Introduction

INTRODUCTION

I worked for some years as a member of a team of nine. Every month we used to meet for the best part of a day and slog our way through all kinds of issues – big questions of policy, sensitive details about individual people, routine (but important) matters of administration. We were a talkative lot, with strong opinions, a range of different experience and firmly held principles. When I joined the team, the others already possessed an excellent knowledge of the situations and people we would be discussing, and I had to catch up fast. Our conversations were of the rapid-fire type, with argument, wit and sharp insight flashing to and fro...