As we begin not only a new year but a new decade, now seems like the perfect opportunity for a reboot; time to turn the page after one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. Mentally, this once-a-decade chance at a clean slate is a godsend for those of us needing a little respite from all the doom and gloom thrown our way over the last 18 months.
(Coincidentally, the process is even easier for Consulting magazine, which put a bow on its first decade just last issue. We, too, begin a brand new decade with this issue.)
I've talked to enough people to realize that some firms did quite well in 2009. Some are as busy as they've been in years, and leadership is trying to keep morale up amid astronomical utilization rates. Others, I know, are eager to hire and are scurrying to get back in the good graces of the B-schools they've been neglecting.
But I've also spoken to enough firm leaders to know 2009 wasn't a very good year at all. In fact it was downright awful. Those people, in particular, are eager to see what a new year and a new decade has to offer.
So, where are we? To find out, we asked several top leaders of the profession to tell us what they thought the year had in store (The 2010 Outlook). All in all, they were very optimistic. That, in and of itself, is good news. Most feel the recovery is well underway and think their business is bouncing back. Still others say they're emerging from the Great Recession stronger than ever.
Another industry leader with a lot to say about the future is Punit Renjen, the new CEO of Deloitte Consulting. Renjen took over for Doug Lattner in November and sat down with Consulting a month later to lay out his vision and plans for the future. He's pretty upbeat about the future, as well (Deloitte's New Day).
Is it too much too soon? There are those that believe this will be a long, slow and possibly painful recovery. And we have a foot in that camp, as well. Kennedy Information, our parent company, is projecting only the slightest uptick for the consulting market in 2010.
While I realize that nothing magical happened in the moments between Dec. 31, 2009 and Jan. 1 2010—you undoubtedly have the same pressures today that you did last month, and they may even be worse now that your 2009 mulligan is over. But isn't it nice to think that maybe something did?
And when industry trends are starting to point in the right direction—booking cycles shrinking, fees inching back up (DataWatch)—and industry leaders are talking growth, you take it and run with it.
I know we did.
Joseph Kornik
Editor-in-Chief
jkornik@consultingmag.com
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