The Best-Laid Plans...

So, this morning I haul my gelatinous ass out of bed to trudge (in the rain!) to the gym before work only to discover that it is closed for the next three days. Work and school leave room for little else. Combine this with a mild bout of flu that's been wafting through the office, and I've been virtually worthless the past week.

And at present work and school are competing for the spotlight in my life right now. This morning I have to have a difficult conversation with a senior manager and tell her she needs to step up to the plate...or not. And if she decides not, then she can expect to play a significantly diminished role in the future of the company. I've already had this conversation with my boss -- MY BOSS, for God's sake! The good news is that it was received in the spirit in which it was intended and he seems to be stepping up. Which should mean his employment is saved, but I'm smelling a demotion in the works. Then last night, I spent an hour with the CEO telling him that he needs to back off a bit. He challenged me, but I got him to concede some major points. But the major conversation I have to have is with a senior manager and tell him that he just can't do what he wants. I've been putting that one off, but the day of reckoning has arrived.

Example: The senior manager (SM) came into my office one day last week at 9:45 to tell me that he had a candidate for a job (that it turns out isn't even in his department) and that he wanted me to spend some time with him at 10:30. There was absolutely no discussion about my availability, but being the good HR person that I am, I shifted things around. At 10:30, said candidate arrived with resume in hand. I had exactly 16 minutes with this candidate -- just time enough to tentatively identify areas of performance that needed development -- when said SM barges into my office, RIPS THE RESUME FROM MY HANDS, and says that the CEO is available and said canidate was going to meet him. That was just the topper to a string of similar events.

The challenge for me in that meeting is to not go all ape-shit diva.

I love my job.

But a pre-work workout would have helped so much.