Re: Summer 2013 | Page 7

get the information by e-mail later in the week . Why could he not have brought it with him ? Presumably because this way , there is a chance for another point of contact .
11.30
Checking e-mails . Urgent HR query that needs to be dealt with before I can go to next meeting . Phone HR Director to talk it through . It ’ s complex but between us we make a decision . Only time will tell if it ’ s the right one .
12.10
Running a bit late now , for meeting that was supposed to start at 12 noon , but it ’ s internal and only two of us so some flexibility on timing . Meeting is with a Head of Department regarding an initiative that she would like to take that uses a not insignificant chunk of the Marketing budget . As with all such initiatives , there are good reasons to give it a try , but can we afford it ? What other things will we be unable to do ? Will it be easy to show a return on the investment ? I ’ m not convinced but in the end agree that it ’ s worth a shot so decide to support the initiative .
12.45
Need to be in Lewes at some point this week to catch up on a couple of projects , but looking as if I may struggle to get there until quite a bit later today as further meetings in Brighton needed .
13.00
Lunch at local hotel with Chairman to talk through some issues and check out the facilities at the hotel for possible use either for Staff conference in September or Partner Strategy Awayday in October . Facilities seemed fine , if a little dated , but food was poor and we agreed wouldn ’ t suit so back to square one on those mini projects . At least we managed to catch up with each other ’ s movements over the next week or so though .
14.00
Back to Brighton office . A staff member asked to see me earlier in the week about career prospects . Needs delicate handling as in reality the prospects are limited in the short term for that particular department , but nevertheless the staff member is valued and I need to encourage them to continue doing a brilliant job and perhaps look at ways they may be able to get more out of it . Meeting them to discuss options . Surprisingly they are thinking of a sideways move if it became available . I will discuss with the relevant Head of Department and HR . All of this takes a while .
14.50
Back to e-mails . Many seek decisions from me on issues which are , in the grand scheme of things , quite trivial but in most cases particular matters can ’ t move on without my input . One example today is where a client ( A ) wants to take action to recover money against someone who about 5 years ago consulted us about a lease extension on a property ( B ). From the information we have been given , B no longer lives there , and seemingly has not used us for legal advice since . Can we act against them now ? Is there a conflict of interest ? Remind myself of the test – do we have confidential information about B that we would be obliged to disclose to A as part of our duty to act in A ’ s best interests ? In my view we do – we know B once owned a leasehold property , and we would not have known that unless we had acted for him . It may or may not be relevant to A ’ s action now , and we would not be able to tell A about it . Therefore , there is a conflict and I reply to the Solicitor that wants to take the case on in those terms . We can ’ t act , but we can ’ t tell A why we can ’ t act – we just have to say it ’ s for professional reasons , otherwise we would be breaching confidentiality to B .
15.40
Quick wander round the floors to speak to a couple of people about how they are settling in ( they are relatively new ) before heading across to Lewes office .
16.20
Arrive in Lewes office and get accosted for a “ quick word ” as I am walking across the 2 nd floor by a Partner who has read something in the recent Board minutes and wants to know how it will affect the work he is doing . I manage to persuade him that it is still just an idea at this stage and he will be fully consulted if the idea is taken further , but that we are some way from implementation .
16.40
Arrive back at my own desk . Yes , I do have my own desk , in fact I have a whole room ( cosy but adequate with a great view of the cemetery ) but only in the Lewes office . When I spend the day at other offices I hot desk like every other visitor . Hot-desking has its challenges ; clearing away the furry stick on animals from the VDU , placing the mouse in a position where pilates movements are not required to reach it , pumping the chair up so that the desk isn ’ t scraping three layers of skin from my knees , setting the print menu so that that extremely confidential document isn ’ t printing in a different office , and negotiating which mug isn ’ t reserved exclusively for Wendy , who isn ’ t here today because she doesn ’ t work on Wednesdays but doesn ’ t like anyone else using her things . Some people have the most peculiar mouse as well . One of my colleagues has one that resembles a gaming joystick , which does make me wonder what she is up to all day ….
17.00
Frantically clearing ( I mean dealing with …) e-mails that need to be responded to before I go for the day and given that I have a meeting at a local organization where I have a Non-Exec Board role at 5.30pm , some urgent decision making is required .
17.20
I gaze down at the desk and the stack of further papers that I will need to look at tomorrow , but the urgent need now is to gather up my Non Exec Board papers ( which I did manage to read last night at home ) and rush off to the meeting , happily only a few minutes away .
19.30
Meeting finished and heading home . Have missed the Archers tonight so have no idea now what Matt said to Lilian about her affair with Paul , but I ’ m sure I ’ ll catch up tomorrow .
So at what point do you do your blue sky thinking , your strategy planning , your setting of business objectives for the firm ?
I guess that ’ s what happens when I manage to get some time on my own . Usually on a run .
By Chris Randall
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