After weeks of negotiations & preparations, the new world order is finally upon us. Jay’s first official day is today. Computer, check. Network connection, check. Email, check. Pens, whiteboard, file folders, Post It notes (JB’s addicted to them) - check, check and check.
Our morning (and much of the afternoon) has been occupied with looking at new office space and helping Jay get a handle on this mad-house of a business.
Now the fun starts.
While I Believe it’s important to have open lines of communication between partners, it’s getting out of hand.
It’s Friday. I’m on deadline & trying to put the week to rest. JB blasts a Tweet my way : @Jride13No - it wasn’t a digger. All day face shots!http://twitpic.com/2ry61 There’s nowhere like Utah. And photographic evidence to boot.
At least he’s having a good time. I gotta unplug some wires.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for Jay having a month off to transition into partnership. His daily calls and emails are strewn with enthusiasm and purpose that will be valued assets moving forward. But what he seems oblivious to is that I’m working here! Besides running the business operations, I still need to maintain a threshold of billable hours. I could read every book, reference article and white paper he sends my way - if I just cut out sleep from my daily routine.
Case in point: last week, I was planning my day, balancing my weekly partner’s meeting with Jay and a full day of meetings and deadlines. 8 a.m. my phone rings, Jay: ‘hey, it dumped last night, let’s hold our meeting at Solitude. It’s going to be huge.’ Me: Got a full slate today. Can’t.’ Jay: would it be OK if we moved to this afternoon?’
This is a case of too much connectivity. During the day I was bombarded with tweets and updates as to just what I was missing. One particularly annoying tweet included photographic evidence: @jayride13: Noooo, you go first. No, you go. Ok, if you insist. Noon @ the tude! http://twitpic.com/2h1jo
I love my work. But sometimes, it’s torture.
After 9 years of being soul owner of this agency, I’ve finally found a suitable business partner. I honestly believe the planets, stars, tea leaves or whatever have aligned for a very bright future; however, it’s not without some reservations. True, Jay is one of the finest strategists I’ve been fortunate to work with and is one of my most valued friends. While I look forward to having spirited debate about our humble firm’s direction and operations, I have been at the helm of a dictatorship for 9 years now. I alone have faced the consequences of bad decisions and banked the occasional check for the good ones.
Through the years, my wife and I have patiently taught our children the virtues of sharing. Hopefully, I’ve paid attention to the lessons. Now I need to learn a whole new set of pronouns: we, us, ours, etc. More to come and Jay and Dan’s excellent adventure.
This is the first posting on our new blog. God help you all as I subject you to my random musings.
