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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
24 Aug 2017 - 22:02

null Circle the wagons or get out the hairdryer 

    There is feedback and then there is the hairdryer treatment. There are league tables and then there is naming and shaming. They say praise in public, criticise in private and then there is the blame culture and holding people to account. There is the pull the wagons into a circle it's us against the rest of the world and then there is finding a scapegoat. Should you coax... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 Aug 2017 - 11:34

null This Zoo is not for you 

About a platypus enduring a series of job interviews with some snooty zoo animals. First to grill the platypus is Chi Chi the panda, a podgy , ageing star surrounded by his own merchandise. "I'm special ,rare And famous too To get me here Was quiet a coup But you don't even eat bamboo! I think this zoo is not for you Intended as a children's book but has a lot to say about... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
26 Apr 2024 - 12:19

null Unnecessary Essential Criteria 

    It's starts well before the candidates find themselves in front of the interview panel when the person specification is being drawn up. Why state how many years experience an individual must have when what you really want to know is the range and depth of experience? What is better ten years experience which on examination is one years experience repeated ten times or three... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
10 Aug 2017 - 06:41

null Fostering v Boarding school

  I worked in a residential boarding school run by the local authority for boys with poor school attendance and behaviour problems where it was thought they would benefit from being removed from their environment ( family). Typically they were young boys who came to the attention of the education welfare service before social services. Interestingly if they had come to social services... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
26 Jul 2017 - 12:47

null How to solve the problem of an ageing population

  What price would you pay to stay young? Apparently some people would be prepared to trade years for looks. Surgery and drugs to maintain the illusion of youth comes over as superficial , vain, a little desperate and an indication  of low self esteem. But what if it wasn't about looks but the vigour of youth, the energy and stamina, a guaranty of fitness and health but at... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
24 Jul 2017 - 13:39

null The waiting

After the interview comes the waiting. It's the worst part of applying for jobs. I hate it when they say , "we will let you know after the weekend". You spend all weekend going over the interview, did you say the right things, did you come over as someone they could work with, should you have given fuller answers, did you waffle?  It's so hard to read the body language... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Jul 2017 - 13:02

null Psyching up for success

  Success is a series of good performances so psyching yourself up beforehand is essential. For the job interview it's telling yourself "YOU DESERVE THIS - FOCUS". For the big presentation it's telling your self ,"YOU CAN DO IT".For those crucial negotiations it's telling yourself," TRUST IN YOUR ABILITIES ". For the make or break cards on the table one to one with the boss it's telling... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 Jul 2017 - 11:02

null "It's easier if you go backwards"

    A recent hospital out patient visit with my 88 year old mother in law raised questions about my driving skills and the design of the new hospital wheel chairs. It also made me question whether the hospital wheel chair is a metaphor for modern health and social care,  not intended to be used this way, evidence of the influence of the private sector mor efficient but not... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2017 - 15:22

null The way of the Salmon

Despite the fact that it wasn't yet visiting time the hospital car park was full. More than full, people had abandoned their cars half way up grass banks, at odd angles on the pavement and in one case squeezed between two trees. The only hope of finding a parking space was to stalk someone walking back to their car and claim their spot before others realised they were leaving. Drivers were... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
10 Jul 2017 - 10:55

null You bear responsibility but as part of a team

  When crisis and scandal hit a high profile bank (HSBC) the board dismissed some senior managers but despite calls for his resignation not the chair of the board. When asked if he should have taken  responsibility as chair of the board and leader of the organisation he( Doulas Flint ) replied , " You bear responsibility but as part of a team". Does this also apply in local... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
10 Jul 2017 - 22:12

null Ghosts at the top table

Who am I? The better I am at my job the less people notice me.  Most of the time I'm invisible. A career based on facilitating someone else's vision. A true professional supporting a big ego. I'm a ghost at the top table. Who am I? Blair McPherson www.blairmcpherson.co.uk See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Jul 2017 - 18:48

null What's the difference

  The integration of health and social care teams has led some senior managers to question whether there is any real difference between social workers and OTs and whether their common skills and shared values make the roles interchangeable or at least mean a professional background in either discipline is appropriate to manage an integrated team. The example often given is working with... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
07 Jul 2017 - 10:09

null Someone wants your job

  I once worked for a director who was unable to be away from the office for more than a week. On one occasion he booked a two week summer holiday and appeared back at work after the first week having left his family in Wales. This may be an extremely case but it is not uncommon for senior managers not to take their full annual leave entitlement. Many are afraid that a colleague... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
29 Jun 2017 - 14:45

null The awkward squad

  "Opinionated"  that's the word my placement supervisor used to describe me when I was a social work student. Is it so bad for a social worker to be opinionated?  According to a recent guidance note from the D of H, ADASS and the chief social worker for adults, social workers provide an essential role in an integrated system by challenging other professionals who's training... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
08 Jun 2017 - 18:05

null Look under the bonnet and sprinkle the magic

  What type of person would  punch a puppy ? Would you eat your own dog food ?  Well you might if you realised it meant doing something detestable but good for the business and you might try out something new on yourself first. These are two of the more unusual and in my experience less common examples of management speak. Have you recently been encouraged to... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
05 Jun 2017 - 17:54

null Not just Zumba classes and lettuce leaves for the worried

  Budget cuts, redundancies, reorganisation , out sourcing , increased workloads, changes in working practices, increased use of technology, stress is part of the modern public sector work experience we just have to learn to live with it. So toughen up or to put it in HR speak become more "resilient".    Resilience training is the latest organisational response to... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
31 May 2017 - 18:14

null Bounce back ability

  The HR term for being able to cope with set backs, disappointments and failures is," Resilience ". In today's public sector individual and organisational resilience is highly valued. Managers and professionals are expected to bounce back if they are unsuccessful in applying for promotion or don't get the job they really wanted in the restructuring. Organisations and teams are... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 May 2017 - 21:04

null We want you back

The government wants you back. A lot was invested in your training. You gained valuable experience which we could really use now. We have developed a great programme for supporting returnees like yourself. We understand why you left, there were a lot of unpopular changes,  we were experimenting with changing the skill mix, long hours and a cap on pay rises didn't help. The emphases on... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 May 2017 - 15:47

null What's in a name

  What's in a name ?    Many in the health care world want to dump the term "patient". The progressive view is that "patient" is too passive a description in our consumer society where the modernising public sector is encouraged to adopt private sector ways and think of people as customers. Other parts of the public sector have "agonised" over language. In social services we... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 May 2017 - 11:42

null What does a social worker believe?

  Social work has changed a lot but have social workers? The articles in the social work press reflect  the changing world of social work, new policies, new legislation, new guidance, new structures, new way of working, new technology, fewer resources, yet the on line comments by social workers reflect attitudes and beliefs that social workers from an era before social media,... See more
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