The year 2023 was turbulent, to say the least. This feeling was not only present within the walls of VIE People; many other business owners undoubtedly recognize this turmoil with less work, red numbers and low retention. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what was going on in the market, but that it was slower and less predictable is certain. It was a year with many leadership challenges. 

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Personally, for Mechteld Daniëls (CEO VIE People), this was perhaps her toughest year at VIE in nearly 15 years. 

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What were her learnings:

• When you have so much on your plate and are busy juggling responsibilities, you risk losing connection with your team. "I started working solo, working harder and asking less for help. Totally against our core values of 'doing things together. "The pressure I was experiencing was visible, causing my team to ask fewer questions to relieve me."
• There is less time and especially less room for inspiration. "Books, articles and podcasts, which are normally a source of ideas and inspiration and with which I can motivate the team and move the organization forward, no longer had the same impact." 

• Taking good care of yourself during periods of great pressure really makes all the difference. Working out, eating healthy, low alcohol, yoga and meditation, going to bed on time or whatever works for you. It may not always be fun, but it definitely helps.

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'Never waste a good crisis'!

What knobs can you turn to find the way up, what are our learnings? 

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• Ask yourself if the organizational structure and set-up still suits the phase you are in. Are responsibilities clear and is it clear who gets to make which decision, even if less popular measures have to be taken and potentially conflicting interests arise.
• Do you really know about overhead and is it really needed or can you invest the work in another way? Perhaps in the good times more and hidden internal hours have unknowingly been created. Looking closely at this provides insight and is a quick fix for higher billability, for example. 
• Look critically at your (hidden) costs such as the number of accounts of a tool or forgotten subscriptions and sometimes dare to stop a collaboration you are not satisfied with. 

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I look forward to the future, take away the personal and business lessons and am proud of where we are with VIE and all VIE'ers.

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The only way is UP!

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I'd love to hear what insights you gained last year. Feel free to get in touch via my LinkedIn.