Many years ago, I worked as a press secretary for a company I loved more than any I have ever worked for. The people I worked with were all simply brilliant. Not just smart, but experienced, caring, and genuinely nice people who wanted the company and their colleagues to succeed.

I remember walking out of my second and final interview with the CEO and one my future co-workers just gave me a big smile and a thumbs up as I walked out the door. It was the beginning of a friendship and one that I hold dear to me still.

Because of this environment of caring and camaraderie I gave my absolute all to the job. Sure, we had fun. But as I remember my line manager saying to me one day – “We may not work 18-hour days but when we are here the team works really hard.”

Giving my all to the job certainly changed when my first son, Vijay was born. The routine I had established of getting into the office at 8am and leaving whenever I finished to meet my wife and friends for drinks or dinner quite simply evaporated. Sleep was something hard to grasp onto and more than anything I wanted to be at home and not miss out on the jobs of fatherhood.

Companies in the early 2000s perhaps weren’t known for flexibility as we define it today. Working remotely wasn’t as smooth a practice as it is with today’s technology and being in the office was still an expected practice in Australia.

But things had to change. I remember changing my work routine to arrive at the office at 6am to read the papers and circulate the important stories of the day. Those days are still a blur, but I fondly remember that same gentleman who smiled at me as I walked out of the interview changing his work routine too. Or did he always get in at 6am? Anyway, I would arrive at the office and ‘Ray’ would greet me with a coffee and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. He refused payment and simply smiled and said something like “don’t worry about it cobber”. A pure unselfish approach to life that is hard to find, but when you do you never forget it.

Now getting in early allowed me to leave early and get home for bath time and dinner which was the best part of the day. The challenge with working with the media is that their schedule did not alter with mine and deadlines and interviews were more often than not in the late afternoon and early evening. These I tackled with enthusiasm and gusto. It was fun talking to journalists around the country and helping them solve their problems. Sound strange? Maybe it was the fact that grace was shown to me by Ray as I arrived on Level 32 every morning that created some calm in the storm. Or maybe it was simply my love for the job.

Regardless of the rhyme or reason, I recall talking to a journalist from Perth while giving my son a bath one evening. No air pods to be seen so my blackberry was no doubt on loudspeaker and bath time continued while we had a good chat. I remember the journo being quite worried on a few occasions that my son’s life was in danger. “It’s ok he won’t drown” I recall shouting out, and then continuing the conversation.

Working with the media requires a drop everything approach at times (not the baby!). In the end I found that the media I worked with respected the commitment and deep relationships were formed.

Ham and cheese toastie anyone?