Bring a refreshed perspective to 2017

A new year brings new opportunities, but all too often it also means facing up to the same old challenges.

As highlighted in this issue’s interview, in which 21 business leaders share their thoughts on 2016 and the year ahead, the need to attract new talent, market ourselves better, stop talking ourselves down and put more effort into developing our people were concerns last year and remain as we head into 2017.

In fact, they were all topics that featured in our first ‘PrintWeek Predictions’ feature eight years ago and were around a long time before then too.

Of course, we’re also facing new challenges.

While the Brexit issue might be making a first-time appearance, for obvious reasons, it’s going to be a regular for a few years at least – despite many of this year’s wise men and women wishing we could all stop banging on about it and just accept and deal with it.

Brexit aside though, why do so many of the same challenges remain?

The answer is simple: because they’re constants and whatever we do to combat them we can always do more. Any industry in a perpetual state of evolution faces the same challenges, and the second they’re no longer issues is most probably the same moment an industry takes its last breath.

However, just because the challenges have a familiar ring to them, that doesn’t mean our line of attack has to remain the same.

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to think about refreshing our approach to all challenges, new and ongoing.

And that is the overarching message from our industry soothsayers: there are so many reasons to be positive about print that all we need to do is view the challenges from a fresh perspective to first see and then seize the many opportunities.