The staff report season

One of the more interesting aspects of being a Secretary General is that your diary is no longer your own. You can put appointments into it, but only just like anybody else who needs you. Your private office filter the demands and consult with you when they feel they should, but otherwise their job is to fill your day as efficiently as possible, filling in the gaps between meetings, for example. At the moment they, and I, have a challenge on our collective hands. It’s the staff report season. For various reasons (the departure of my predecessor, the absence of directors for human resources and for finance, etc) I am personally responsible for forty-seven – I repeat; forty-seven – staff reports. Some of these can be carried over, but most require a meeting with the person being assessed (theoretically up to one hour in length). Today, in between various other meetings, I had meetings with six of the colleagues I am responsible for assessing. I am deeply committed to the assessment exercise and determined to give everybody the time and attention they deserve but just at the moment life is a bit of a challenge…