Ben and the art of bicycle mechanics

You may, or may not, know this of me but when I'm not using communication strategy to drive improvement in organisations I may often be found recycling bicycles. This is part of a project I run with a few other committed cyclists to get everyone in Shropshire and Telford cycling, at least sometimes. 

Now I'm not a natural cycle mechanic (my father despaired long ago of teaching me to mend a puncture) but I've been improving my skills over the past year with the help of some very skilled and experienced colleagues. 

One of the key skills all good cycle mechanics have is a careful and methodical approach. I struggle with this. I'm naturally a big picture sort of guy, fizzing with creative energy, making the connections that no-one else has seen, innovating and designing new ways of working. This is all great but it doesn't fix a bicycle.

After a long period of frustrating sessions in the workshop, going back over work because the shortcut I took meant that I failed to check the state of the ball bearings (or whatever) I believe that I have got it. I can recycle a bicycle nearly as quickly as a skilled mechanic and slow and steady is my watchword. The washers and nuts are placed on the bench in the order they came off so I don't need to spend fifteen minutes wondering what order they should go back on. No  matter how good the gears look, I start from first principles because I have spent too long tweaking only to find that the gear hanger was slightly out.

And it is (sort of) the same in public relations. There are steps to take in planning and developing strategy. It's tempting to take a shortcut, it's tempting to jump into the "what are we going to do?" before the "what are we seeking to achieve?", it's tempting to assume that this job is special and doesn't need all the usual rigmarole.

But just as shortcuts in bicycle servicing just lead to even more time spent with a grease gun and a spanner, shortcuts in strategy development lead to more time down the line playing catch up and cursing missed opportunities.

Do it the right way, every time.

Image is Peugot by xmacex distributed under cc-sa-2.0