“I don’t know, maybe I’m nuts” - was an opening line used by former Hong Kong SCMP columnist Teresa Norton (and founder of StarMaker), and a phrase that I have subsequently “stolen” with due acknowledgement, for my own needs as it encapsulates so many of the things I do - and am probably not supposed to.
I was heading back to Hong Kong recently for just a couple of days after a week in Dubai - well it was the time of the HK Sevens after all - before travelling immediately afterwards to Birmingham, London and a return to Dubai for another four or five days then once more in Hong Kong for another day or two and off again. And the stupid thing is I love it, but no wonder people in Hong Kong ask how long I am “visiting”! Apparently at my age I am not supposed to enjoy it as much as I do, (something to do with “conventional wisdom” - whatever that is) and yet I can’t help myself. I even caught myself smiling at my good fortune as I left the office the other day.
At least I think I am being useful, adding value and at the same time acting as something of a mentor to a younger generation who politely listen to tales of yore rather like the Ancient Mariner (https://www.shmoop.com/rime-of-ancient-mariner/). That’s me, strange I suppose - and yes I will stop at some stage. Also hopefully it will be a conscious decision on my part to go, rather than have someone come creeping up to me and whispering “David, isn’t it about time you moved on?”
So here I am - enjoying life in a rather more than even semi-retired state, but bemoaning one of the great losses experienced by former executives who step down but who still do things ... the absence of an office and in particular the fully functional Private/Executive Assistant. The person who anticipated your next move; the organiser who knew your diary better than you did and when they knew you were due to go on a trip handed you in good time a list of appropriate flight options to consider. The person who your business colleagues and personal friends contacted to see when you might be free to meet or dine, the executive assistant who could look at the various incoming papers and give you a synopsis of what was in them. The person who knew you better than pretty much anyone else.
Actually, forget the office - as long as you are disciplined enough to work from home or you at least have a space to go to occasionally with the necessary facilities (I have a virtual office that works well for me), and forget also - if you had one - the luxury of someone to drive you around, but it’s the sheer frustration of trying to organise your life that you cannot forget.
I take a certain amount of pride in being able to hold my own in technology. But despite all the clever apps around like Wunderlist, Evernote, OneNote, TripIt and the rest, I now get frustrated by their inability to organise things the way I like them, whereas the PA knew all that stuff! For example, I mentioned travelling earlier and it’s true, I travel a lot. So I need to book flights (oh, and paying for them up front before you get reimbursed is another pain!). And actually I don’t mind looking at the schedules, and hotels, and transport ... but when you’ve been round the airline “advanced” travel page, putting in the 4 or 5 cities you are travelling to, choosing the flights that fit and then press the button to receive the message “sorry, we can’t price that route”, you spend the next hour or more working out the various computations that will get you a price. And I don’t really have time to do all that , and read the work papers and deal with the email inbox ...
Well why don’t you get a PA someone says ... at which point in time my Scottish heritage kicks in and says, well first I don’t have an office for a PA to work from, and why should I waste someone’s time (and pay out of my own pocket) just asking them to look through travel schedules, or take some of the responsibility back for my in-box, or book my lunch appointments. Mind you, I am becoming aware of “remote” PAs who offer services at an hourly rate rather than a monthly fee, but even so, is it worth it?
Don’t get me wrong I’m just griping rather than complaining, which I rarely do. I am really just coming round to expressing my admiration for a collection of people over very many years who have made my life so much easier - and I am not sure that I ever appreciated it as much as I do now.
Thank you.
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