There is something in the air
It’s getting on for late summer in the northern hemisphere and there is an increasingly thick carpet of leaves in the woods where I have my daily walk with my dog Finnlay. In the early morning and late evening there is a slight chill in the air and yet we still enjoy the warmth of some late summer sunshine. Nature in the northern hemisphere is signalling there is change coming. Still nature provides an abundance in this season even whilst it prepares for the winter ahead. Blackberry bushes are laden with ripe and delicious fruit, sloes hang heavy ready to be added to gin to make a winter treat of sloe gin. A reminder that as seasons transition there are things to be enjoyed in every change.
So it is in our businesses too. There is an increasing frequency of good news from many of our locations, news of bids we have been invited to participate in, new clients won. There are increasing pipelines of new projects for our solutions businesses. New search assignments, assessment projects, leadership programmes being worked on. Signals of positive change and growth are being experienced in pockets across the world. At the same time we are seeing much tougher times in some of our geographies and we have suffered from lower trading than had been forecast. It is a mixed economy.
In these times we must celebrate the moments when we get the win, close the deal, deliver a project, place the candidate. At the same time we constantly need to be preparing ourselves for whatever is ahead, sharpening our skills. We have spoken a lot about the need for agility now more than ever. As we live in a volatile world we can be ready by being prepared, taking advantage of the changes as they occur - a lot like the changing seasons - and developing our skills so that we can grow as individuals and as businesses.
It’s interesting to see how highly successful companies are transforming themselves and growing their mix of services. Take Apple, this week they announced their results and became a $2 trillion business with only 8 countries with higher GDP (gross domestic product). A large part of that success and stellar growth has come from their services and not just their technology alone. This has fuelled and enabled sustainable growth.
At Harvey Nash Group we have a fantastic mix of services. We will fuel our growth by educating our potential clients as to how we can solve their business challenges, and collaborating with each other to open up new opportunities. Already I can see green shoots of opportunity resulting from our work. Let’s keep going. Like all new ways of working, things become easier the more we do it. Like many great sports professionals who are asked how they achieve great results, it is the results of practice until perfect.
At the same time we need to continue to look after each other and ourselves. Keeping ourselves safe, looking after our physical and mental health. A lot is being said about the importance of mental health and highlighted in our CIO survey results. Today we were referenced in a BBC article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53683463 about just this important topic. Being there for each other, knowing that for those of us who may be struggling, help is available and support from each other in abundance.
So, as we head towards the weekend, keep safe and well.