Have you ever found yourself in a conversation as it slips away from the sensible into the irrational? It always starts with shouting (maybe an apology here and there) as temper flares up. Explanations go unheeded as profanity sometimes creeps in. It is as if you’re talking to farm animal – no comprehension of what you’re discussing. And, in a last fit of desperation, the other side turns to face you, eyes so hot they could punch holes in concrete blocks, and the following is said to you:
“You’re the LAST person I would call!”
The next time this happens, make sure to say “Thanks for the kind words” to the person sending them your way.
Kind words? I’m not joking. This isn’t some new-age management scheme either. For a moment, take a second and think of the “last” people you call in a situation:
- If your house is on fire, the last person you call is the Fire Department. Hopefully, they’re also your first call, but still…
- If your car is disabled at the side of the road, and you’ve done all you can possibly do by yourself to get it going, you call a tow truck to save you from pushing that car down the road.
- After 4 weeks of seeing every doctor you know while waiting for a dry cough to go away, it’s time to see a specialist and get this thing over with.
In each of these cases, and there are many more out there, it becomes plainly clear that puttering around won’t get the job done and it’s time to call in an expert. And experts all have three things in common:
- They know their stuff, no doubts about it, inside and out.
- They will certainly charge you an arm and a leg for this wealth of experience.
- They are always “the last person you call” because there’s nobody better out there.
As long as you work full time (and some nights and weekends, too, to be honest) to be the very best in your field, don’t worry about one customer who gets hot headed. Sooner or later, they will be faced with a choice: fix the issue themselves, hire a second-rate operation to kind of make it work, or call you to come back and just finish the job the right way. When it comes to the very best, and you need new ideas, best practices and even great people, call us at Dataseti! We’ll be here when you call.
-Jeffrey Bromberger, Consultant & CISA, CRISC
Contact the consulting team at consultants@dataseti.com
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