Should we bring back The Business Confidence Forum? Navigating uncertainty in a new Winter Of Discontent

One of our success stories during Covid lockdown was the creation of The Business Confidence Forum - our panel of Key Opinion Leaders and experts, meeting every Thursday evening to answer questions from the live audience on Zoom.

Initially, we spent 2 hours every week, with a break at 20:00 to "clap for the NHS" on our doorsteps (remember that?).

Following the return to work, we dropped to an hour but continued with the meetings right through until the end of 2022. Since then, we have delivered some live panel meetings at dentistry trade shows.

Friendships (and some reputations) were made, and an audience of initially very anxious people were brought together to face the challenges.

I look back on that (and the daily Facebook Live broadcasts during lockdown) as a highlight of my career - the sense of "doing something useful" was very affirming.

Last week as I travelled around Scotland, I made a note for this Monday morning:

"Should we bring The Business Confidence Forum back to face the current uncertainties that we face?"

I can hardly bring myself to watch the media at the moment, whether global, national or local, whether political, economic or moral - the news is simply depressing.

Two weeks ago I took my car on a 550-mile circular route around England. Last week, 600-miles to Scotland and back - and in both principalities the signs of xenophobia hanging from bridges were just as saddening.

I've considered myself an apolitical being for all of my adult life. Politics and power interest me as little as the corruption of thought and action that seem to inevitably accompany them - but business does interest me - and, as we approach the Autumn and Winter months and a November Budget, I'm starting to feel as if we are approaching a Covid-like crisis in our society.

I have no desire to facilitate a debate about the media issues we face.

I am concerned about the well-being of my clients, the wider dental community to which I owe so much, their teams - and the confidence of the patients they serve.

So here's a question for Monday morning......

Do you think there might be merit in bringing The Business Confidence Forum back (no politics) to discuss how best we adapt our businesses to the new "Winter of Discontent" that we face?

Either comment here (blog or social media) or drop me a line at coachbarrow@me.com - I'd love to hear your thoughts.