MB Group's Question Of the Quarter: Q4, 2022

Reflecting on 2022, what are you going to do more of or differently in 2023? 

Here is what our experts had to say:

Where do I start?

Typically, the answer would be ambitiously led; rooftop shouting about strategies, acquisitions, seismic events planned and transformational enterprise. But my 2022 has been a period for introspection and so the answer going into 2023 will be more measured and reflect some important learnings.

Firstly, I will make decisions quicker. The right decision doesn’t become more right through delaying it. Having the conviction to listen to the people around me, the counsel I receive being of critical importance to the decision tree, will deliver quicker resolution to those important matters.

Secondly, I will solve more problems. Ideas live in the abstract unless they come with a solution, architecturally designed, with well-defined timelines, outputs and accountabilities. So I will address the multitude of macro and micro-economic issues our clients face, whether it is the acute candidate shortage in a number of markets or the wellbeing impact on employee retention and I will take the ideas that we have and deliver the solutions at pace.

Thirdly, I will say ‘no’ more. I have forgotten how to use that word over the years. Saying yes all the time simply stretches the bandwidth, so whether it is an unrealistic client, unreasonable expectations, distracting propositions or non-productive demands on my time, I will be saying ‘no’. Albeit, I might say yes after some reflection – who ‘kNOws!’

Finally, I will stop putting everything out there…. so in the spirit of this change in behaviour, I will leave my reflections at the triumvirate above – pace of decisions; solutions over ideas; saying no more.

- Matt Burton, Chairman at MB Group

More Of:

• Structure & Planning – this has been integral to some of our monthly performances this last few months. Having a plan for each vacancy, identifying and mitigating risks along the way.
• Reflecting / Analysing – it’s important to learn from outcomes, whether these be desired or not. You can equally benefit knowing which rabbit holes to go down and also knowing which ones not to go down.
• Resetting – when all else fails, reset. Hit the reset button, and go back to basics.

Differently:

• Being more visible online - having an online identity that reflects our markets and compliments our clients
• Empowering & Developing Leaders

- Nathan Daniels, Operations Manager at MBA

2022 has been a great year – we’ve been busy, we’ve grown, we’ve invested in new brands, we got some stuff wrong, and we got some stuff right…but as much as we have been successful and built a much stronger business in the last 12 months, it’s been full on, hard, and not always enjoyable.

I think we have been guilty of changing too many times and chasing too many things at once. For me, next year is about planning well, executing on the plan and doing fewer things better, with greater consistency.

- James Manby, Managing Director at VIDA