Post Covid – 5 Myths exposed - Part 1

Over the next 3-4 weeks I will be serialising Chapter 1 of my book ‘How to Win Business from Private Clients’ post covid first published in PDF in 2020.

Let’s not kid ourselves

Mr Hartley was old school, he wore a waistcoat regardless of the temperature, had silver hair which was neatly parted at the side and a trimmed moustache. In 1981 he was the senior partner at general practice law firm McDonald Stacey in King’s Bench Walk, Inner Temple.  I was his articled clerk (trainee solicitor). 

The Inner Temple is one of four Inns of Court at the upper end of Fleet Street where barristers have their offices known as ‘Chambers’. The Inns of Court are private roads screened off by wardens and barriers. Each is a haven of old-world tranquillity, with cobblestone alleys and lush gardens where barristers ponder their cases in peace and quiet.

Mr Hartley’s office was in the middle of Inner Temple. He had an oversized leather lined desk in a vast office, which he shared with me. I had a small desk which faced the wall.

Sue, a middle-aged, self-important busy body, who liked to dress like the Queen, came into Mr Hartley’s office every day at 10.30 after opening the post, to take down shorthand letters. She was a secretary; not part of the typist pool which prepared legal documents and amendments every day. 

At 4.30 in the afternoon, on the dot, Sue would return to Mr Hartley’s office with the typed letters in a large book with sheets of blotting paper and the phone messages of the day. Mr Hartley would sign each letter with his fountain pen and place each letter between the sheets of blotting paper so as not to smudge his signature and issue instructions to Sue who would jot them down in her notepad.

One Spring day, Mr Hartley asked me to accompany him to a conference with Counsel, I cannot remember what the conference was about now. We left the office at 2.45 for the 3.00 ‘con’.

On the way there, Mr Hartley handed me a 12-inch ruler and told me to sit directly behind him. Counsel’s clerk, who manages the working lives of the barristers, gave us a cup of tea when we arrived, and I sat down where I had been instructed by My Hartley to hear Counsel’s opinion which I jotted down in long hand in a blue Counsel’s Notebook.

At about 3.20, Mr Hartley dropped off, I then realised what the 12-inch ruler was for, and gently prodded him.

It was common practice for Mr Hartley to leave the office at 12.30 for ‘lunch at his Club’ where ‘business’ was done with his colleagues over a liquid lunch. He never came back drunk - but was known to have a snooze in the afternoon from which he would awake at 4.00 to sign the post. He would then leave at 5.00 to return to his Club for a few hours before going home.

In the days of Mr Hartley, there was no internet and no mobile phones. Mr Hartley genuinely believed business was done through his network at the Club, and in the days of Mr Hartley his network came from who he had known in the army.

5 Business Myths Exposed by Coronavirus

No-one today believes that business is won over long, liquid lunches at the Club.

But just as the tide goes out to reveal the ugly sea bottom, so Covid-19 has exposed 5 Business Myths in the working lives of Professionals. Just as Mr Hartley, in 1978, believed long liquid lunches was the way to win business, so in 2020 many Professionals believe office working and face to face meetings are essential. ‘Lockdown’ and working from home has now exposed much of office work, commuting to and fro and face to face meetings for what they are; a waste of time and money!

Myth 1

Business is best conducted in the office

Covid-19 has taught us many things about how we spend our time; commuting, sitting at a desk in prime central London commercial property, meeting with colleagues in the corridor or at the coffee machine – it may be enjoyable – but is it really necessary. Most of us during lockdown – when we were told by the Government to Stay Home, Save Lives, Protect the NHS have proved that we can work from home without wasting all this time.

To my mind, wasting time is a sin. I am not talking about spending time pleasurably or taking time to reflect or meditate – these pursuits are not a waste of time. But time is like money; once it is gone, it is gone. If you are lucky you can make more; you can probably find ways to live longer or make more money, but you cannot get it back – time or money. Just as some people squander money, many of us are guilty of squandering time.

If we are serious about making our businesses as Professionals profitable - especially now post lockdown, we need to be serious about not wasting time.

Part II of Post Covid 5 Business Myths exposed will be serialised next week

I set up Caroline’s Club to put the research in my book which was published in 2020 as a PDF* ‘How to win business from private clients’ post covid into practice. Caroline’s Club is where professionals can meet over a zoom call to discuss real topics and then share client stories in a networking pod. Members can then follow up using the contact details of those in their network in our digital directory and learn more about our members from their podcasts and published client stories – winning business post covid and building trust with clients without wasting time and money is the main aim of Caroline’s Club

*The book was published in 2020 as a PDF because we could not then meet for a book launch. Please let me know if you would prefer a hard copy.

Please let me have your comments and don’t forget to register for Caroline’s Club – it’s FREE to register and you can then learn more about our exclusive award winning club of leading private client professionals who are keen to win business and build trust with clients simply register here