End of year reflections
It’s a busy time in the business for all of us and so many good things are happening alongside the usual challenges that this time of year brings such as getting contracts signed with clients and making sure candidates commit to interviews and start dates. You will have your own list of what is going well and what is causing some headaches.
Outside of that we have budget preparation for next year. I really wish we had a crystal ball to see into 2024 to know what market conditions will actually be rather than the usual run rate predictions; educated assessments on projects in the pipelines committing to actual orders. It’s never easy.
To ground myself in reality I like to think back to the week that has just been and remember the many positive conversations or messages I have heard and seen from colleagues and people I have met from outside of our business. This week has been full of these. A mix of things that are positive alongside some unexpected issues that require solving. Every business has these highs and lows and we are no different. What does make us unique is how we respond when faced with challenges, which I have spoken and written a bit about recently.
In life we have many things that impact us that we have no control over, such as the economy as a whole and its impact on the business positively or otherwise. I always remind myself in these moments that I do, however, have control over my response to challenges. I can choose to be defeated and believe I am powerless or I can look at the things, however small they may be, that I can do to make things better in our own business.
In moments like these I know we have great clients who need our support and, the closer we are to them, the greater the opportunity of uncovering new projects will be. I know that the old adage ‘cash is king’ is true always and especially in these times. That when we do work we should expect payment on time and be sure to follow up with clients if this doesn’t happen. As somebody who sees myself in sales, alongside the many colleagues who do this day to day, this is something we can do and should do. I also know that we can and must pay close attention to the Hive survey feedback and change the things that we can do better as well as celebrating the things we do well, of which there are many.
This week one of the conversations we had was with Helen Hadley and Akeesh Khokhar to discuss progress and asks from the D&I Employee Resource Groups. It was inspiring to hear of the many ways these ERGs are made up of committed colleagues, giving their time and energies to help us be the inclusive and caring business we aspire to be every day. We are far from where we need to be, but at the same time we have come such a long way from where we were just three years ago. Every day we are seeking to take down a thousand tiny walls.
This will be my final blog of the year as we head towards the end of the calendar year. I wish colleagues around the world warm season’s greetings and thank you all for your hard work and commitment throughout the year.