The affable Sir John Harvey Jones, never far from his trusty pipe
The late Sir John Harvey Jones was a very experienced business man who ran the major chemical firm ICI, before branching off into business consultancy.
He came over as an affable fellow, humourous, ponderous and rarely away from his trusty Briar pipe which no doubt helped him function.
Sir John came to general prominence from his work on the BBC TV series 'Troubleshooter', although known as a former head of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), the television exposure really made him a household name as ICI as a company already was in its own right.
The premise of the television series was that Sir John would visit a company that was either ailing or seemed to be stuck in a rut and he would go and visit and ponder the solutions and advise them of the best course of action to take.
There is no doubt that not only did he turn round a good few companies and put them on the road to success, he inspired other company people to adopt some of the common sense that he had shown in the series and improve their lot.
I remember one good piece of advice, it was 'The least cost option is not the best option.' Now, I have seen this advice ignored countless times in the years since.
In the current employment situation, I have learned from agencies that companies are seeking to employ the people they can pay the least to, often this means that they are also the least suitable to fill the job. Time and again, I see the same companies re-advertising the same jobs.
Do these pillocks not see that they are going about this the wrong way? They employ someone and 2-3 months later go through the same process. They waste 3 months of progress and a further 3 months to get back to where they should be, if that new person stays.
And that's cheaper? And that is better for your business going over the same ground twice to get back to where you want to be 6 months down the line? It speaks volumes about these employers. They haven't got it.
I learned a lot from watching the Troubleshooter series that he made and the information he I parted is relevant today as it ever was. It was built on real world experience, observation and common sense.
We have no shortage of management consultants around today, but in my experience many of these fall far short of Sir John's ability.
Many of the new breed of consultant do it because they are otherwise unemployable. They would learn much from Sir John's sage advice and thinking processes.
Sadly, I have seen a fair selection of bullshitters and fakers posing as consultants in recent years. It wouldn't be so bad if they actually had some idea of what they should be doing.
And it is amazing that some senior company people are unable to see through the fug and haze and view the Emperor's new clothes as portrayed by the bullshit merchants as great, when those at the lower end of the company can see right through the charade.
As in the last place I worked. They employed a right dick of a consultant, it took me no time to see he was useless. The management seemed unable to. But eventually his bullshit and lies unravelled him.
So why not become a modern business consultant? I mean, you can charge some one a lot of money to give them duff or bad advice, really screw up the company and walk away from it without any comeback.
So why didn't I think of this as a career path?
Sadly, I have a sense of responsibility and if I advise someone it is the right and proper information. And I know what I am doing. And it is free.
I take my cue from Sir John Harvey Jones, he was a great example of the right way to observe, evaluate and advise. He was the best business consultant I have ever seen operate. He is sadly missed but an inspiration and example of the right way to do it.
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