Covering Your Bases for Your Vacation

8. Wednesday before your last Friday, Bob will inform you of an important meeting/project that will have to be done "next week." This is a critical moment. Fools and wimps will in a trembling voice remind Bob of their vacation plans, but promise to be "reachable" when necessary. Do not do this. Executive amnesia is a form of authoritarian terrorism that must be fought. "Bob," you may say as calmly and inoffensively as possible, "As I told you several times, I'm out next week and the week after." Bob will look confused and hurt. He may even lightly question your loyalty or dedication. That's all right. A display of spine is seldom out of place in what we do. Of course, if the corporation is being sold, or you are about to be named to a big new position, all bets may be off. Organizations can spoil the best of plans and often do. But 99.99% of the time, the ability to disregard other people's needs is pure executive brain flatulence. Manage it.

9. On Friday morning, as you begin the process of packing up to leave, a host, a myriad, a phalanx of problems, challenges and effluvia will fly up and hit you in the face. In some cases, this will be just bad luck and you will have to work your head off to get rid of them. Sometimes it will be other people's anxieties surfacing in the knowledge that you are actually not going to be there, a notion that is making them freak out. You may soothe them by telling them quietly that you will be on BlackBerry now and then, but that if they bother you with little stuff you will rip off their noses when you return. Make sure your desk is clear. Leave an away message on your e-mail. Say goodbye to your colleagues and thank them for covering your butt while you're away. Then wait for the inevitable phone call.