Paperwork exercise

My brilliant sessions with my Management Coach have sadly ended. They've been rather lovely, if a bit off from the point. I wanted a coach to make me stop hating work so much. I adore my job, but loathe my employer. It's the old trade-off. And luckily my coach understood this, and was terribly helpful.

Out of the door went the Sympathetic Listening, the nodding, and the "How does that make you feel?", and in came "Now, I was once working for a complete shit and... well, do you want to know how I got him fired?", and, "Yeah, people often turn nasty when you sack them. Buy security a box of chocs, and they'll get him out before he's done anything to wreck your career."

When The Big Changes here were announced (and oh, we've had many), he was always there with the right kind of word for the situation. "I dunno how you feel fella, but I think we're screwed this time."

Best advice was about paperwork "Either don't bother, or take the piss." He once found a form so irritating, he confiscated all copies of it, including the masters, locked them in a cupboard and threw away the key. He waited for the storm of protest from the department who logged the forms.

Nothing ever happened.

He currently adores 360 Appraisals. He had to write one for a colleague, and praised his "ability to bond with on-air talent." His colleague was shagging a weathergirl.

So, when the inevitable "Post Training Assessment Form" came through, I filled it in as a tribute to him...

1. Since you have been on this 6 month leadership journey, how would you say you are expanding what you do as a leader? What are you doing differently as a leader that you are most pleased with? Please give illustrations as specifically as you can.

I’m afraid he hasn’t been able to solve the problems that I came to him with. He’s made me realise that it’s just a job, though.

But, sadly, in these last six months, most of the reasons why I turned up to work and enjoyed it (no matter how tiresome and stressful) have pretty much gone.

Thanks to the changes here, my team are demotivated, fearful and rather bored. As am I. I don’t feel I can honestly offer them any reassurance, and don’t feel I can deceive them about it. Just as my job has become unrewarding, I can’t promise to make theirs fulflilling or exciting. But at least they still have jobs.

My coach has been brilliant at listening, being sympathetic, and reassuring me that nothing I experience is new.

I’m now better at writing to-do lists.