Game plans

Sometimes (all too rarely) , telling the truth sounds like boasting. In these enlightened times, of course, we call it marketing.

One reason why I enjoy what I do is that I can sell - and do - it with a clear conscience. I work for the World's leading troubleshooting company. I'm serious: we've helped more people solve more problems than any other company.

Today, for example, I've been helping a telecoms company resolve a number of major technical problems in the field. We solved one and found out what information they needed to progress three others.

Of course, we could do this kind of thing for them. You know the kind of thing - deploy our massive brains to do analyses and write reports and behave with a faintly smug and arrogant air of superiority. Of course, our clients would resent us and no matter how good we were, they would loathe the fact that next time something needs fixing, they would have to call us (or someone like us) next time.

Nah. Not a game I want to play.

The only right way to do these kinds of things is with the client. So we guide, cajole, coach, lead and facilitate people to think their way through the difficult problems. They solve them and then, when we're gone, they've learnt enough to solve the next ones too.

This is a game worth playing.

- Drib