Joining the dawn chorus

AT 4am, the chances are you're blissfully asleep with hours of dreaming ahead of you before your working day begins. But for some PAs, the dreaded wakeup call is only minutes away: bags packed, clothes laid out ready for a crack-of-dawn start. But PAs who choose this harsh awakening miss the rush hour, enjoy a quiet empty workplace and head for home when everyone else is still slaving away. If you like the idea, then look for jobs in the City or at cuttings agencies and in publishing, or even ask your boss if it's feasible for you to have an early-start trial run.

At 5.50am, PA Caroline Hoey is at her desk with City investment bank Fox Pitt Kelton. "My manager is already in and there will be perhaps one or two other people; the rest start coming in an hour later," she says.

Hoey is on a temping contract through Tay Associates and her early starts are well rewarded: at 24, she earns about pounds 27,000.

She lives in Richmond and her alarm is always set for 4am. "I'm usually awake and ready to get up by 3.30 and I love the early morning," she says.

"You can hear the birds singing but it's quiet and peaceful. I can't eat or drink at that time, though. I'm on the train at 5.15am and then take two Tubes to the office.

I'll make coffee and have fruit or a bowl of cereal there."

Her main tasks are monitoring financial news and sending out a digest by email to all the brokers.

"Then, through the morning, I respond to any tasks my manager needs. I am checking financial news and passing it on, dealing with international emails, writing press releases, monitoring reports and preparing documents and presentations.

I have to work quickly."

Hoey has strong secretarial skills, combined with experience of work in the financial sector. "My previous job was working from 4pm to 6am preparing presentations for a financial company. I would sleep through the day. I prefer this [her new job], although I don't finish until 6.30pm. I go to the gym three times a week. You have to stay very fit to work these hours."

Jane Burton, 35, is opening the Windmill Street office of Piatkus publishing with the dawn chorus. Her 6.30am start in the office is "bliss in the summer" as she often sees the sun rise, but it is not so good when it's cold and dark.

"Working here is flexible and I chose to start early. I wanted to avoid the rush hour and I don't mind getting up at dawn. For years I was PA to Judy Piatkus, the founder, and she likes to begin work well before 8am. I live in Leighton and catch the second train out of Woodford every morning at 5.44.

I'm up before 4.30am."

After 15 years of working this way, Burton admits she is on a different body clock from colleagues. "I have to have a really good lunch before noon and I can't go out during the week or have more than one glass of wine."

She deals with emails, voicemails and accounts in the early hours. "The phones don't start until 8.45am so I can be productive. Dealing with financial reports is good at this time. At first I was worried my boss wouldn't trust me - no one else comes in for two hours - but my results proved I was working well with my early start."

Susie White is jolted awake by her mobile-phone alarm at 4am. She lives in Cambridge and works as an account manager for Precise Press Cuttings in Great Dover Street, south London.

"I can't ever have five more minutes," she says. "I have to spring out of bed and be out of the house by 4.30am." She showers with a wakeup peppermint essential oil and has one cup of tea before cycling to the station. "My clothes and satchel are all ready the night before: there's no time to search around for stuff at that time of the day."

White, 26, catches the 5.25am train to Liverpool Street and a 10- minute Tube to her office. "I'll grab a strong latte and a snack.

When I get in, the phones are already buzzing and there will be letters and cuttings searches to prepare for delivery the same morning. I do press cuttings for major banks and financial companies, and use all my office skills, such as databases and Word. It's a fascinating job, I love it."

White says she is "a lot more alert" in the early morning, but starving by noon. "I buy things like salads and roasted vegetables, and drink lots of coffee."

She has usually finished by 4pm, but is happy to stay if her boss has an urgent job that needs doing. "Then the rest of the afternoon belongs to me, which I enjoy. I may take a sculpture class, go to the cinema or shopping, in either London or Cambridge.

And I still don't go to bed until about 11pm."

Leaving at 4pm on a Friday is a perk, she says. "It's easy to go away for the weekend. I can have time in Paris or Madrid, for example. I have had the job for 18 months and did a nine-to-five office job before, but much prefer this.

The more interesting jobs seem to have funny hours."

Sally Ann Seitz has a slightly later start. She's awake at 4.30am, ready to drive from her Canterbury home to Sittingbourne, where she catches the 6.40am coach to London. "I prefer the coach because I am guaranteed a seat, and the journey is pleasant," she says.

She is at her desk, as PA to one of the partners at City Law Firm Hammond Suddards Edge, between 7.30am and 8am. "There will be overnight emails to deal with but, because the phones aren't ringing, I can get a lot done. I am an early-morning person. I've been doing these hours for nearly three years.

It's a struggle in winter but I enjoy it in summer."

Ask the expert

What makes the difference between a great team and an average team?

In my experience, there's one crucial aspect that is common to all great teams: the ability to stand back regularly and ask, 'How are we doing?'. All too often, teams get buried in the, 'What are we doing?', beavering away with tremendous energy and commitment on a project, without ever pausing to assess how that project is progressing. You must measure your progress against your original goals, and keep asking, 'How are we doing?', 'Is the team working?', 'Are we moving in the right direction?', 'Is there a better way?' How do you keep your team's communication lines open?

Hold regular team meetings. That might mean quick get-togethers or conference calls, whatever gives your team the chance to check in and talk, at least once a week.

Also, instil in your people the individual responsibility for reporting communication failures - it's not just down to the team leader - and make sure everyone knows what the signs of such failures would be.

Find time, too, for some team socialising. It helps to transform a group of people into a team.

How do you keep control of your team?

You don't. It's not about control, it's about inspiration and motivation.

For a team to follow you, you need to tell them where you're all going. Share your vision and your values with them from the outset.

Explain the project's goals and purpose, and discuss the implications of success and failure. Agree ways of working, and don't set off until the whole team is aligned around the same vision.

What motivates people?

Everyone is motivated by different things.

As a team leader, you need to spend time discovering your team members' motivation. For some it's money, for others it's a challenging goal; some people enjoy taking responsibility, others work better in the background.

Above all, though, respect your people and show them you value their contribution. Regular feedback is vital. Our work at the consultancy over the years has highlighted time and again that people need to have achievements recognised. A successful team leader also understands how to set people goals that are achievable, yet stretch their talents. Easy work is not satisfying; impossible tasks are frustrating and demotivating. Finding the line between these for each team member is one of the keys to motivating and developing your team players.

How do you deal with conflict?

The single most important thing is to recognise that conflict exists in your team.

Conflict can be constructive. When it occurs don't try to silence it, but ask what you can learn from it. Treat it is a useful problem indicator and bring it into the open.

If team members are at odds about an issue, it could be there is a crossover of responsibilities, or perhaps one member is relying on another's input and it won't be ready in time. Trust your team to know when there is a problem and help resolve it.

Can you identify an important attribute for a team leader?

Courage. The courage to have a vision, the courage to tackle conflict, and the courage to admit you don't always have answers.

Andrew Leigh is a partner in development and consultancy service Maynard Leigh Associates, www.maynardleigh.co.uk. Leading Your Team (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, pounds 12.99; www.nbrealey-books.com).

Copyright 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.