Senior Mgmt recommended me. The local staff contacted me for a long distance telephone call with two managers who were sitting together. Reorganisational changes hadn't been announced, so they couldn't disclose the situation details very well. They were to set up a sister organisational unit to the one I was in within the UK and they had no direct experience of it. So they couldn't articulate their needs very well. Nor did I feel they understood how difficult it would be to do what their position required, so it became almost embarassing. Because it was conducted over the phone, I had none of the non-verbal clues to address that sooner. Because I had been through several itterations of the organisational unit that they were to set up, I was able to comment on the benefits and pitfalls. Had I known that that is what they were being asked to set up, I doubt that I would have participated in the call, as I had grown to hate the unit because its hands were tied in so many ways and mangement were constantly playing musical chairs whilst ostensibly trying to make the service easier / better / more robust etc... but the structure made that nearly impossible. I really tried to help them and offered to help them in whatever way they needed, but suspect that they wanted someone who didn't quite know the ropes, quite so well.
