Mea Culpa

February 9 – Soundings with the Chair on the future of the accounts department were interesting.

He also authorised me to discuss it with East as my effective deputy – I had reservations about doing so due to his past fling with #1.

And, as I often do, I discussed the matter with my PA who is in many ways my eyes and ears in the place.

I could not do so with Office – I know she is close to #1 and I am afraid I could not trust that a leak would not occur.

The result was a broad consensus which is mildly critical of me for having not intervened earlier. Far from not interfering enough apparently I have not been as proactive as I have been in other departments where I regularly spend time with staff on the ground and have a deliberate policy of knowing the deputy managers well, and having time with them, which no one resents as a result. By standing back from accounts there is suggestion I allowed a situation to develop which I might have prevented.

OK, mea culpa. Now what? Unfortunately sentiment is very much with numbers 2 and 3 in the department: #1 does have relationship and management issues which are going to be hard to address, and which also suggest the role is incorrectly defined. The problem is I don’t see how I can lose all three top members of the team at once. That would be careless.

So, my PA is doing the leg work. She’s tasked with finding out what the numbers 2 and 3 would do if #1 went. It’s not likely to change things, but it might just.