Having trouble getting used to the "executive" life...

[poseidon]

I guess I've spent way too many years as a corporate pencil pusher, always worried about what my supervisors thought, etc... and I'm having trouble getting used to the fact that I'm one of the bigwigs and should ease up on myself.

I did a trade show in Orlando this past week. I had to fly from Denver to Orlando. I could have rented a car while I was there but didn't see the point, as there was shuttle service available. Of course, the shuttle service wasn't very convenient, especially when it rained, and I had to abide by the shuttle's schedule. But, I wanted to save the company money.

I had to fly from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday, because I normally go to the corporate HQ once a month, and the boss thought that since I was already in Florida, I might as well take advantage of that and finish the week in Florida. So, I caught a 7am flight from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale, because I figured that I could get a whole day's worth of work in if I flew in the morning rather than fly late morning or drive.

Of course, I had to wake up at 3am to catch the shuttle to get me to the airport by 5am, and by the time I got to the office and worked the whole day, I was completely exhausted. But, I thought that it would be more efficient use of my time to put in a whole day of work.

Saturday, I got to fly back to Denver. I again scheduled a 7am flight, had to wake up at 4am to get to the airport by 5am.

I've discovered a few things, and have been told a few others:

1. When you're an executive, you have flexibility in your schedule. I have been told by three people, including my boss, that I'm an executive and I should travel on company time as much as possible and personal time as little as possible. I was unaware of this rule, and thought that making myself more efficient was better for the company, but hell, what do I know, I'm only new at this bigwig stuff.

2. When you're an executive, you don't get crammed in the smallest seats of the plane when you're traveling if you are tall. You still fly Economy, but you pay the extra fee to go to the front of the plane where the better and bigger seats are (United's Economy Plus, etc.). I did not know this, I thought the best means to save the company money was to be as frugal with company dollars as is reasonable. I've been told that having legroom on a 4-hour flight is reasonable. I tend to agree.

3. When you're an executive, you don't rent a compact car. You never know when you're going to have to shuttle someone else around, or when you're going to show up at a business meeting and people will see the vehicle you are driving. This doesn't mean that you rend a Cadillac, but you should arrive in a vehicle that will seat at least five adults comfortably, even if you are 100% sure that you'll never have another person in the car the whole time.

I've dealt with expense reports for 15 years... always have tried to be a great steward of company funds. I guess, however, I was being a bit too frugal.

I can understand the car thing, I can understand the legroom thing, and I guess I understand the fly on company time thing. But, I also understand the saving money and utilizing time things.

[emeleel]

I've been told that having legroom on a 4-hour flight is reasonable. I tend to agree.

It's hard to run a company if you're in the hospital with blood clots.


Or worse, in the case of David Bloom.

[poseidon]

Michelle has gone through the blood clot thing. I want no part of cumadin and having my finger poked three times a week to test my blood thickness.

Remember, I'm the one with the major needle phobia.

[jgibson2[$]]

Melanie beat me to most of what I was going to say. The rest I have no doubt you've been told too. IMAGE is important when you're a company executive. Really. That doesn't mean being wasteful, but it does mean not making the company look like they can't afford to do what you're telling people they can do.

Jeff,
It's someone else's job to pinch the pennies now. It's your job to look at the bigger numbers to see where you can make things better in the most economical way possible. Efficiency is at least as important as frugality. You aren't efficient when you are exhausted.

You need to present your best side to potential customers and you can't do that if you're up at 3am trying to save the company a couple of bucks. That might cost them a big dollar contract.

[poseidon]

Actually, it isn't someone else's job to pinch the pennies. The company has an entire 11 employees. It is everyone's job to pinch pennies.

But, as the Boss put it, he thinks it is wise to spend money if we will see return on investment.

Not to mention that you are completely correct -- I'm not nearly as efficient when I'm exhausted. The insurance company didn't give a crap if I was exhausted or not, they wanted to see results and how a decision would affect the bottom line, nothing more.

Like I said, this is a completely new lifestyle and environment for me.

[frazzledspice]

If you're in sales, especially, it's important to present a prosperous image.

And if you're putting in extra hours on the job, I think it's nice that they'd give you a little time to enjoy Florida.

People who travel frequently on business have it really hard. Even if they go "home" at 5 p.m., they're not in their own home, spending time with their families, doing what they want to do. It's a big sacrifice.

Be glad your employer is generous...

[brian_igo]

Sounds to me like you're adapting just fine.

[Prepoia[$]]

You might even exceed at it!

[mtbat]

You've also shown them you are willing to do whatever it takes to help the company save money-even if it wasn't needed-actions speak louder than words. How often do you figure any company has to tell an executive to spend more money?