SEE THE OPPORTUNITY, SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY!
by
RYAN CLEMENT
On the eve of
the first anniversary of my mother's ascension to see her Maker I was
approached to write this piece. She was my rock. Later that day it was
announced to the world that my first boxing hero, whose autobiography 'The
Greatest' I read when I was just a school boy and from which I drew much
inspiration about seeking success in the face of many hurdles of varying
heights, closed his eyes. It is therefore ironic that I am asked to record, in
part, a journey that began where decisions along the way were made in light of
the circumstances in which I found myself. This, I believe, has been my Greatest strength; knowing,
timely, when to take an alternative route along a path to my advantage. Some
may say ‘lucky’ but I believe that in most cases we make our own luck; be in the right place at the right
time etc. In that way I still reach my goal, only I do so by means not
necessarily foreseen before I began. I am a firm believer in there being many
ways to achieve an aim and the one we choose consciously at the outset is not
necessarily the blueprint for each. In fact, if the journey is a long one,
unlike a Grandmaster in chess, it is unlikely that most of us could foresee
every systematic permutation and consequence of every stretch. You are fortunate
if you could and did. I couldn’t and didn’t. I did not set out on my
professional journey to be a barrister, a writer or, dare I say, a motivator
and an inspiration to anyone. Notwithstanding that, the former two didn't just
happen but were chosen or selected along the path on the shoulders of each
fulfilled ambition. They started, I guess, with a formal and informal
education.
My employer
paid for the first of my three degrees. I was fortunate because I undertook the
research into the course and simply asked that I have the occasional time off
to study. However, I was granted paid employment, my degree paid for and given
time off to study. During this time, I grew a love for the law, which featured
heavily on the course. I gained my BSc in Surveying but knew my days in that
profession would be numbered in place of practising law.
After passing
my Bar Exams, I worked as an in-house lawyer for a multinational
construction company whilst I read for my Masters in Law (LL.M.). After that I
secured two pupillages (barristers’ apprenticeships). This was at a time when
most were unfunded but I was, again, one of the fortunate few who secured a
funded pupillage. In other words, I was guaranteed a minimum income during my
training in chambers. However, rather than sit back and receive the minimum pay
I sought and obtained as much of my own work as possible and was often far
exceeding this guaranteed minimum. 12 months later, I finished my training in
the morning of one day and started practising as a full tenant by the afternoon
of the same. Hard work and determination had made what would otherwise have
been a much tougher journey, relatively smooth in comparison to the stories I
have been told and since read. This path had not been chosen from the outset
but constant personal reflections, reviews and assessments made the various
fulfilments flow seamlessly as each resultant decision was taken and made.
My first major
case in employment was one of discrimination in which I represented the claimant.
The case attracted much media attention that led to my appearing live on television
and receiving various invitations to talk and write about all aspects of
employment law. These invitations extended to matters of diversity
awareness, inclusion and equal opportunities about which I am passionate
because for me it is a no brainer.
A happy
workforce is a productive one. But, if one is concerned solely with 'the bottom
line' I still think there is no case to answer. Utilising the strengths,
experiences and skills of a diverse workforce gives a competitive edge over an
organisation that does not have the privilege of such a pool from which the
input of diverse ideas has resulted in a better, relevant, product or service
for its equally diverse customers, clients and or consumers. I believe that
this makes sound business sense, especially if an organisation wishes to have a
more global attraction. In order to have some form of competitive advantage one
would be better placed, in my view, to have the best of as wide a diverse
workforce available than not. It sounds simple. I know there are more to it
than that. For example, some sectors may have more of a diverse pool from which
to choose than others. Some locations have more a diverse pool of potential
candidates from which choose than others. I get that. I also get that the issue
of a lack suitable candidates may be due more to socioeconomic, demographic and
other reasons beyond my brief or expertise, but I still don't see it as rocket
science.
Today, I head
my own chambers. The business skills called upon to run a chambers is no
different from any other business and I have the same challenges; whether it be
those concerning marketing, operations, sales, finance, accounting, human
resources etc. They are all there. I have as much an interest in the five
performance objectives of quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost
as the next business or Ansoff's competitive strategies or Porter's generic
routes to competitive advantage as does (or should) the next business. To
believe otherwise – whether you provide a service, manufacture a product or are
involved in a mixture of the two – would, in my view, be seriously to miss the
point and, potentially, business opportunities that may pass along the
way.
Last year I
was asked to give a motivational talk about my professional journey. My theme
was 'see the opportunity, seize the opportunity.' I said from the outset of this
article that I believe my Greatest strength was taking an (not 'the' as there are frequently many options available
if we can only see them not
necessarily it!) alternative route. In fact, this is akin to seeing an
opportunity that became apparent along the journey and seizing it amongst
others. The same applies personally, professionally and in business. Putting
aside the degree to which one's services or products can be differentiated from
one's competitors, to seize such opportunities may not make you the best ('the
Greatest') in the market - by whatever measure you adopt - as was boasted
successfully by my boxing hero to whom I referred earlier. But, it could be the
best that 'you' and or 'your business' could be for doing so as and when opportunities
pass your or your business's way. After all, we have all seen what happens to a
once 'market leader' whose competitor - either providing the same service or
product or an alternative to such - seizes an opportunity that was simultaneously
missed by the now 'ex-market leader' or market leader with a now substantially
reduced share. The full damage can sometimes be irreversible or it can
sometimes be worse!
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Ryan Clement BA, BSc, LLM, barrister, advises
organisations, schools, charities and companies on various aspects
of human resource management and employment law. He writes and
advises on policies and policy making and provides training on
good employment practices. In addition he conducts seminars and
attends public speaking events on employment law, good working practices,
diversity awareness, inclusion & equal opportunities. He is a governor
of two schools; one is maintained and one is a non-maintained specialist school
for deaf children. He has written many published
articles.
Ryan
can be contact on/at:
BM BOX 1000, LONDON WC1N 3XX
Tel: 020 8123 5055
Fax: 020 7504 3797
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