Mike Barnato

a dog is for..

Dogs have been in the news recently. Dangerous dogs. A dancing dog, called Chandi, on Britain’s Got Talent. And the RSPCA, a leading animal welfare charity, came under fire for apparently saying that it would not re-home dogs.

I have a work interest. I advised the RSPCA on administrative efficiency some time ago. I remember that, the then Deputy Director General, took his dog to work. And I also programme managed the creation of the State Veterinary Service (now called Animal Welfare) as an agency, by de-merging it out of DEFRA. So I have worked with many leading vets and I have been well vetted.

I also have a personal interest. My family re-homed two cats. They were large neutered twin tom cats, about four years old. I wanted to call them Gin and Tonic or Salt and Pepper. But they answered to their given names, Dennis and Speedy. We had a fabulous ten years with them.

So you might think I would have strong views about the RSPCA’s policy. No. What they meant was they would concentrate their efforts (including re-homing) on badly treated, rather than unwanted, dogs. That’s about delivering on their purpose.

It’s also a reminder that a good strategy covers what you will do and what you won’t do. If you try to do everything, you lose focus and get initiative overload. It’s a big issue with many of my clients. And the letters RSPCA are a reminder of the principle: “Right Strategy. Purpose Constrains Action.”

Picture by chelseagirl