"Blue sky" meetings - the past week at work

Monday

Because the temperature fluctuated so much during the night (I guess because sometimes there was cloud cover, other times clear sky) I found it difficult to sleep. Eventually I got up at 5am and made myself a cup of tea. I decided to go into work early rather than just hang around at home.

An early meeting with my boss, Communications Director Tom D. Lots of minutiae, then at the end he produced a written complaint from a university college about my deputy Meryl P (she had misled them about an event for International Women's Day). Later I had a formal meeting with Meryl and told her off.

Then with Tony from the Operations Team to a meeting with a subcontractor. I am amazed at the amount of co-operation I am getting from the Operations Team - after months of obstruction they are now including me in everything they do. Perhaps this inclusion is going too far, as the meeting was boring and pedestrian, and I would have preferred to have missed it.

In the afternoon a dreadful meeting with a representative from the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills. The civil servant produced a huge stack of booklets and went through them one by one. After he had gone I was left with yet another mountain of paper.

Tuesday

During the morning Tom D off-loaded onto me a meeting with a representative from local government. This person was so rude and sneering to me (about the validity of marketing) that I almost lost my temper. Later in the meeting I tried to smooth things over, not wanting him to cause any trouble (public sector managers have a tendency to be vindictive). Later still I saw one of the NGO's partners, Louise M, through the glass door and called her into the meeting. Louise M is aged about 55, formidable, outspoken. She is also openly contemptuous of the public sector, and as I hoped she devastated the local government person.

Then a meeting with a rep from a new magazine, wanting the NGO to advertise with them.

Then a meeting with Special Projects Manager Carmel W, and we admitted that we were getting nowhere over finding a celebrity for her project launch (mainly because the budget has been cut).

Then there was a lull when I thought I might finally be getting things under control.

Towards the end of the day photographers Perry and Martin, managed by graphic designer Jane N, came to take a picture of the Special Projects team. Everything this design company does irritates me. I suppose if I am honest this is because they only liaise with Tom D and ignore anything I say to them.

Wednesday

As soon as I arrived at the office I was caught up with arranging interviews for a well-known news magazine which is doing a feature on the NGO. However, when I was passing the office of CEO Alec Pressberg he called me in and expressed astonishment that we were going ahead with the feature as it had been vetoed at the Management Awayday. I told him as diplomatically as I could that Tom D had made the decision and I was just carrying it out.

Interminable meeting with Barry H. He was extremely pedantic. Yet more projects added to the total needing my attention.

In the afternoon I went through all the paper on my desk making a list of all the things that needed to be done. PR Officer Josie helped me with this and volunteered to take on some of the projects. We also discussed rearranging the office so that we could communicate more effectively (of all my team she is the most useful, and yet she is located in another part of the building as it was the only desk spare).

Thursday

The meeting began with all the NGO staff crammed into the Board Room on the top floor for a general meeting. The senior managers were sat at the table, but most people were standing. Alec Pressberg told us how serious the situation was and that there would have to be sacrifices.

Then a long meeting with Research Officers Jeanne and Meredith about the directory project. This is a formidably large and involved operation, and yet everything seems to be on course and everyone is working hard. In the middle of the meeting my deputy Meryl came into the room looking worried - her huge mailing connected with International Women's Day was going horribly wrong at the mailing house (I asked Josie to sort things out).

Mid-afternoon and Operations Director Ryan M asked for a meeting to discuss ideas for an awards scheme he wants to launch. He also asked if Josie could be included ("she seems very bright and an ideas person"). We held the meeting in one of the tea rooms on the top floor, sitting on sofas round a square coffee table. The room was excessively warm - almost sweltering. At one point Ryan M took his shoes off, not bothering to undo the laces. He is a very small man, and looks so young that it is easy to forget he is my senior and runs the most important department in the NGO. We talked without any real structure, and nothing particularly important was said. I felt the meeting was a bit flat, but Ryan M was effusive in his thanks, saying we should have more "blue sky" meetings. He gave the impression he was lonely and vulnerable - not at all the ruthless operator I previously thought him.

Friday

Nothing notable happened today except that during the morning I got a call from Tom D wanting me to meet him urgently at a local stately home the NGO often uses as a venue. As I drove the nine miles to get there I wandered what the crisis was about. However when I got there I found that Tom had merely made an error over a Consultation committee and wanted me to send out an e-mail campaign correcting this.