*Massage between wrestlers training 1904* . Vincent Monozlay

'Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.'
Henry Ford

In one of those senior moments that occur with increasing frequency nowadays, I’d fallen on the stairs while carrying a substantial plant pot to the roof. The incident left my right forearm in some considerable pain and it was taking many weeks to heal.

I knew I needed physiotherapy, but I was nervous about the prospect. Would it entail eccentric exercises, intimate massages and whale music?

My personal trainer pointed me in the direction of Dave, a body builder who used to run pubs in the East End. He sounded reassuringly robust.

Dave, who managed his physiotherapy practice out of a basement gym in Bethnal Green, had a muscular physique, a bald head and a firm handshake.

‘What’s the problem, young man?’

As I explained my various aches and strains, Dave made a series of notes on his pad. He seemed to recognise my symptoms.

‘Yup. Yup. Got it,’ he said, as he fixed me with a hard analytical stare.

I was interested to hear Dave’s conclusions. Was there one particular method or manipulation that would soothe my condition? Did he have a favoured remedy to my specific injury?

At length Dave paused, put his pen to one side and announced:

‘Let’s just throw everything at it.’

And so, having positioned me face-down on a massage table, Dave proceeded to apply electrically charged acupuncture needles to my arm. These prompted my muscles to twitch in a slightly disconcerting fashion. He then vacuum-cupped the affected area to draw out the toxins. Next he scraped my sinews with a steel tool to stimulate the soft tissue. Finally he gave my right arm and shoulder a comprehensive massage.

I have to say it succeeded. There was definitely a sense of loosening and limbering. I’m not sure which of Dave’s battery of measures was most effective, but they certainly worked very well in concert. Indeed I was thoroughly impressed by his all-guns-blazing approach.

In the world of commerce we may have a house style, a preferred method. We may like to address all problems with cool consideration and clinical precision. But occasionally – when there’s an escalation in events, when a big account is at risk - we need to be prepared to change gear, to raise the metabolism, to set aside established techniques and best practice. Some urgent challenges demand that we explore all avenues; examine all fronts. They prompt us to restructure the team, review the process and relook at the data; to commission all manner of research and take on fresh perspectives. And more besides. As Dave would say:

‘Let’s just throw everything at it.’

'I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.'
Booker T. Washington

On a subsequent visit to Dave’s studio, he sat me down and checked if I’d been following his instructions.

‘Have you done the hot-and-cold treatment like I asked you?’

I hesitated for a moment, noting the severity of his stare.

‘I did buy the hot-and-cold pack, Dave.’

Dave said nothing. Perhaps it would be best to come clean.

‘I haven’t actually used it yet.’

Dave looked at me like a disappointed parent. I suspect he was accustomed to people falling short.

‘That’s alright, young man. All I demand from my clients is honesty.’

I breathed a sigh of relief and beat a hasty retreat.

'And if you should miss my loving
One of these old days.
If you should ever miss the arms
That used to hold you so close,
Or the lips that used to touch you so tenderly.
Just remember what I told you
The day I set you free.
Ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wild enough,
To keep me from you.’
Diana Ross, 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough’ (Ashford and Simpson)

No. 393