I have found myself wondering of late just how the Prime Minister of this fair isle gets to hear about what is happening on the shop floor of this Country. I mean, let's face it, if you are the boss of a huge company and you have never walked amongst the people at the sharp end how on earth do you get a picture of what your policies are doing for productivity and value for money not to mention achieving their aim without wasting valuable time and assets?. If, say for instance our PM is being advised by people of a suited nature it is quite feasible is it not that he is only being spoon fed what he actually wants to hear rather than what is actually really happening, in fact it is MORE than likely.
I say this because as a businessman of some 20+ years with my fair share of battles under my belt I have learnt that if you want to know how the workforce is doing you ask them, not a manager. It stands to reason, if the manager says it's dreadful and everything is falling apart and not working then you would be quite within your rights to dig a little deeper and even quiet possibly replace that manager with one that can knock it all back in to shape. If you ask the workforce you will get a few moans and groans but invariably you will also get some invaluable information from people who are at the front line, not sat in an office waiting for their targets to be met while making up a new bulletin for all the staff to read and act upon, thus justifying their position in the company.
So, let me say this, if by some wonderful miracle dreamed up straight from a Hollywood movie i was to wake up in the morning and find myself the PM of this Country, this is what i would do: I would head to the hospitals all over the country and spend at least a month on the front line, i would then do it with the Police, the Fire Service, Teachers etc etc until I had built a picture of what is really going on in UK Plc at this present moment in time, because without that inside knowledge how the hell can you instruct ministers and their underlings to write policies that are actually meaningful and more importantly relevant?. Simple answer and a very true one. You can't hope to.
If all you have known is life in Oxford and a sheltered up-bringing amongst your like minded brethren you are no more equipped to run this Country than a tribal elder from Timbuktu. Sorry but that is also the truth.
Many years ago i started a new job selling equipment i knew very little about straight into a European market hungry for the goods, but instead of bluffing my way through and making it up as i went along i spent 3 months on the shop floor helping to manufacture the items before i even TRIED to sell the product and even more importantly and surprisingly I made alterations on the factory floor to help production run smoother that are STILL there to this day, so you see it was of mutual benefit to everyone concerned.
Now I am not suggesting the PM gets his overalls on and heads for the nearest NHS Trust but what he could quite easily be doing is sitting down and talking to those that matter the most and that is the people actually doing the damned job, not those sat in an office writing about how they would like it done, I think he would get one hell of a surprise at what he uncovered in the way of waste and mismanagement while getting a truer picture of what is actually needed to get this country back on its feet.
If, like many right now, you are wondering just how i seem so sure there is waste culture and a lack of moral judgement in middle management in many government departments then i cam reveal my sources, you see fitting a tyre to someones car is a little like having a haircut or being stood at a bar and having a drink, people relax and as you work they tell you all about what is happening in their life and where the problems lie in their jobs and in case you do need a little more proof that my theory actually works yes I do fit tyres still occasionally...it's how i find out just how the ship is being steered and the continual theme that keeps recurring is one of managers making silly rules and spending much needed front line money on theories and plans that only see the inside of a waste paper bin when passed to the next level of management..... Think on Mr Cameron, i am apolitical and I for one always find people struggle to argue with the truth and none of the above is incorrect... as unlike you I talk to the workforce.
I say this because as a businessman of some 20+ years with my fair share of battles under my belt I have learnt that if you want to know how the workforce is doing you ask them, not a manager. It stands to reason, if the manager says it's dreadful and everything is falling apart and not working then you would be quite within your rights to dig a little deeper and even quiet possibly replace that manager with one that can knock it all back in to shape. If you ask the workforce you will get a few moans and groans but invariably you will also get some invaluable information from people who are at the front line, not sat in an office waiting for their targets to be met while making up a new bulletin for all the staff to read and act upon, thus justifying their position in the company.
So, let me say this, if by some wonderful miracle dreamed up straight from a Hollywood movie i was to wake up in the morning and find myself the PM of this Country, this is what i would do: I would head to the hospitals all over the country and spend at least a month on the front line, i would then do it with the Police, the Fire Service, Teachers etc etc until I had built a picture of what is really going on in UK Plc at this present moment in time, because without that inside knowledge how the hell can you instruct ministers and their underlings to write policies that are actually meaningful and more importantly relevant?. Simple answer and a very true one. You can't hope to.
If all you have known is life in Oxford and a sheltered up-bringing amongst your like minded brethren you are no more equipped to run this Country than a tribal elder from Timbuktu. Sorry but that is also the truth.
Many years ago i started a new job selling equipment i knew very little about straight into a European market hungry for the goods, but instead of bluffing my way through and making it up as i went along i spent 3 months on the shop floor helping to manufacture the items before i even TRIED to sell the product and even more importantly and surprisingly I made alterations on the factory floor to help production run smoother that are STILL there to this day, so you see it was of mutual benefit to everyone concerned.
Now I am not suggesting the PM gets his overalls on and heads for the nearest NHS Trust but what he could quite easily be doing is sitting down and talking to those that matter the most and that is the people actually doing the damned job, not those sat in an office writing about how they would like it done, I think he would get one hell of a surprise at what he uncovered in the way of waste and mismanagement while getting a truer picture of what is actually needed to get this country back on its feet.
If, like many right now, you are wondering just how i seem so sure there is waste culture and a lack of moral judgement in middle management in many government departments then i cam reveal my sources, you see fitting a tyre to someones car is a little like having a haircut or being stood at a bar and having a drink, people relax and as you work they tell you all about what is happening in their life and where the problems lie in their jobs and in case you do need a little more proof that my theory actually works yes I do fit tyres still occasionally...it's how i find out just how the ship is being steered and the continual theme that keeps recurring is one of managers making silly rules and spending much needed front line money on theories and plans that only see the inside of a waste paper bin when passed to the next level of management..... Think on Mr Cameron, i am apolitical and I for one always find people struggle to argue with the truth and none of the above is incorrect... as unlike you I talk to the workforce.
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