The Practitioner: Board stiff

JUST WHEN YOU THINK you are finally getting somewhere, something happens to make you realise that you’ve ended up in a totally different place to where you expected to be originally.

It may just be the right place in the long term, however…

Having made the brave decision to disengage from a select number of clients and make plans to dispose of some unwanted staff members, I’ve found myself summoned into the boardroom – in front of the board.

It appears they are now having cold feet about putting me in charge and letting me implement my plan. This tells me that they probably didn’t think I had the balls to go through with it in the first place – and now that I have done it, they’ve got scared and reacted badly to the proposed changes.

Regular readers of my column will know that for the past couple of years, I’ve been hampered by a perceived lack of self-confidence to make decisions, and an inferiority complex drilled into me by certain partners:

‘Your time will come in a few years’

‘Don’t ever expect to make any money out of this game’

‘You can’t get rid of her – she’s part of the furniture’

‘When you’re in charge, you can make those changes’

Recent events, however, have made me realise that, although I’ve been the younger partner in the practice from Day One, I am no less capable of running the business in a profitable way.

If anything, I have had too much respect for the elders, and have happily let them control the ship without taking too much of an active part in the finances or day-to-day running.

The next few days are probably going to be life-changing for my fiancé, my dog, my football season ticket and me.

I’ve started to make contingency plans in case I’m black-balled from the Firm, Tom Cruise style.

Thinking of another Tom Cruise film just now, I’m confident I’ll be saying, ‘Show me the money!’ – if things work out how I expect.

The Practitioner’s uncensored thoughts come from the coalface of a regional firm in the heart of England