Traffic and travelling and the boss

So, Monday mornings I have a meeting, every week, at 08h00 at the main offices in Sandton. It's around 42 km from home. last week I left at 06h10, and got there at 08h10! Yesterday I was up at 05h00, left home at 05h25, and was in the office parking basement at 06h05! @ Hours early for the meeting!
Tuesdays I have a meeting at the clients offices at 07h30 am. it's in the middle of the city (Johannesburg). About 35 km. This morning I left at 06h02, and pulled into the parking lot at 08h05!!! Geeezzz -whats a guy to do?

Anyway, so far so good. New account is great! Clients - those I have met - are great. Some are grumpy, one who I first dealt with on the phone and who really came down on me was great today when I met him face to face!

Yesterday afternoon we had a sales team meeting. I attended, under duress as I was tired after getting up at 05hoo. Anyway, I had decided I'd go, keep my mouth shut, get it over with, and leave. Yea, Right!!!

So the boss goes on about his London trip, and about our new big boss over there, and his plans. So far so good. No need to interject. He talks about route to market plans, how this new guy does not agree with the current format (what's he know anyway - he's from the software part of the business, completely different kettle of fish), and what he thinks we should be doing. No problem so far.
Then he puts up a slide that had the heading "Call Reporting"! Now I start to warm up - in fact, I got to just shy of boiling. At some point I interjected. What do you mean he wasn't expecting it? Everyone was expecting it! that's what I do - only me, cause the rest of them are sheep! No offence, but if more guys / girls spoke up, it might create a status of "They are taking us seriously", but as it's only me, every time, I'm on a hiding to nothing. But, I have my principles, and I satnd by them.

So I say, "If you are expecting us to do call reporting, then I expect the guys doing the back office support for me to guive me a daily update of th status of the work they are doing for me! Christ, this is a lot of crap. How many more processes / procedures / check points do you guys want to put in place to monitor us? Why can't you just look at what our pipeline looks like? That will tell you what we are doing?"

At this point he was trying to tell me to sit down, I was already at the board room door, with laptop bag on shoulder, on my way out! I looked him in the eye and said, "Not going to happen Boss, I'm leaving now, before I lose it completely and make this a problem for me and for you! We can discuss this further off line, in a one-on-one! And Left!

A bit later he tried to call me, 3 times. Each time I answered the call, could hear him, he couldn't hear me. I called back, later, and left him 3 messages. He sms'd me that we should meet this am at his office. No can do, am at client. Maybe in the afternoon.

This afternoon he couldn't meet with me, so it will have to be tomorrow, so I said ok, but after 10 am. We will see where this goes. I could be in some serious shit this time!

Salagatle!