Three weeks in....

Now that I’ve been in the saddle for three weeks I’ve gotten over most of the saddle sores, but it is still a challenge.  I’m still “learning the ropes,” but I think my level of competence is increasing steadily – at least I hope so!  The mountains of paperwork associated with being “the boss” are staggering.  There are so many documents that require my signature by policy that I’ve found myself having to either come in early or stay late in order to have unhindered time at my desk in order to wade through it all.  I have determined, though, that I’m not going to be glued to my computer screen or chained to my desk any more than necessary.  If I’m stuck behind my desk I can’t interact with the people who make our organization successful.  They need to know what I intend and what I think is appropriate (or not).  

 

I’ve change my office a little bit from my predecessor, and I’ve cleaned it up quite a bit.  Note to self:  When leaving a location for someone else to fall in on, clean it up and make it look as presentable as possible.  It’s simply bad form to leave an office looking like a mess.  In that vein, I’ve determined to always have my desk look neat and tidy.  I remember a ship’s captain once saying, “A clean ship does everything else right.”  I would phrase that a bit differently, because appearances can be whitewashed with nothing of substance beneath the attractive exterior (sound like some female celebrities you know?).  I would say, “A well-organized outfit will demonstrate its effective organization in outward appearances.”  

 

I am going to get rid of the flat “executive” desk, though.  I’m having a stand-up desk built so that I can move around more easily and not have the desk as a physical obstacle to people who come to see me.  My stand-up desk will face the wall.  Have you noticed that once you are sitting down the law of inertia takes over?  Getting up takes physical and mental effort.  If I’m already standing up (or sitting on a bar stool from which I have to come down) moving around the office, or into the hallway or adjacent offices becomes a lot easier.  It also makes me sneaky!  My assistants around me won’t hear my chair squeaking when I get up.  It will make me more mobile, and thus, more accessible.  I can’t wait until it’s ready!

 

Journal point of the week so far:

• Good leadership is often inconvenient for the one exercising it – thus it is exceedingly rare in our self-absorbed culture.  (I use the qualifier “good” because I believe that there is no such thing as a “leadership vacuum.”  “Leadership” always happens – and it is usually bad.)

 

More later - Dirk