‘The Truth Will Out’ Case study of sticking to the system

Many years ago, in fact in the last century, I was a management consultant working in the bus industry.

One of my clients was a small coach operator. He had a few school transport contracts and ran day trips and private hire for local organisations.

He wanted to join the ‘big boys’.

He ran Bedford Duple vehicles, which were a lighter weight body with a smaller engine compared with Leyland and Scania heavy buses and coaches.

The advantage for the average bus and coach operator was that these vehicles were cheaper to buy and replace, although they needed more frequent maintenance. The heavier vehicles were designed as long-life workhorses, ideal for busy bus routes or international travel.

Useful as I believe I was, I think the reason my client liked me to work with him was that he could parade 'his consultant' at industry events.

He was desperate to upgrade to a Scania. Salesmen visited and we even went on a Scania sponsored promotional trip to Italy.

However, I was able to persuade him that the different vehicles were designed for different purposes. If he were to invest in a heavier and more expensive vehicle, he would need to justify it.

So we sat down together to analyse his last year’s business. We recorded the duration and distance for each booking. It took us two days; he kept suggesting we give up. But I insisted, “Trust the system.”

It became increasingly obvious that there could be no case for his dream.

He was based in South Wales and very few trips were more than 100 miles, they rarely crossed the Severn Bridge and there was plenty of down time for maintenance.

Disappointed perhaps, but he had saved considerably more than my fee!

Richard Winfield is the author of The New Directors Handbook, creator of The Essential Directorship and Strategic Company Secretary masterclasses and curator of the CPD 2.0 Professional programme, which provides a stream of governance alerts and management insights.

With a successful career as a consultant, coach, facilitator, and trainer, he works internationally with individuals and teams at board level. He assists clients in bringing structure and clarity to their thinking.

Richard help directors and boards become more effective by clarifying goals, improving communication and applying sound corporate governance.

For individuals, he facilitates their career advancement by helping them clarify their life goals, discover forgotten or ignored talents and by developing a comprehensive package to raise their profile and break through barriers. He then provides editorial support for job applications and prepares them for interviews. https://threeticks.com/dream-job-guide

Clients approach Richard to help bring structure and clarity to their lives.

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