Upwards management, the Danish Gambit

She acknowledged that she’d have to prepare for our meeting at _____, so I finally managed to collar my boss for half an hour this morning. How much influencing and persuading could I manage in that time? How much uphill management? I worked hard, and I worked fast. First, project management. Now, my loyal army of readers will know that I’m a big fan of project management, that flow charts rock my world, that… anyway, I love it. I’d done a lot of work on a new process. How could I make my boss feel like she’d come up with it?

“I’ve had a few ideas, I wondered if you could suggest any ways to improve them?”

It was just like the Danish Gambit, sacrificing a little something to develop the Centre Game. She suggested that we add a box here, rename a process there, next to what I’d suggested, it was virtually identical. And she felt like she’d been at its heart. Brown-nose time, let's get complimenting...

“Wow, that’s something I’d not thought of at all, we should definitely edit that. Good thinking [my boss]!”

...and so on. The interviews. The consultation. Team management. Pow! Pow! Pow! My boss had some great ideas today. At least, she thought they were her ideas.

I hadn't played chess for ages...

...not since Uni, at least. I think it might have been against my old housemate Ben. But I played tonight, and I won.

I met Liz after work and went for a sly couple of pints at Dukes 92, then we ate chips over ale together in the back of the Vic. I went round to Thom and Miriam and Ed's house for a few beers, a nibble of bruschetta, a little pot and a consequently very intense game of chess.

Never the master tactician, I didn't set out with any particular strategy, other than to try to keep hold of my big hitter pieces. I tickled Thom into leaving his Queen open, then rattled around the back corners of the board clearing out his rooks. Blitzkrieg!