It is the end of another year, in fact a decade.

‘What have I achieved’ seems to be a fair question.

For 24 years I have worked as a ’boutique’ consultancy. Some may think this is  just another word for ‘one man band,’ and they would be correct, however, there is a difference between my situation, and that of many ‘one man bands’

I chose it.

24 years ago, I took a strategic decision that after having a corporate career that ended abruptly, and then failed to restart, that I would  not play the corporate game again.

As I searched for a job that would both satisfy my aspirations and curiosity, while supporting a young family, people were coming to me for advice, and assistance. For 12 months or so I obliged while focussing on the job search, before the penny dropped.

I liked it  this way.

No corporate framework that dictated my life, over which I had limited control.

No fixed income that just demanded presence, along with sweat and actions that were not necessarily adding value.

No responsibility for things, processes, or people I had not chosen.

No position of institutional power and influence.

No institutional resources available to be deployed with no personal financial commitment.

No built in structures by which to manage my days, weeks and months.

On my own, utterly irrelevant to most passers-by.

On the other hand:

The kids have grown up, are educated, and pursuing worthwhile and satisfying careers

The house is paid off,

And, perhaps most importantly, my time is my own to deploy as I see fit against my personal priorities that deliver intellectual and financial returns to my family.

Over that 24 years, there have been times of plenty, and times of drought. A range of former and current clients in all sorts of industries, facing all sorts of challenges where I have been able to add value, several contract general management stints, partly proving to myself that I can still manage and lead effectively inside an institutional framework (although my dislike of silly rules and deluded people just gets another boost) but through everything, is the strong thread of doing only things that added value directly. No politics, no corporate bullshit, and, plenty of satisfaction.

As a side gig, the StrategyAudit blog, now a decade old has in excess of 1,800 posts, some of which are many years old, but still attract readers and commentary day in and day out. Those posts and the research material behind them is a bank of intellectual capital that is irreplaceable to me, and of considerable value to those who have taken the time to read, follow, and often comment on them.

I turn 68 in a few days, but do  not  feel it, and while I may look a bit weathered, most are surprised, and I am told, I generally do not act my age. However, that has been a continuing response since I was about 10. I can still hear my old dad intoning: ‘For heavens sake, act your age’

Meanwhile, Australia’s east coast burns after decades of self-serving neglect, an  institutional tin ear turned towards the science,  and decisions that reflect the political view that long term planning is limited by the electoral cycle.

In spite of the fire inspired gloom, and for some, desperation, of this new years day, have a happy and prosperous 2020, and I look forward to the coming decade.