Along with approximately one billion other people across the world, I watched with anticipation the inaugural address of the new US president, Barack H Obama.
Expectations were that the tone of President Obama’s speech would be sombre and restrained and at just after 5pm (GMT) on Tuesday 20th January, the world listened as the 44th President of the USA described a country in crisis; a weakened economy caused by a collective failure to make hard choices and a nation suffering from a sapping of confidence.
A sobering address portraying the severity of the current global predicament.
But as with his speeches throughout the campaign to the White House, his rhetoric soon turned towards a message of hope for the future, describing the new era of responsibility that was required to rebuild America.
As my own company, Mala Communications, enters its 10th year, I have found myself reflecting upon the reasons why I initially set up the company and considering plans for the future. The economic instability facing consumers and businesses in the UK continues to be a cause for concern. The Government’s rescue package for the banking sector is in its infancy but appears to be having little impact, the retail sector is shrinking as much loved high street brands disappear from our high streets and the housing market shows little sign of improving in the next 6-12 months. Consumer confidence is low and unemployment figures continue to rise. If Gordon Brown were to deliver a speech today, would he, we might ask, be capable of engendering a spirit of co-operation and selfless generosity; a nation united in its desire to restore itself to greatness?
When I started Mala in 2000, my ambition was to provide a service that would enable organisations to gain control of their telecoms budget and ensure that costs were an accurate reflection of the products and services utilised. I was determined to work with public and private sector alike to assist them in managing their telecoms costs and prevent them from wasting money on services for which they were either paying too much or simply not using.
In our 10th year, I can honestly say my ambitions remain constant. The experience of working with a diverse range of businesses has confirmed that over-spending on telecoms services continues to cost organisations money that could be utilised to boost company profits or provide budget for strategic projects. In today’s economic climate, addressing this issue is a business imperative in board rooms across the country.
Saving money on telecoms spend may seem small and perhaps insignificant within the scale of the financial problem but the result could be the difference between enabling colleagues to stay in employment, keeping the company afloat or even ensuring a community receives the public sector services it requires.
So maybe we can all take something from the address of the 44th US president and apply it to the pressures and challenges facing each of us in the forthcoming year. Whether it is to recognise the needs of others above our own or to embrace the hardship of our own difficult winter; personally and economically, future success can only be achieved when the crisis we face is finally recognised as an opportunity for change and growth.
The world will now watch to see if President Obama can deliver against his campaign promises and as we battle with our own economic downturn, his words of optimism will inspire many of us:
“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this (America) - they will be met.”
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