For our first update of the year, there are relatively slim pickings as it would seem that the PR teams and their clients haven’t been cranked up to full steam as yet. We’re confident that by this time next week we’ll be inundated!
The New Year is traditionally the start of ‘something new’, a bit of a re-boot if you like. To many this is the search for a new job or adventure, or just a new way of looking at things.
In a previous life I had been in the same industry for many many years, but never in the same job for too long. I probably changed companies after about 5 to 7 years on average, but the last company kept me interested for 11 years. A number of people would ask me how I managed to stay in the same job for so long, and didn’t I get bored? The truthful answer was that I had been tempted to move on many times but when I looked at the people around me, how much I valued them and then looked at the enjoyment of dealing with most of my customers I found myself stepping back and staying where I was. At times, I really didn’t feel comfortable with what could just have been seen as treading water but then I decided to look at life differently.
I reasoned that if I were to leave, then I would have to apply for other jobs, I would have to research my new target company and then present my credentials along with a plan of action and reasons why they should employ me. So, every year, I decided to act as if I was applying for my own job and focused on what I could do differently to make a success. To many this is simply goal setting, however for me it was a change of attitude. No longer would I go into the New Year ready to do the same old stuff – even if it had been successful the previous year- instead I would start again. Often, what worked before, worked again but every year there was something different I could do and by looking at the ‘job’ as a new role, it felt fresh every time. It seemed to work. Sales and my customer base grew and profit contribution also improved. Staying with the same company for years can work very well but only if you aren’t sucked into complacency. Break the mould, challenge the past, learn what works and use it again if appropriate, but don’t be afraid to look at your business as if you were an outsider looking in, and make changes. For employees, this will make you more invaluable, for employers, you get a fresh approach from your people without having to go through the expense of replacing them!
In the end, I did leave. I had grown tired of the power shift within the business. The focus was no longer on the customer, and it was ALL about the bottom line, saving skins, and loyalty was a bit of a dirty word. I left on 7th January 2009 and within two months I had moved to Manchester, rented out my flat and moved in with Ian. It was time for a change, and a complete change, but my philosophy of reinvention remains. Wonder what 2016 will bring?
