1. Avoiding clichés
Russell Grenning
Those who know and love me could tell you that I am a straight talking, hands-on, no
nonsense, big picture sort of chap who, having spent a fair slab of my somewhat
erratic career writing for a living, abhors clichés – in fact, I avoid them like the
plague.
Frankly, those who rely on clichés show in real terms at the end of the day a lazy
mind, an inability to think outside of the square and no desire to push the envelope.
It’s not rocket science to be original at all. If you want to be numbered among the
movers and shakers - and I’m not making this up – then going forward means not just
going for the low hanging fruit. No pain, no gain.
Let me give you and example.
There was a time when I mentored a young chap in the art of letter writing to various
persons including Cabinet Ministers and I was not just hard wired to be utterly
transparent and upfront, I tried to inspire him to take his draft letters to the next level.
He would, metaphorically speaking, sit at my feet, his face contorted with a puppy-
like devotion and the unspoken desire to touch the hem of my garment. Yes, it hurt
me more than it hurt him when I made the quantum leap to try and bring him back
into the loop.
For example: He came to me with a draft after I had set the parameters to ensure he
stayed on message and I cast a critical eye over it.
“Well,” I said encouragingly, “This is the curate’s egg, isn’t it? Mind you there are
some parts that I do like but, with the greatest respect, some that I have a problem
with – the grey areas to coin a phrase. That’s the bottom line and failure is not an
option in this end game even when you are on a learning curve.”
Trembling at what he imagined was a paradigm shift he asked, in his knee-jerk
reaction, what parts I did like.
“I did like ‘Dear Minister” and ‘Yours faithfully’ I said. “It’s the bit in the middle I’m
not comfortable with,” I said. “Mind you, I can see where you are coming from and
basically I’m loving it but this will not address the worst case scenario. In fact, it is
somewhat Kafkaesque.”
“Remember, on our side we must all sing from the same hymn sheet otherwise it will
be an emotional roller-coaster and it’s my responsibility to draw a line under that.
It’s my finger that has to go into the dyke in the final analysis. In this cat and mouse
game the end justifies the means and that includes every dirty trick in the book,” I
opined.

2. Of course he could see then that I had drilled down to the bedrock, cut to the chase
and laid it bare. He nodded and I knew then that my job was done – I had been a
catalyst for positive change. He had the corporate DNA and that would ensure that
there was no collateral damage and his feet would be firmly on the ground.
If I can put it this way to quote from the classics, he was shaken but not stirred. At
least I had given him a feel-good factor.
“I hear what you say,” he said and I knew then that he realised that I was very user-
friendly when he was up to speed. It was a wake-up call for a budding fat cat who had
to multi-task to stay in front particularly when downsizing was on the agenda on the
top floor.
Sometimes, of course, the easy option in this sort of case is to just do it all yourself
but that is a Catch 22 situation even if the buck stops with you. However, I saw my
role as passing on the torch, of ensuring a smooth transition, of creating a culture
where blue sky thinking is a strategic goal which can be independently benchmarked.
Second best is not good enough was my watchword.
When I was a lad myself and the boot was on the other foot my boss made sure that I
was grounded in the realities yet able to look to the stars even if I was between a rock
and a hard place. He took no enemies and was always up to speed and with the best
will in the world had a work-life balance – a real self-starter. He sure was my go-to
guy and a safe pair of hands.
“Get over it,” he would say, not unkindly. “Get a life.” By learning from him, I could
always pinpoint the elephant in the room and fully understand the concept of a dead
cat bounce. Then I knew he had put all his cards on the table, it was out in the open
and better late than never. A win-win situation.
There was no Plan B I stated to the young chap so get your head around that at the
beginning of the day. A mindset that can handle push-pull factors is a superb defence
against inherently negative influences and be prepared always to compromise your
basic integrity to reach a bigger goal even if you can’t lie straight in bed I said.
Thus, my advice to the young chap was a trickle-down situation which ticked all the
boxes. There is no option for a rain check in this dog-eats-dog world where cutting-
edge thinking is critical to staying ahead of the game. Run that up the flagpole and see
who salutes and you have identified the next generation of leaders unafraid of
possibly unknown Orwellian nightmares.
I was prepared – then as now - to nail my colours to the mast and openly declare that
young people are the leaders of tomorrow and even the day after. That sort of wisdom
has no use-by date and those who wisely take it have the potential to be A-Listers in
our affluent society.

3. They shouldn’t be afraid, if they have it, to flaunt it. To be a leader you must be ahead
of the pack. You must schedule time modules for spontaneous brainstorming and
team-building exercises and not let your next promotion to be a poisoned chalice
mired in political correctness but one with all the bells and whistles, all things being
equal.
It’s not a matter of reinventing the wheel. Some truths are eternal even if the
organisation has a revolving door policy and it throws the baby out with the
bathwater. Keep raising the bar is my advice and it’s not over until the fat lady sings.
That’s right – it ain’t over until it’s over and critical mass has been achieved.
And yes, there are times I told this young chap when you will have to put out fires and
consider your position in the grand scheme of things to hit the ground running and
find windows of opportunity. Sometimes it is wise to stay under the radar to be
perfectly frank or you could end up spending more time with your family on
gardening leave if you get my drift.
If you want to know more get your people to talk to my people.