Why business leaders should love 2008

I love business, I love leadership, I am passionate about helping people achieve that success that their raw potential demands. I LOVE 2008 already! Why? Because I believe there are so many tools available to us as individuals and leaders within business to engage with people.

1. A stumbling block to personal growth used to be money, access to the best thinking....that barrier has been broken down through blogging, podcasting. An hour a day keeps the brain cells from fading away. You have never been so much in control of your own development.
2. Small/medium business struggled to extend their reach, struggled to find ways for getting their message out to a wider customer audience...not now. Money helps of course but now as long as you have a passion for your subject, time to dedicate to getting your message out then you can have a global marketing campaign. You have never been so in control of your building your brand reputation.
3. My knowledge of IT a few years ago was ropey....actually not as good as that! But now the tools are not dependent on your programming ability but your ability to use simple packages to enhance the customer experience. You are not held back by coding, you are only held back by your fear of the unknown. You have never had such access to putting your ideas into action.
4. Access to attract the right talent - the big brands attracted the stars. The younger generation are now looking for companies that want to use their skills, that trust in their ability, that give them the chance to make a difference. You can find that talent by reading blogs, contacting them...offering that chance. (Listen to the latest Engaging Brand podcast to hear from one youg professional how he chooses a company) You have never had such a talent pool to recruit from!
5. Business has returned to being about people - knowledge economy puts people ahead of machines, customers are not numbers but brand advocates, contacts are not names in an address book but dynamic social networks. You now have one networked brain that helps you succeed.

The thought of 2008 is exciting to me - how do we use this evolution to build strong engagement both internally and externally. I love speaking, I love working with teams on their strategy..why because now more than ever the boundaries are disappearing, the excuses are going...it is now down to us to put these pieces together to create that change we all want to see in the world.