Whilst on my travels abroad I received a call from my wife who was concerned about a strange noise emanating from the front of the car. She said that it made a Ka Thling Ka Thling noise whilst driving. Concerned about her safety, as she drives quite a bit in her sales career, I told her to take it take to Pieter who runs a repair workshop not too far from where we live. Pieter knows more than a thing or two about cars.

The next morning she checked in the car with Pieter explaining the Ka Thling noise that emanates from the front of the car. Pieter said that it was a big job and that she could get the car back within two weeks. After two weeks of using a rental car at her own cost, my wife got her car back. The engine block was rebored, pistons replaced with larger ones and the head was gas flowed. The exhaust was replaced and “free flowed”. All these modifications and repairs set us back a good fifty thousand or so.

When I returned I asked the missus if she was happy with the repairs, she was not. The strange sound is still present especially when she turns a corner. We decided to take the car to the dealer and have it checked there. My wife explained to the workshop manager that the car makes a Ka Thling Ka Thling sound. The manager listened intently to her and asked further questions.  He asked whether it also makes a Ka Thlung Ka Thlung sound when she turns. She nodded. He asked whether there is a slight hissing sound when she stops suddenly. My wife nodded excitedly, realising that someone understands her problem. The workshop replaced the front wheel bearings, replaced the front CV joints and bled the brakes. The cost was less than a thousand rand and the job was completed within a day.

We now have a “hot rod” which will be the envy of many an avid drag racing enthusiast but pretty useless for a sales executive on her daily travels. The strange sound, which was the initial reason for our repair is now gone and we both have peace of mind knowing that she can travel safely.

As IT professionals and practitioners, business people approach us with their requirements and concerns almost on a daily basis. We often know what the answer is before they have stopped talking and all our listening skills disappear out the window. We know that we can put in that sexy stuff that will make business hum like a bird. The modifications will be well welcomed and business can boast about what they have “under the bonnet”.  So what if there is a strange little sound emanating from the front, just turn up the stereo a bit louder and the sound disappears, or as we often suggest, put in a workaround.

I think that now is the time to start honing our listening skills. Now is the time to develop sustainable business engagement models and strategies.  Now is the time to start learning the business language, learn to interpret the Ka Thling Ka Thlung of business talk and find real and lasting solutions to our business problem. Sometimes this will mean that we don’t always have the sexiest applications and utilities available, sometimes this means that we don’t have bragging rites in terms of bleeding edge implementations.

What this will mean however, is that we have satisfied business folk. We have business people who have the confidence to approach us knowing that we will be able to interpret their requirements and we will have partners who will continue to bring value to their shareholders because they are in the business of doing business and we are there to support them to do just that.