The Best Time of the Year

Once again, I’ve been caught out by the 23rd of December. One more shopping day to Christmas and, realistically, about one more hour to prep this year defining blog post instead of sending everyone a Christmas card.

The Winter Solstice has just passed. In my head we are steaming rapidly towards spring, light evenings and mountain trail runs. 

But before all that happens, it can’t be a bad idea to take a glance in the old rearview mirror to see what I’ve learned from 2019 what I got right and what I should erase from history.

One thing I hadn’t thought of and that has been a most excellent effect of writing a semi-regular blog is the element of catharsis. I’ve shed my disdain for past terrible bosses by merely writing about them. They have gone from shadow-casting ogres to piles of windblown rags on my emotional landscape. 

I’ve also faced down some more current demons in a business context this year. Those gurus (really emotional bullies) who would call out as worthless those who aren’t in the gym by 04.00 and who leave their desks before 21.00 and those bosses who hire said gurus to tell everyone how smart they are have all been written about and written off.

My theme from 2018 – “strategy and how to have one” – continued into 2019. As a result, the mighty Snedden Campbell has continued to develop real depth in 2019. There is a seamless join between our core search work, our consultancy portfolio and our nascent fundraising activities. All our business activities in medtech and especially medical diagnostics feed into a virtuous cycle. The more we do, the more we know and the more we know, the more useful we are to our clients.

It’s been instructive to write about politicians and discover that there’s not much substance to write about. In a UK context, I get the feeling that politics is behind us for a few years now, and investment seems to have held up remarkably well in spite of everything. Another record year by our calculations. Hopefully, 2020 sees all that investment cash continuing to bear fruit.

I’ve kept the business travel up – multiple countries, one mobile phone lost in a riot but otherwise excellent. There will be even broader horizons next year, but for now, I’ll keep that for the New Year blog. I think the most important thing that we do is turn up and meet with our clients on their terms, whether on-site or at trade shows. It’s all very well telling the world how clever you are as a recruiter, but that has to be backed by substance, and that comes from knowing your clients and the world they inhabit well. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy eating and drinking too much. Take some time off. See your family. You’ve earned it. Oh, and be kind.

Catch you in January.