Corryvreckan whirlpool off the west coast of Scotland has the potential to kill you. At the same time people have swam through it and it is navigable to boats, albeit not easily. Corryvreckan is created by several natural features that freakishly come together at that specific point but which on their own wouldn’t create much to worry about. It’s the third largest whirlpool in the world and under normal circumstances it’s not a place you’d want to find yourself. It is, on balance, better viewed from a distance than the middle.

I think 2010 will come to be viewed in a similar way. I’ve yet to speak to anyone with a good word to say about it and most seem to be pleased to see the back of it. 2011 looms large now and is being welcomed like a sheltered harbour after the storm. For all the problems 2010 held for so many in our industry it might be viewed differently in a few years time. No one is denying it’s been tough. Many good people have left our industry this year, only some through choice, our larger media in particular have been hit hard with high profile redundancies in recent months reminding all of us that the waters are still choppy.

Yet I hope that we’ll look back on 2010 and see it as the beginning of something rather than the end. At Levy McCallum it will be the year that we changed how we work with clients, particularly with regards evaluation and remuneration. This might be seen as a watershed moment for our company, or something we tried once, time will tell. It’ll be 2011 and beyond that these changes will be tested in, but 2010 that brought about their genesis. Several economic and social features have freakishly come together in 2010 and created a virtual whirlpool. It’s pulled some under the water, tossed others onto the rocks and made the rest of us have a look at the vessel we use, question its build, the engine powering it and the course we’ve set. Building a stronger, faster, more flexible vessel should reduce the danger from whirlpools.

From all at Levy McCallum have a wonderful New Year and a prosperous 2011, and hopefully 12 months from now 2010 will simply feel like an exhilarating boat ride.