What are the outcomes of these meetings?
Advancement of goals, clarity in direction, review of the business plan and peace of mind for the MD.
What if it is 100% on track?
Fantastic, applause all around, time to congratulate them and encourage further growth and perhaps some risk taking to move to the next stage.
What if the business isn’t where they expected it to be?
Aide de MD asks the questions and considers other angles that may not have been raised. Encourage a revisit of the initial business plan and supporting documents, objectively consider if they are still relevant or need changing to support the direction of the business.
Aide de MD asks how and why – running a reverse appraisal on the business through objective eyes, sometimes challenges the MD.
How do they like being challenged?
Sometimes they love it, because it is the first time someone has genuinely asked them about their business and they can answer without fear of retribution. Even close management teams find it difficult to question the direction of the principal.
Does the MD get defensive?
No, the role of Aide de MD is to offer a safe environment for the MD to consider, review and discuss their business in a non-confronting manner.
Is this successful?
Yes, it is important to be direct and consider the issues from all angles with flexibility and empathy.
Do MDs like this?
Yes, MDs often admit that the reason some aspects of their business aren’t developed is due to their own lack of accountability or ability to be side-tracked into other more “interesting” responsibilities.
What are your values?
Collaboration, honesty, integrity; a desire to help others to do the right thing and succeed in their own endeavours while offering a professional, intelligent service.