In the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" King Arthur and his knights come face to face with the Keeper of the 'Bridge of Death'. In order to cross the Bridge, the Keeper asks each knight 3 questions. If answered correctly, they are free to cross, but should they answer incorrectly or refuse to answer, they are cast into the gorge of eternal peril.'
And so, like Arthur's knights before us, many of us, who have something to sell, find ourselves standing before the Keepers of the 'Bridge of Death' every day. And like Arthur and his knights, we have to answer 3 simple questions:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your quest?
3. What is the air velocity of a sparrow?
Now, question 3 may well differ but the framework is always the same. Having lured you into a sense of false security with the first 2 questions, it is the third that will catch you off guard; that will make you gasp in shock and which may well lead to your being cast into the gorge of eternal peril. So be warned. Choose your words wisely and answer the third and final question carefully.
You either love or hate personal assistants. There is no in-between. They can either make things happen for you or they can make life hell. Make a friend of them and miracles will happen - but get them off-side and life becomes nothing more than a cruel joke.
Personally, I love them. As an MD, I have seen how they protected my time from outsiders. Only a select few got to cross the bridge. Those that didn't were either dispatched quickly to other managers in the organization or were cast into the gorge of peril never to resurface. Now, as a consultant, I am seeing how on some days, I get to cross the bridge and yet on other days my fate lies with other managers or in the gorge. The fault lies not with the Keepers, but with my answers to their 3 simple questions:
1. What is my name?
2. What is my quest?
3. What is the .........
In praise of Gate Keeper.
ian
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