From the President
As I write this update for our newsletter, Victoria clocks up 205 days of lockdown. “Lockdown” is apparently the word of the year for 2020, according to Collins Dictionary. It’s pretty crazy to think we are going through this again, however, I am supported by the fact that we all belong to a great community of like-minded people where we are ready to lend support to each other.
I think that if we can learn from some of the shortcomings of our current Government, it’s that we need to be transparent in our business dealings and take accountability when things go wrong. Maintaining the trust of those that are closest to you, including family, staff, customers, friends and forum will ensure you remain viable in the long term.
We are being tested as entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders like never before, and I continue to be amazed by the resilience that the EO community continues to show. I have no doubt that all of our companies will be more viable and have better systems and processes when we are on “the other side” of this. I know that when this crisis is over, I am aiming for my business to have transformed rather than default to our original way of operating.
Forums are the backbone of our EO experience and I continue to hear amazing stories around how forums provide a safe place where we can experience share and hear alternative views on business and personal matters that may be challenging us at the moment. Our Chapter has been exploring ways that forum experiences can be taken to the next level so that the value we all get from forum can continue to increase. Our Forum Chair Damian Blumenkranc will be providing you with further details.
Our Chapter is introducing specific leadership training to Board members and new moderators to give back to our volunteer members who contribute significantly to the Chapter by taking on leadership roles. We hope that the leadership training will benefit them both in their EO journey and their own entrepreneurial journey.
I hope everyone got to watch the video recording from our resident psychologist, Katerina. I have been using the “signs of burn-out” she identified to help determine if my staff or I am suffering. It has proven to be a great tool for me. I want to remind all our members are eligible to for to 3 consultations with Katerina, so if you are finding this period challenging, please make a booking. The feedback I have received from members has been great and they have all walked away with great tools to use for dealing with stress and anxiety and the pace with which change is required.
We recently rolled out the “GOAT Year” Survey, spearheaded by our Member Engagement Chair Costa Vasili. GOAT, meaning Greatest of All Time, is our way of knowing what we’re doing well as a Board and how we can still improve on as a chapter. I encourage you to complete the GOAT Year Survey to help us in delivering the type of events or speaker support that you’d like to see in the chapter.
Our Board has been working hard to re-establish our calendar of events. We are planning a number of great online events that blend fireside chats with entrepreneurs and also include masterclasses on things like how to appreciate whiskey possibly a deep dive into the world of cheese making. We propose to continue to look for opportunities to reschedule our flagship major events like our Gala Dinner and end-of-year celebrations, as well as roll out our great speaker line-up in two parts being virtually and then a follow-up face-to-face event.
We have also established a committee to roll out our Chapter retreat which normally occurs every two years in the EO calendar. This retreat will be fully funded by our Chapter and will be held over 3 days (likely to be in February 2022 over a Friday, Saturday and Sunday). We are planning to introduce a variety of speakers to cover a range of topics focussed on entrepreneurs living and sustaining their best life. It is our hope that we can bring some powerful experiences to this retreat that provide our members with the type of value that they expect from our organisation.
I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead this Chapter and confirm the Boards commitment to continuing to contribute to everyone living their best entrepreneurial life.
Warmest regards,
Socrates Capouleas
President 2021/2022, EO Melbourne