A quote, from nearly two hundred years ago, still lives on. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli had said, “What we anticipate seldom occurs but what we least expect generally happens”. This relationship between anticipation and expectation is a major factor in market and business trends. It directly and indirectly affects our frame of mind and approach towards what is actually happening around us. I have consistently noticed that those who place too much emphasis on expectations frequently crash very fast, echoing Disraeli’s observation. ‘What we least expect generally happens!’
We may side-step the difficulties of anticipation and expectation by building on our past experience and endeavours. In this context it is worth recalling the words from our visionary leader, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Whilst three years have quickly passed since we discussed His Highness’s book, ‘Flashes of Thought’, I believe it is an opportune time to review its inspirational outlook. By doing this we may take advantage of the past few months, which have given us all an opportunity to collect ourselves, and think about re-inventing strategies for success. This will aid in overcoming the sluggish trends that are generally prevailing in the market.
An acclaimed approach, encouraged within CSS, is to nurture and encourage successful team work. Having time to reflect on our management and current corporate ideas it is heartening to read in many articles, that we are emulating the best examples. Faced with demanding challenges and slow-moving times, managements need to focus on energising the atmosphere so that their teams enthusiastically work together. I strongly believe that at CSS we continue to be outstanding in achieving a welcoming, interactive and inclusive workplace environment. This stands us in very good stead for developing our future plans.