People challenges in the workplace

How MD2MD membership can help.

Resolving ‘people’ challenges in the workplace

Probably the most important, and often most frustrating responsibility of the Managing Director is managing ‘people issues.’ Sometimes an otherwise high-performing individual is unhappy or disruptive. Other times, said individual is clearly well-motivated and putting effort into their work but is simply not delivering the results needed. More difficult still is when two or more individuals are struggling to develop a positive rapport. Sadly, it happens too often and either way, the cost to your business could potentially be very significant. The key question is: how to deal with them?

Draw on the experience of others

There are plenty of HR advisors who will guide you through the formalities, but usually the key to success is in making good leadership judgements and intervening in a way that resolves the challenge rather than compounds it.

MD2MD employs many expert speakers to lead workshops on common people challenges. Another approach that works for many members of MD2MD is to recognise that you are not the first business leader facing ‘people’ issues. It is a key challenge for most business leaders, so why not draw on the experience of others by discussing the situation in a confidential business leaders meeting? That’s what MD2MD groups do. There is rarely a single, simple answer but many find exploring alternatives with fellow business leaders really powerful.
Our members can nearly always relate to the situations of others, so they can explore effectively with you the alternatives to help you find the best way forward for you and your business.

You benefit from MD2MD if you...

Are ambitious for greater business success and recognise that to achieve that you need to develop your leadership skills to effectively lead the team to deliver more and better.

Have the humility to recognise that everyone – no matter how brilliant and experienced a leader – can raise their game further.

Are willing to challenge and be challenged with alternative views, constructive questions and different insights.

Want to learn from a diverse group of experienced business leaders.

Are an operational leader managing profit and loss, and making decisions on priorities and people.

Managing Director to Managing Director

You can join the MD2MD community if you are an operational leader. You are running an organisation employing tens or hundreds of staff costing your business a million pounds per annum, and regularly make decisions themselves worth tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Having grown beyond start-up, where your job was primarily to do, your primary role now is to lead. To engage and enthuse a team to drive towards a shared vision. You have to manage sales, marketing, operations and development to efficiently and effectively deliver the right balance between profit now and investment for the future growth.

You are ambitious to achieve more success for your business with less stress for yourself. Whilst competent and confident you have the humility to realise you can be even better and the desire to be so. Whilst revenues are important to your business, your goal from membership is to be an even better leader, not to generate leads from fellow members. Whilst knowledgeable, you realise you have as much to learn from them as you have ideas and insights to offer them.

 

MD2MD meetings

MD2MD membership includes four valuable meeting formats all geared to the different needs of the modern day operational leader. These include two regular monthly meetings, available online or in-person plus two larger format, annual events.

Leadership Challenge Board

Leaders like you discuss in private how best to deal with real business leadership challenges. A chance to develop your thinking on leadership as well as sound out how others would deal with a challenge you face.

Learn more

Speaker-led workshops

Weekly interactive workshops led by world-class practitioner speakers of a standard rarely available to business leaders in a small group.

Learn more

Speaker webinars

Speaker webinars are similar to workshops but have unlimited attendees and are not fully interactive. There is no requirement to have cameras on and interactivity is via the text chat box.

Learn more

Sponsored speaker briefings

The speaker for sponsored briefings is not funded by your subscription. The speaker is a volunteer or is being paid for by a sponsor with an interest in promoting their angle. Which they are briefed to do appropriately and in the context of adding value to demonstrate their worth!

Learn more

Trending topics discussion groups

Trending topic discussion groups are an ad hoc chance for members to meet, share and discuss best practice in an area of shared interest with other members with an interest in the same subject.

Learn more

Special interest groups

Special interest groups (SIG) bring together members who have a common interest based on sector, on role, on ownership model, according to a common challenge or indeed by any ongoing shared interest which members are keen to discuss with others like them, addressing or considering addressing the same situation.

Learn more

LeaderFest

An opportunity for you to hear first hand the leadership thoughts of some very experienced and interesting business leaders whilst discussing business with a hundred or so business leaders like you.

Learn more

Retreat to advance

A chance for you to take time out at an inspirational venue. Consider where you and your business might be in 5, 10 or even 100 years. Where are you heading, why you are heading there and how will you get there?

Learn more

You the operational leader

Leader – Your primary role is to engage and enthuse a team in driving towards a shared vision. You probably have a team of tens or hundreds.

Operational – Your challenge is managing sales, marketing, operations and development to efficiently and effectively deliver the right balance between profit now and investment for future growth.

Ambitious – You are ambitious to achieve more success for your business with less stress for yourself.

Learning – Whilst competent and confident you have the humility to realise you can be an even better leader and have the desire to develop further.

Commitment – You are committed to investing in continuous improvement for you, your team and your business.

Trial membership

If you feel MD2MD sounds a great fit for you and could help you move your business to the next stage, then get back in touch with us via the introductory email we sent to you and we can arrange for one of our Ambassadors to talk you through MD2MD membership in more detail and help arrange a free trial meeting with our compliments.

Our trial includes a guest place on a peer group meeting designed to demonstrate the power of sharing with and learning from other business leaders just like you. As a member of MD2MD participating in our events you will experience many insights resulting in better strategies, better decisions, and greater performance in pursuit of your ambitious vision.

Apply for free trial

My experience with MD2MD has been extremely helpful in many ways and even more so with the changing business environment this year. I have made many new helpful relationships with all kinds of MD's. Rick Lorenzo
MD2MD, it’s no longer lonely at the top they said.. Before MD2MD, sharing my business discussions and challenges were largely limited to people in my own company, and to lesser degree people in my own industry. Then I saw the light. The diversity of views, opinions and experience I was able to get from the peer group sessions on a multitude of challenges took my capabilities to a whole new level. My greater surprise though was just how my own experiences were able to help others. Brian Craig
The challenge sessions with my peers always provide insight and actionable approaches to problems that vex me and other C-levels. MD2MD challenges you to be the best leader you can be and never disappoints. Chris Hobbs

Business leader to business leader

The MD2MD community is for operational leaders of organisations, employing tens or hundreds of staff and who regularly make decisions worth tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Your primary role is now to engage and enthuse a team in driving towards a shared vision. Managing sales, marketing, operations and development to efficiently and effectively deliver the right balance between profit now and investment for future growth.
​
You are ambitious to achieve more success for your business with less stress for yourself. Whilst competent and confident you have the humility to realise you can be even better and the desire to be so. Whilst revenues are important to your business, your role is to lead, not to generate leads from fellow members. Whilst knowledgeable, you have as much to learn from them as you have ideas and insights to offer them.

Frequently asked questions

Are meetings online or in-person?

Time is a precious asset for every business leader.

We endeavour to optimise return on time by blending an online core service that allows members to stay in regular contact efficiently with in-person meetings that encourage the development of the powerful in-depth relationships that make MD2MD work so well.

Do I have to commit to a lengthy contract?

There is no long term legal commitment involved in MD2MD membership.

Membership continues only as long as you choose.

Whilst we’d encourage you to think carefully before joining and most leavers exit gracefully in a planned way with a chance to say farewell, membership can be terminated at any time. You stop paying and you stop attending.

How do I know MD2MD is right for my needs?

If you are an operational business leader and you have the ambition to drive more success for your business and recognise that to achieve that you need to raise your own game as the leader, then MD2MD is very probably right for you.

The only way to know for certain is to try.  If you are willing to invest in yourself and even greater success for your business, we’ll invest in you.

We offer suitable and committed prospective members a free trial meeting and then a free trial period so they, we, and our members, can make sure your membership adds value for all.

What is the trial membership offer?

We offer suitable candidates the opportunity first-hand how our meetings work.  We invite you to join a demonstration meeting as our cost so you can see how the process provides an opportunity for MD’s to learn with and from other MD’s.

If, after that guest meeting, we mutually agree membership is right we offer you a place in a member group. We then invest in providing the first meeting and a speaker-led workshop with our compliments so you can confirm the reality before your first subscription is due.

Are the meetings confidential?

Yes. Its vital that everyone can talk in confidence with their peers. All members are asked to sign a non disclosure agreement upon joining MD2MD.

Is the MD2MD subscription expensive?

Adding value and delivering a return on our members’ investment in membership is fundamental to us. Doing so isn’t actually that challenging. Our members all have tens or hundreds of staff. A 1% improvement in engagement from a leadership insight gained at a meeting is worth far more than our subscription.

Likewise members often run decisions worth 5 or 6 figures past their trusted but independent fellow members.

Just one better decision easily justifies the subscription. And if one alternative view shared in a meeting helps clarify a better strategy then again the subscription is justified for many years.

Are you a networking organisation?

Not like most are.  Whilst revenues are critical to all businesses our members typically employ others to generate leads. Members do get to know, like and trust each other and so sometimes do business together. But arrangements are driven by the ethos of mutual support rather than inappropriate pitching.

Which industry sectors do members come from?

MD2MD recruits from all sectors. Every group is a diverse mix with ownership structures from owner manager to corporate subsidiary and a variety in between, and at all stages of development from start up to scale up, to growth, maturity and exit. The common ground is all face the challenge of dealing with people, finances, strategies, decisions and risks. With differing values, beliefs, experiences and attitudes.

That is deliberate.  Business leaders like you know your industry and how it operates and know people in your sector.  MD2MD members provide the alternative perspective. You’ll develop your thinking by answering intelligent ‘dumb’ questions from wise and independent peers that approach things differently.

Do I have to be a Managing Director to join?

No. Members come with many titles. It is key that you are an operational business leader and are ambitious for more business success whilst recognising that to achieve that you need to raise your game even higher as the leader of the organisation.  You recognise that even with all your experience, you still have things to learn.

MD2MD membership

  • You meet your peer group privately for structured confidential conversations about real business challenges. You meet online and, if you choose, face to face.
  • You attend open workshops led by top professional speakers sharing best practice on a wide range of leadership topics.
  • You join our annual conference LeaderFest and our annual ‘Retreat to advance’.

 

Apply for trial membership