2025

Patience!

My younger self would have recoiled at the prospect of delay. Why wait? Make the call! Move on! The issue with haste is that, whilst there can be comfort in completing the transaction, addressing an ill-defined problem just to get it done almost always leads to poor outcomes.

2025 was undoubtedly a turbulent year, with much going on in the UK and around the world, creating instability and uncertainty. Nonetheless it was a year when many of us will have challenged ourselves to grow and “do better” than we have done in previous years. With the 12-month timer counting down, pace and action orientation become the order of every day.

Whilst the compulsion to act against the backdrop of relatively near term, time-bound targets, my experience through 2025 has again re-enforced my view that patience is a virtue. Pursuing clarity rather than acting based on “gut-feel” provides a much stronger foundation on which to base decisions. That might mean sacrificing (the perception of) short term gain. However when the road is bumpy as it has been through 2025, it can make sense to pause, wait and reflect before acting. Whilst the so-called VUCA environment is continuing into 2026, I’m convinced that our patience through 2025 and the strategy defined as a consequence will serve us very well for 2026 and beyond!