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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
08 Aug 2019 - 15:18

null The glass Ceiling and the Cliff Edge

You have heard of the glass ceiling but are you aware of the cliff edge ? The glass ceiling is that invisible barrier to promotion. The expression was originally coined to explain why women found it so difficult to progress to senior management post but could equally be used to explain the absence of women and men from minority ethnic groups. The cliff edge is where a woman or some... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 Jul 2019 - 15:41

null The Culture of Optimism 

The culture of optimism won’t get us out of austerity. The restructuring didn’t make services better or more efficient, the cuts did have a very negative impact, things are worse much worse and only by recognising this can we start to make it better. Optimism leads to complacency. It will not be all right unless we do something dramatic    Blair Mcpherson www.blairmcpherson.co.uk ... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
05 Aug 2019 - 14:22

null A team of Super Heroes 

“ What we need is a team of heroic chief executives willing to step up and move outside of the comfort zone and take personal risks. .....We are trying to creat tipping points....The premise is that chief executives need to drive change in the absence of politicians doing it right now.....Business that do not embrace issues of diversity , sustainability and equal rights will... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
22 Jul 2019 - 11:42

null Be Lucky

We down play the role of luck in achieving success. Parents teach their children that if you try hard enough almost anything is possible. This is a lie. But understandable since unless you try your best few goals in life are achievable.   Senior managers may truly believed they deserve to be where they are because they are only to aware of how hard they had to work and the ... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
15 Jul 2019 - 11:50

null Institutional Harassment 

There are managers who are bullies and then there is systematic institutional harassment. In the latter HR rather than protect employees against bulling and harassment advises senior management on how to put pressure on staff in order to get rid of them. This is not about weeding out the odd incompetent employee or those not in tune with the organisations change in direction but... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
15 Sep 2019 - 15:22

null How much experience do you need?

Would you appoint some one to a high profile senior management post with only one years experience of management? Would you expect a minimum of three years, more than five years or at least ten years?  If experience isn’t measured in years how should it be measured?  Frank Lampard has just been appointed manager of one of the top clubs in the premiership  after only one year as a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Jul 2019 - 11:49

null How do you recognise a good employer?

About a year ago my son started a new job and it’s gone really well. My nephew was recently looking for a new job and I told him there were vacancies where my son works.  I explained that I didn’t know the detail of the work but the company was a good employer. Well what exactly does that mean he said. I told him that he would get holiday and sickness pay, that my son had a good... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
04 Jul 2019 - 13:41

null Your work nemesis 

  According to a survey carried out by the recruitment firm Totaljobs 20% of people have experienced an enemy at work to such an extent that they have called in sick because they couldn’t face seeing their nemesis. Most of us will have come across a colleague who just rubs you up the wrong way, some one who seems to disagree with everything you say just for the sake of it and someone... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
25 Jun 2019 - 20:51

null Austerity the new normal

It must have been 10 no 12 years ago.  My boss, the Director of social services returned from a budget meeting with the chief executive. We were expecting bad news, more budget cuts to plan for, uncomfortable meetings with service users and the challenge of motivating inevitably demoralised staff. We were use to demands to make 2% efficiency savings and delivering 3%/5% budget... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 Jun 2019 - 08:33

null Naivety and Idealism 

I was told about a lecturer on the social work course who had taken a year off to gain a social work qualification but mostly to get a reality check. He deliberately choice to do a probation placement as this was the area where his students were most critical of the gap between academia and practice. On his placement he became concerned about the lack of accommodation options for... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
17 Jun 2019 - 06:14

null Managers who support rather than challenge 

  We all want managers who are supportive. A little bit of praise goes along way whereas constant critics undermines confidence and can be demotivating. All to often we hear of managers who don’t  let staff know they value their work or are too quick to allocate blame when something goes wrong. So when you read staff feedback that management are supportive you think they must be doing... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
10 Jun 2019 - 13:32

null What if recruitment adverts were honest and truthful 

  Recruitment adverts for senior posts are about spin, showing the organisation in the best possible light, portraying the LA the way the members would like to be seen . Which is a shame because the unfiltered phraseology and uncensored language of members would give a more realistic picture of what it would be like to work along side these councillors.  I ‘m thinking of Bob the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Jun 2019 - 13:11

null Black Horses

I don’ know what makes an effective advert. Presumably it must stick, if not in the conscience then in the subconscious. You would think it important that it is clear what product is being promoted yet there has been a trend for several years for adverts that leave you guessing. Some adverts doesn’t appear to be selling a thing but a life style. Some tell short stories, romantic... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
31 May 2019 - 13:38

null Tips for winners

As well as saying thank you could give a small tip. I’m not talking about in the restaurant, hairdressers or taxi, the places most of us give a tip. I’m talking about in the office. This new idea is to tip work colleagues. Basically the boss gives you a small amount of bonus points or tips to issue each month to anyone you work with. The idea is to make colleagues feel appreciated and... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 May 2019 - 11:24

null Do no Evil

  Didn’t that use to be the motto of Google? I think we would want something more positive in local government. But it does capture the idea that we need to have values and principles in our organisations.   I recently read an article on integrity by a university lecture at a leading business school. The author asks the question what do we mean when we say some... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Jul 2020 - 13:52

null Can a manager stick to their principles and still be successful?

Marcela Bielsa has a reputation as a non conformist manager some one who goes against the trend and makes the rest of us question are definition of success . Some one who has a very clear idea of the way things should be done and is not prepared to change or even bend. This approach may well cost him his job.    One of his beliefs is giving youth a chance. Most of us would rather ... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 May 2019 - 19:52

null How to be moderately successful 

      Follow the rules Rules are made to be followed in a meek manner. You know this to be true just as you know those “ how to get to the top” books aren’t to be taken literally. After all people who get to the top get to rewrite their history such that there are no career move blunders. That “sideways “ move was a courageous strategic decision that enhanced your career... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
15 Jun 2019 - 16:55

null Being a bit of a comedian 

I like a number of my colleagues  had applied for the post of area manager. We were all siting in this room waiting for our individual interviews. Maybe it was nerves but this one guy kept up a steady stream of jokey comments and soon the polite laughter and mild groans turned to silent irritation. The guy had a reputation as a bit of a comedian but this was not the occasion to... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
02 May 2019 - 10:35

null Don’t waste my Time 

If you can’t manage yourself how are you going to manage others? But it’s not as easy as it sounds.   There are generally three strands to a management development programme, managing change, managing resources(People, Money, Information, Buildings, Equipment) and managing self. The last one is often not given the same importance as the others but if you can’t manage yourself how are... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Apr 2019 - 06:23

null Probably not the best

A new era of honesty and self awareness has been ushered in by the revised Carlsberg advertising slogan.  Where the private sector leads will the public sector follow?    Most people know the slogan whether or not they drink larger. The companies self confident claim to be the best in the world is given a jokey twist by inserting the word “probably”. Now the cleaver people at... See more
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