After all the trepidation and rationalization, is your company ready to grow again?

David Bloch, MD of the Brightwater Group comments:

Over recent times I’ve been generally referred to as an “Eternal optimist” (as well as less savoury things including a Pollyanna) because I have remained positive about the future of Ireland.

It’s strange really, but I guess it boils down to agenda and perspective. My agenda from the beginning has been to look at things with the glass half full because not only is that my nature (as it is of most successful business people), but because my staff and my family’s future depended on the future of Ireland. My perspective comes from sociology, economics and international experience – business and personal.

I hope we can all agree that things in Ireland are moving in the right direction (or at least 72% of us!) and I think the only fears remaining are external, including global economic meltdown (highly unlikely with even 2009 and 2010 recording global growth of over 4% a year), or a collapse of the European Economic Union which will have unknown consequences on us (improbable). What we are left with is residual fear, but more likely a slow re-awakening of Irish optimism.

Even without my positive agenda, I can’t see things any other way. Indeed, last week I read a recently published French report on the future of the world to 2025, and flicked immediately to Ireland and a rosy picture… including a population of 6 million (so that even the construction industry will be booming again!) living in a upwardly mobile country.

I do not believe that we are going to have a ‘bounce’ as has oft been discussed. It is too late for a U shaped bounce. What I see more is that we have sunk (much further than we needed to drop), but that we are rebuilding. The question is how to rebuild in a fresh, new and fulfilling way, and on foundations that are stronger than they were before. Economically we are handling that, but spiritually… it is essential that we come through this with our self-belief increased, so that the next time the economic pendulum swings south, we don’t believe growth was an illusion. We believe we are a great country that deserve to be at the top table.

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