INTOUCH : Cutting through management clutter

“A great framework for dealing with management overwhelm.” That’s one participant’s reaction to series of recent CEO workshops run by UK-based business coach, Darren Shirlaw.
The founder of his eponymous company which is now represented in Australia, the US, Britain and New Zealand, Shirlaw has developed methodology that cuts through business complexity in way that helps executives to identify their particular business priorities.
“There are 20 different areas of business that people try and manage. My basic tenet is that CEOs are stuck inside those boxes on day-by-day basis managing this big list of things to do,” says Shirlaw. “What this [methodology] does is get them out of that box into framework that helps them look at those different business aspects and simplify issues down to root cause.”
That applies to both the practical and people aspects of management. It’s the people/behaviour side of business management that is often most problematic for SMEs because there’s no system or process for dealing with these, notes Shirlaw.
“All business owners have some idea of how to design marketing strategy or manage staff but take them into that behaviour space and they don’t have the tools. This [methodology] gives them really strong tool.”
With background in funds management, Shirlaw became aware of “hole” in provision of consultancy services to small-to-medium firms and that’s where his coaching services are largely targeted.