Diary of an interim
After working in a permanent role in the pharmaceutical industry for eight years, Jane has decided to change her lifestyle - to become an interim manager undertaking specific assignments in a bid to achieve a better work/life balance.
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Episode Eight - Corporate emergency and old flames reflicker
Heading home with my mind in overdrive I realise that I had completely forgotten about my son appearing in Joseph that very evening - that's after the dreaded session with the Project Leader.
Arriving home mid-morning to an empty house - children at school, husband at work - is a sobering experience. The place looks as though it's been burgled - piles of clothes everywhere, kitchen surfaces covered with dirty pots and an empty fridge that looks accusingly at me. I have only been away 48 hours!
I restore as much order as I can in 30 minutes before spending some time getting my thoughts together before the meeting.
I replay the presentation over and over again in my head... I consider the comments and feedback received from the US team... I remember discussing the draft with Tony, the Project Leader, before leaving for the US. It just doesn't add up. If I had got the emphasis so badly wrong, why did he not say? Surely alarm bells would have been ringing at that stage?
Feel a little more confident and remembering what Diana, my Buddy at the agency said too, I decide not to be too defensive. After all, it was ok before I left and the US team seemed to like it - so what's the problem? Or am I missing something?
Arriving at the office feeling by now rather jet-lagged and slightly nervous, I head for Tony's office only to find that he's not there. His assistant says he's had to go for an emergency meeting at Head Office... and our session will have to be re-scheduled. I look puzzled as she explains that he was only summoned an hour ago and had to go immediately.
This is both good and bad news... good in that I don't have to face the inquisition today and bad that it's put off the evil moment. Perhaps the 'emergency meeting' concerns our project and the issue has escalated? I spend some time at the office catching up on emails and other team developments. At least with all this drama, I realise I haven't thought about James for at least three hours.
Curtain up looms and I go home to help get the star ready in his hastily-made multi-coloured coat cobbled together at 2am the night before I flew to the US.
It's the final night of the play and apparently the run has been very successful. Everyone seems pleased to see me back as we go 'en famille' to the school in time for the start. With everything that's happened I feel I have been away for weeks rather than a matter of hours. Decide not to tell my husband David about James... arch rivals all those years ago... no need to stir it all up again... and anyway nothing's happened except a rather jolly lunch. Or has it?
We do all the closing of eyes and drawing back the curtains and before we know it we're back home again. It's late by the time we get the children to bed...they take a while to settle... particularly Joseph and all the adrenalin. Share the Project Leader issue with David... he's very sympathetic but not being in the industry himself, can't really offer any useful insights.
Decide to bite the bullet and go to the office the next morning... let's get this issue out on the table and sorted once and for all. Glancing at my emails before heading along the corridor and see an email from James in my Inbox... my heart flips over. I can't resist clicking on it. 'So great to see you again... haven't been able to get you out of my mind since... realise what I have missed... can we stay in touch?'
The room spins round... want to email back immediately but feel I need to get the meeting over with. Walking along the corridor, I see that Tony is not in his office. Assistant is cagey... embarrassed... apparently he's not going to be in today and may be out of the office for a little while.
So what is happening to Tony and the team? How does Jane respond to James' email? Is there a critical corporate issue looming on the horizon?
See Jane's next diary entry...
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Next entry - A new role and a personal dilemma
Previous episodes
Episode Seven - Stressful situations and sleepless night
Episode Six - New experience and an old face
Episode Five - What's a work/life balance?
Episode Four - Making a real contribution and changing projects
Episode Three - The First Assignment
Episode One - Initial Euphoria