Muzzas First Post
26th February, 2009 | 2:21 pm | By Graham Crombie - Audit and Assurance Services, Partner and Chief Executive

This is page marks an interesting challenge for me.  For sometime now I have been keen to enter the blogging space.  I have come up with all the reasons to put it off but with the ongoing support and encouragement of various Polson Higgs staff I have run out of reasons to delay so here I am.

I am keen to use this blog to share my views on issues facing the firm and myself as CEO as well as seeking your feedback.

All the advice I have received has been to write about the things I have been thinking about.

I guess the main thing that has been exercising my mind recently is what the economic situation will mean for Polson Higgs, our staff and our clients.  I recently spent a couple of weeks in the US and had the opportunity to speak to a lot of firms like ours.  There is no doubt that the situation there is dramatic in some areas.  The media is full of bad news and the pressure on their new president to lead them through the crisis is huge.  What I found interesting and exciting was talking to firm leaders who, while understanding the serious nature of the problems facing them, are really positive about the future.

There is no doubt that all business slackens off a little in the good times and we don’t make the business decisions we should – should I continue with this product?, what should I do with an underperforming staff member etc etc – good times allow us to ride through these issues.  Many of the layoffs and restructuring of firms we are seeing is just good business done late.

The biggest risk is that we stop focusing on the future and simply try to survive the day.  I have heard a lot of people talking about just hunkering down and getting through.  This, I believe, misses a real business opportunity.  By all means we need to address the inefficiencies in our business but we must not stop investing in the future.

Shirlaws, the coaching company that we are involved in have been running a series of seminars titled “Thriving not Surviving” in Australia which have been really well received by clients and staff alike.  The focus of these sessions is around positioning business to take advantage of the opportunities that are already arising.  This doesn’t mean we don’t make the hard decisions but it certainly puts a positive energy into the organisation.  The sessions are based on understanding on what has happened and how we should be addressing the challenges.  We will be making this information available to our staff and clients.

Am I feeling the economic downturn is a major issue for us?  I do understand the magnitude of the issues facing us and our clients but I am really confident that the actions we are taking will position the firm really well to grow with our clients and staff into the future.

I hope to use future blogs to expand on some of these ideas.  I am keen to hear your thoughts on this.  Please contact me at graham.crombie@ph.co.nz

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