Here’s a scary thought for you. In 6 weeks time it will be 2011. 2010 will be a thing of the past, consigned to history.
Come Hogmanay, we will look back at 2010 as the year that an Icelandic volcano grounded a whole continent, when 33 Chilean miners spent more than two months trapped underground before being pulled to safety, and when the world said goodbye to Dennis Hopper, Alex “Hurricane” Higgins and Norman Wisdom.
As someone who’s childhood is still a (fairly) recent memory the very concept of years flying by still seems like a bizarre phenomenon. After all, when you were young just how long did it take for Christmas to come round? December seemed to take eight months by itself.
Don’t worry; this blogger isn’t getting philosophical in his old age. The concept of the years merging into one has become very apparent recently, firstly having spent last Saturday fighting through the mass of Christmas shoppers (didn’t we only do this about four months ago?) and also with the introduction of the occasional Popmaster as a mid-morning challenge.
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Popmaster is a quiz on Radio 2 in the morning where listeners are asked questions on any chart music from around 1960 until the relatively present day. At least one question is always along the lines of “name the year that these three songs were in the chart”, and leads initially to much head scratching and trying to remember where you were when you heard that song first, then incredulity when your confident prediction of 1984 turns out to be 1977.
‘Maggie May’ – 1971. ‘Really?’
‘Take On Me’ – 1984, but only reached the Top 10 in 1985. ‘Oh, I would have gone for ‘83’
‘Hotel California’ – 1977. ‘Pah, one year out.’
As this repeated failure on our part proves it’s only too easy to lose track of the years going by, particularly without any significant event to benchmark them against. The Christmas break and start of the New Year is often the point when people have a period of reflection; analysing your achievements over the last twelve months can often bring into focus both where your career is and where it’s going.
For firms too the New Year is a point where many reassess their progress. Initially the fresh start can provide a ‘shot in the arm’ for the three months ahead of Year End, and also gives a starting point for drafting new strategies to be implemented in the new financial year.
From either the individual or the client side, actions at the start of a New Year can be key to how things will progress over the coming twelve months. Whereas in 2009 and to a lesser extent 2010 was all about survival, 2011 shows signs of being the year when firms will be looking to recover lost ground, with the brave ones attempting to steal a march on their rivals.
Similarly this will mean that the opportunities for individuals will be greater as strengthening and building of new and existing practice areas begins in earnest. As mentioned in an earlier blog the market is already showing some signs of relaxing the ‘three times salary’ measurement of following, with some firms instead being willing to speculate on candidates who can cover their costs in the short-term, and who have scope to build a competitive practice long-term.
So here’s the point. Why not put your New Year’s resolutions in place early? If you intend to be sat somewhere else by next year doesn’t it make sense to beat the crowd and start looking now?
As firms are formulating plans for 2011, why not make sure that the possibility of amalgamating your practice into theirs is something which they can consider when putting together the new business plan, make your hire a proactive rather than a reactive strategy?
The start of 2011 will be a critical time for the market to shake off two years of downturn and to look positively at the future. Just make sure that you don’t let another year fly by without having something to show for it!
Turns out “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” was from 1974. No, we didn’t get that one either.
To discuss new opportunities for the New Year talk to one of our specialist consultants at VG Charles & Co. Whether you are an individual or team considering a move, or you are a firm seeking to diversify and/or strengthen its offering, our consultants can offer impartial and professional advice on how to achieve your goals. Call 0121 233 5000 or 020 7649 9094 and one of the team will be delighted to assist.