|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Modern business faces complex problems; management often calls upon highly-specialized consultants to help them address these difficult problems. If you're ever called to help identify these most pressing issues, one of the easiest and quickest ways to start is to talk about the "Red Phone".
You know which phone I'm talking about -- it's the red phone that sits on it's own special corner of the desk. Lights flash when it rings; when you answer it, the person on the other end isn't in a good mood, he's not pleased, he thinks everything is your problem and he wants you to fix it! (And ... he's right! It is your problem and you do need to fix it!)
What I want to know is -- when this phone rings, 1) Who is it on the other end, and 2) what are they upset about?
This spotlights a manager's hot spots, his points of pain. These are the frustrating tribulations that vex his day. If you can identify who's on the red phone and what they're calling about, you've identified the most pressing problems a manager deals with.
Of course, there likely isn't a real physical "Red Phone" -- but everyone knows what you mean when you talk about it! Find out about these calls -- and you'll cut through all the clutter to identify the areas you should address. Spend your time and direct your efforts to solve these problems -- or even just ease them some -- and you'll have the greatest chance of success.
Joey Robichaux rides the weekly consultant road warrior circuit. He speaks at management conferences and maintains dozens of web sites, including one of the oldest and largest free sheet music websites on the internet -- Free Sheet Music at http://www.freesheetmusic.net.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Delegation is not complete unless subordinates are held accountable... Read More
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by e-mail? Have you ever... Read More
How can you get more attention for your conference and... Read More
One thing a lot of us don't do in sales... Read More
It is clear that good Corporate Governance is in the... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
At one time or another, all of us have experienced... Read More
Outsourcing is when you hire outside professionals or services to... Read More
Human Resource Communications and Corporate Communications ? are they one... Read More
Employee performance reviews are one of the most dreaded tasks... Read More
Is building your own inventory management solution really your best... Read More
Child custody? How'd that get to be an employer's concern?When... Read More
When you know you need to shift up a gear,... Read More
I have a short story to share with you about... Read More
This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency,... Read More
On consulting assignments, here are some of the questions I... Read More
For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady... Read More
You've hung out your shingle and are ready for business.... Read More
Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee... Read More
What is document management: When we think about "Document Management"... Read More
I heard this back a few years ago. The boss... Read More
Sometimes, I harbour a suspicion that Dante was a Financial... Read More
The overriding goal of ISO-14000. (History 1995)As ISO-9000 becomes a... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More
Being a good trainer requires experience and skill. Experience comes... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Every meeting is a laboratory where you can observe and... Read More
Getting into the detail of everything each of your people... Read More
Picture the scene. Anthony pops down to the guardhouse, partly... Read More
An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas... Read More
How long does it take your customers, clients or patients... Read More
Yesterday I look at my calendar and saw that my... Read More
Data Visualization is InteractiveHave you ever booked your flight plans... Read More
An individual's ability to forge effective relationships across cultures is... Read More
This article relates to the Job Security competency, commonly evaluated... Read More
Wouldn't it be great if we got get the cheapest... Read More
One of the things that most impacts people's productivity is... Read More
Ethics - in a profession or trade - is that... Read More
Since the beginning of the industrial era our world has... Read More
Every parent, educator, and manager knows that "Nintendo children"--those born... Read More
Everyone wants to describe themselves as a leader. Everyday, new... Read More
I recently read an article published in the June, 2005... Read More
I've just been reading about the frustrations of a Human... Read More
Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people... Read More
Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly... Read More
Increasing shareholder value is the most important driver for organisations... Read More
How many times have you asked someone to do something... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
We all complain about meetings which are a waste of... Read More
Business Management |