For me the day began at 0500, shower, shave, tea, toast and then emails to the team. The snow is still quite thick on the ground and the journey into Norwich was predictably slow. 

Today was the first day in the new office and the first day for two new consultants and two new office staff. As a result, the day was predictably a mixed bag. My frustrations continued regarding some middle management issues but they will pass in time, with a little thought and effort by the offending parties. I just sometimes feel there's not enough passion for exceptional performance - it will come!

I spent the entire day glued to the computer sorting out administration, distribution lists and other 'bits and bobs' to get my little corner of the office up to speed. The highlight of my day has to be the attitude of all the new guys, both in the sales force and in the office.  A great start and I have high hopes for them all.

Toward the end of the day I spent my time concentrating on the organisation of some more recruitment activity with one of our trusted suppliers and working on the networking strategy for the launch later this month. I believe, done right, the launch could be the turning point for the business in terms of the levels of engagement we could experience with all our clients, current and future. 

It was good to share the office with Andy, although he may not have felt the same way as towards the end of the day a supplier brought in a screen to go between Andy and my desk, subtle hint perhaps?

My top tips for the day:

Passionate people always produce better results. The best way to spark the kind of passion you need in business is to demonstrate your own passion, but don't gush.

Always focus on the positive - Your people can tell when you truly care about the business or project. Passionate leaders always talk about the positive and find ways to fix the problems.Don't ignore the negative - Passionate leaders don't just talk good news, they also address the negatives in a realistic way and help solve problems.Set high expectations - This doesn't mean unattainable workloads. Passionate leaders should always inspire and challenge their people to do their best, without overloading them.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day and so this evening I shall get an early night once I've finished all the emails I still need to deal with. If I get on with them I could be up the 'wooden hill' before 22:00.