We are entering next year with a lot of uncertainty around hiring in the US. It’s kind of a strange thing to have your own government putting in rate hikes to slow down hiring – the main service Yoh provides! However, there’s a lesson in here about what happens when things change. Do you stick to your plan, or do you swerve, zig-zag or chase shiny objects?
For Yoh, we are experiencing another record year. And it’s largely due to following the models we have established, specifically in our Specialty Practices business, and sticking to our plan. More than even in 2021, it has paid off in 2022. For example, we have more members of our team at ramp (which means hitting their individual production goals) than ever before. In short, business is good.
But as we look ahead to 2023, the goal for the US government is to slow down inflation and by design, this means slowing down hiring. I do want to see inflation eased for everyone, but I certainly don’t want to see less hiring! So what do we do? We stick to the plan, but, have a healthy sense of paranoia.
First, I don’t want to in any way minimize or make light of anyone with serious anxiety issues. After the pandemic, mental health issues should be top of mind for everyone. So when I say “healthy” paranoia, I simply mean, we should be trying to anticipate and plan for all contingencies. For example, who knew we were going to have a global pandemic? Who could have predicted or planned for that?
The question becomes, when your plan is working (and it has been), what do we do when things change? I have said many times, “only the paranoid survive,” and again, it’s not to poke fun at a serious condition, it’s simply short-hand for, “Plan for the best, but always be prepared for the worst.”
So Yoh’s plan will be to continue to provide the best, high-impact professionals in IT, Engineering, Life Sciences and Health Care, and world-class Total Talent Solutions that our customers can’t live without. But… within those areas we may change some of our focus, or pivot if needed, like we did during the pandemic. In short, we will keep to the plan, but be cautiously and continuously vigilant for changes – we’ll stay just a bit paranoid to make changes and be flexible if needed.
If the pandemic has taught us nothing else, it’s that anything can happen. Be prepared! “The only constant in life is change” – Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher.