The Private Client Diaries

By Ian Kilbride

Every now and then, a BGO (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious) moment descends from above, and it is as though someone has turned on a light. Someone says something, you read something, you see something, or you are simply zapped as if by a lightning bolt. From that moment, you never again see, treat or react the same way to a specific thing.

So yes, your own BGO is that I have recently had a BGO and yes, as obvious as it seems, I am going to tell you about it and the reason is simple: it is so, so obvious!

After years of thinking that I had to be involved in every facet of my business, every day and at every level, I realised it is actually better when I do not. It is better for me, better for my colleagues and it is better for the client.

For years I have espoused the idea of “teach a man to fish and he will feed himself for life”. But I was useless in practice, often holding the catch net, changing the bait, spotting a good casting area in which to drop the hook, even holding the rod (metaphorically, speaking of course!) for them.

Well, “pow”, “wham”, “kaboom”, the light has come on and it is all changing. Why, I do not know. It was not an epiphany of the true sort; I simply realised that this is it!

Possibly, it was my birthday, but that was no remarkable or pivotal date, although it was a wonderful surprise party – and that possibly had a major impact or jolt.

We also moved house recently and changed a car. We also changed some house rules and seemed to enter a new, more mature phase with our children.

There was also that World Cup thing and the fantastic nights in Cape Town among people from around the world, all revelling in South Africa’s ability and the optimism we all felt for the future.

No, it was a bathtub moment. Yes, I have lost some weight, but it was not the ability to see something for the first time in a long while. No, it was a bathtub moment of, “My God, I must be stupid!”

People who know me may ask, “What’s so new about that?”, but to me, it was a revelation.

You see, I now realise that if you pay someone to do a job, fulfil a role or take responsibility, then they themselves have a responsibility to deliver! All employers have a right – be it in South Africa or anywhere – to expect that they get what they pay for. I think half the time I thought people were doing me a favour by turning up!

My dad, who had a building company at the time, was once asked: “Hey Bill, how many people work for you?” His reply: “About half of them!”

So, my BGO is this: employ people who accept responsibility in relation to the role they are paid for. Employ people who accept that “delivery” is not an accidental or infrequent byproduct, but actually a necessity to have and keep the role.

Once you have done this, manage people with an honest, direct and clear manner. Obfuscation of your own; allowing “fog knitting” or persistent lip service is destructive and confuses everyone. Give clear, direct and honest direction and communication and then watch who can and who cannot deliver on the role they are paid to fulfil.

Oh boy, am I going to love the rest of my working life. And you know what? So are all those great colleagues who work with me and know how to deliver!