North East business owners are the most confident at handling winds of change, according to a new study. 72% of business leaders across the UK say they feel they can handle the constant change of today’s modern world, but leaders in the North East are the highest number in the UK that feel guilty when hard decisions must be made. ‘Decision guilt’ was cited by over a third in the North East, the highest in the national survey of business leaders.
The research, which surveyed more than 1,500 UK business leaders who are navigating the constant pace of change reshaping the business landscape. Only 1 in 8 feel fully in control of their operations, more than 60% can’t confidently plan beyond the next quarter, and 40% say political factors are the biggest challenge to their mental resilience.
Commissioned by business advisors and accountants TC Group, which supports business owners across the North East through its six regional offices, the research digs into the emotional and practical reality of running a business today.
TC Group’s insight report, Success Without Stillness: Leadership in Motion explores how today’s business leaders are clear-headed, but often only for the next immediate decision. They are confident but carrying more pressure. They are responsible for more but feel in control of less.
While the pressure is clear, TC Group’s research shows a business community that is progressing, adapting and finding new ways to move forward. Leaders are not retreating from change, they are planning in shorter cycles, managing decision fatigue, carrying greater responsibility and becoming more deliberate, more resilient and more calculated in how they respond.
Stephen Watts, Chief Operating Officer at TC Group, said: “There’s a real resilience and optimism in the North East. Our business owners are used to navigating change, and that experience shows. Despite carrying more guilt around decision-making than anywhere else in the country, they’re just as confident, if not more so, about pushing forward.
“It doesn’t surprise us that the North East has come out highest for decision guilt. The leaders we work with are very community-driven, and are always conscious of supporting their teams, clients and customers the best they can. Many business owners are carrying decisions on people, cash flow and growth almost entirely on their own shoulders. That weight builds up, even when the business itself is performing well.
“What we try to do is help clients build a bit of breathing space – whether that’s stronger management information, a trusted sounding board, or simply someone outside the business who can help work through a decision before it becomes another thing they’re carrying alone.”
The report finds that personal growth is now the top measure of success for business owners, followed closely by financial success, developing people, providing family security, creating something of their own and building a long-term legacy.
TC Group says this should not be read as a decline in entrepreneurial motivation, but as evidence that success itself is becoming more meaningful, more human and more complex. Stephen added: “Financial success still matters, but it is no longer the only measure. For many business owners, success is also about building something sustainable, developing people, protecting family security and creating a business that still feels worth the effort.
“The strongest businesses are not those where one person carries everything alone. They are the ones where responsibility is shared, good people are trusted and the right external support is brought in at the right time.
“That is where trusted advisors can make a real difference – not by simplifying the world business owners operate in, but by helping them navigate it with better insight, stronger foundations and more confident decision-making. The road ahead will continue to shift, our job is to make sure businesses are ready to move with it.”
TC Group works closely with owner-managed businesses across the region, helping leaders build the support structures needed to ease this pressure and keep moving forward with confidence.
Success Without Stillness: Leadership in Motion is available now from TC Group here.