Taking stock

As we pass the mid point of the year, I always find it a good time to stop and take stock of everything going on in the workplace.

 

14 July 2011

I am sure many of you will be looking back at your strategies and operating plans and adapting where necessary if the needs of your business have changed. If nothing else, it’s a good chance to carry out an ‘end of term’ report and perhaps gain some feedback from your stakeholders too. The same is true for me in my role at the BIFM, so it’s exactly a year since I became chairman and a great time to look back at the year just gone. At the recent Members’ Day and AGM at the British Library, I shared with the audience just a flavour of a day in the life of chairman as follows:

- 48 blogs in 12 months
- 9 BIFM board meetings and members’ councils
- 3 international visits
- 7 speeches at industry conferences
- 6 industry dinners
- 33 internet article quotes
- 14 BIFM regional/Sig visits
- Over 2,000 emails
- 300 tweets with 255 followers
-  2 regional balls
-  2 regional conferences

Of course, on top of this there are other meetings, calls with the head office team and preparation for events, conferences and reports. People often ask me how I fit my duties as chairman in with my day job. I don’t think there is a magic answer to this other than some early starts, late finishes, weekend working, a laptop balanced on my knee in some strange places and, of course, a great team at Hallmark. As I look back at the year, I’d say I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone – good progress in many areas and work still in progress in others, so all in all on track.

This month, we welcome a new board member, Ashleigh Rogers.It will be great to have another fresh face who brings different experience to the table. In July we have a board induction/refresher, then in August our most important meeting of the year as the board comes together for its annual away day.

During July and August there tend to be fewer events so I won’t be quite as high profile, but you can still find me on Twitter @ibroadbent_bifm or www.networkwithbifm.org.uk or of course by reading my blogs at www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/blog/1. Have a great summer.

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