When I was a student I worked as a lion-tamer honest

Andrew Godfrey, regional managing partner of chartered accounting firm Grant Thornton and former big game keeper What is work?

One of the great joys of professional life is that my work represents an enormous variety of challenges and covers a huge range of subjects.

I am the regional managing partner for Scotland and Northern Ireland of Grant Thornton, a chartered accountancy firm which is primarily focused on owner-managed businesses. As such, a lot on my time is spent in administering our practice. I also sit on the firm's national managements board. This means that I get a national and international perspective on what Grant Thornton is doing. But the real thrill at work is not the management side but helping clients to achieve their goals. From time to time one comes up with an innovative idea - it is this, and the occasional word of thanks from a client, that gives me real pleasure in work. What was your first job? I could say that it was lion-taming actually, to some extent, this is true. I worked at the main gates of a safari park during my student days, letting cars in and out. On one fateful occasion, a lion came far too close to the entrance. I hadn't spotted it and opened the gate. As he padded up towards me with the gates opened I was thankful that I had shared my "piece" with the animal over the past six or seven weeks! He padded straight past without going anywhere near me. That is real stress. What did your mum and dad do? My dad was a director of a tie manufacturing company, so now it really hurts to buy my own ties. My mother was a full-time housewife. What is your greatest difficulty at work? I have to confess that I am not the most patient person in the world. I find the time that organisations, particularly professional partnerships, take in coming to decisions very frustrating. But I am doing my best to control my impatience. What do you excel in at work? I am focused. I know where the firm should be going and, hopefully, do not take my eye off the ball. How do you stay motivated and are there any books that inspire you? I stay motivated because I enjoy what I do. The day that is no longer true is the day to find something new. As for books, I am not inspired by many management books as I feel that I have to read 500 pages to get two or three good ideas. The summaries of management books are worth reading though, particularly on long flights. Is goal-setting important? I am an accountant - of course it is. Are you a workaholic? No. I try very hard to have a balance between home and office life. I do have to spend a considerable amount of time away from home and that is not one of the plus sides of my job. To me, holidays are sacrosanct. I always book them abroad because if there is a flight that I have to get on, then I will catch it. But if I'm at home I can always find a good reason to pop into the office. How do you keep work and life apart? This is not always easy in a professional environment because a lot of clients become your friends. I actually welcome and enjoy that. When you serve owner-managed businesses, you have to closely associate with your client's goals if you are to be successful. Sometimes you need to associate with their lives, but that is most certainly a plus side of the work. What are your favourite working clothes and your favourite working place? I have no problems with wearing a suit to work. I know this is unfashionable, given present dressing-down policies, but I am afraid it just isn't an issue with me. My favourite working place is the summer house at the bottom of our garden. I retreat there when I have a big project to undertake and need peace and quiet - there is no phone, a reasonable view and fresh air. Of course, this only works in the summer months. Are you a good boss/employee? Nobody has ever told me that I am not. I suppose that's the best one can hope for. Can you send e-mails/surf the net? Yes, and I am getting better under the tuition of my children. I could not exist without e-mails and the ability to access them from around the world. What is in your briefcase? I have a big briefcase to carry clients' files. In our business a lot of reading is required so quite often there is a considerable amount of reading material in my briefcase. Other than that, there are no particular items that live in there. What single change would you make to improve your working life? Banning ccs on e-mails. Have you ever been sacked? The answer to this, no doubt to the amazement of the people who know me, is no. Do you think talent gets to the top in Scotland? If not, why not? The answer to this is yes, but not as much as it should. I am worried that in Scotland there is still more of an anti-success culture than there is in the United States or indeed England. We need to work on this as a nation if we are to succeed. What's your favourite tool of the trade? Being a good listener.

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