This being our future issue, what we have put before you may make uncomfortable reading at times. When I was a kid the future was all about the potential for international travel. If I closed my eyes and contemplated it for a moment I saw monorails and space suits. Now, that vision of the future is in the past. The world has shrunk, communications between people have been revolutionised and living standards have continued to rise steadily for most people.
The way we look at the next 21 years is of a world in turmoil. A shift in power and influence from the West to the East. A financial system that is creaking at the edges. And, domestically, an emerging generation that is at great risk of losing its idealism as well as its innocence.
I always come back to the most important question all of us ask every morning as we face our day. So what can be done? There is a danger that we bunker down to insulate ourselves from the big decisions. Possibly we do so out of a sense of powerlessness. Businesses are fearful of the future – the number of companies hoarding cash is a sure sign – and a lack of confidence affects risk.
So here are a few challenges to face. More than anything a shift is needed in the mindset of our country, this region, and our communities. We can no longer grumpily contemplate the world that was, or the world we would like to have.
Embrace globalisation and international trade: the companies that won at our first International Trade Awards have prospered as a result.
Get the best out of young people; inspire them and give them a reason to be proud of commercial endeavour. There is an opportunity to engage with schools and universities that want the best for their students. Go and visit a school, take on graduates and contribute to changing this negative mindset.
But take great comfort from the younger, newer faces we have spoken to in property (p38), finance (p50) and start-ups (p54). They have a refreshingly mature sense of their future. They are imbued with realism, but they remain positive about their own prospects, having learnt valuable lessons from some of the excesses of the recent past. There is a new world to embrace. Happy new year.
Michael Taylor, editor
Also in: January 2012
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Interview - Peter Marks
The boss of The Co-operative Group is in no mood to slow down as he seeks to get on terms with the major banking and retail players
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An eye on advancements
Insider looks at the developments that will shape the technology markets, and the companies to watch across the region