It seems there are considerable grounds for feeling bleak about the financial future. After all, we are told that many well known countries are on the edge of financial abyss. Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and even the UK all have significant questions marks against them. Whilst in the US, the opposing political parties seem more intent on point scoring than constructively addressing government overspending, thereby putting the country on the verge of a very serious monetary predicament.

Back home, retailers are no doubt doing it tough and tourism in various parts has yet to recover from natural disasters. The public are cautious with spending and are paying off debt.

So how is it that against this backdrop I maintain there are great times ahead for Australian and New Zealand professional practices?

Well, the simple fact is that most professional practices have incredible potential for improvement - in marketing, in client proposals, efficiency, use of technology and collaborating with other professionals. Heck! There are few firms that have even bothered to put a proactive plan in place to foster client referrals.

So, putting it bluntly, you don’t have to be that much better than everyone else to stand out from the crowd and to generate superior results.

Submitting to the discipline of developing a 90 day action plan and being held accountable for its implementation is a great way of ensuring that your practice is always improving. As Richard Powell, Olympic rower remarked, “It’s funny how the more my oar is bending, the better my results”.