Hello! George is on holiday at the moment, so he’s asked me to step in and write this week’s edition of The Garrulous Jay. For those of you who don’t know me I’m Dudley and, along with my cockerpoo colleague Flo, I’m in charge of on-site security and client hospitality at George Shippam Financial Planning head office.

Before he left for the Isle of Colonsay, George said two things to me about The Garrulous Jay. First, he said he would be disappointed if I didn’t get more “likes” on social media than he normally receives because I’m better looking than him. Obviously true but, frankly, you can’t eat “likes” so I’m not really particularly bothered about that.

Secondly, he said I should say something insightful: provide a handy hint from the canine canon as to what it takes to be top dog.

So, building on my role as ‘deputy dog’, here’s a morsel from my lexicon of labradoodle lore: DEDICATE OR DELEGATE.

If you’re running a business, you need to work out what it is that you’re either good at, or you really need to do. The rest you should hand over to someone else so you can focus on the work to which you’re dedicated.

Take me, for example… I know I’m the best barking hound in Haveringland when it comes to alerting people to the arrival of delivery drivers at the house. With my excellent hearing I can tell the difference between the family’s cars and the unmistakable engine of a transit van. Similarly, my sense of smell equips me far better than any human to sniff out some delightful thing to roll in when we’re out for a walk…and I still don’t understand why it makes everyone else so cross.

On the other hand, I’m hopeless at driving to the shops to buy dog food and I’ve never even tried to operate the clippers that Tracey at Cosy Coats Grooming uses when I pop in for my six-monthly makeover session. So those things I leave to others. For me it’s barking and rolling, good; shopping and clipping, bad.

Once you’ve worked out what you should be doing – and this requires serious, honest analysis – the next thing you need to do is find the right people to do the other stuff. I know you humans frown upon the way us canines greet one another, so this approach is not to be recommended when engaging in recruitment activities, but this too is a task to which time and careful thought must be given.

Anyway, that’s all from me: I have a pressing appointment with a dusty patch of earth I’ve excavated by the back door. Woof!