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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 Mar 2016 - 15:47

null Does the managers professional background matter?

  Would you rather be managed by someone who has done your job all be it years ago or someone who had no experience of your work but was keen to learn? Do you think senior managers need a professional background in a service to run it properly or do you think management skills are transferable as long as managers are prepared to learn about the service and listen to experience... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
22 Feb 2016 - 19:53

null A faint air of menace

  We need to talk about how we talk about diversity in the work place because the subject still has a faint air of menace about it. If people are reluctant to talk about diversity for fear of saying the wrong thing then organisations will have a tick box approach to diversity which looks impressive but doesn't  change the culture. This all to common superficial approach to diversity... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
20 Feb 2016 - 11:55

null Rentaminority.com

It was a spoof and like the best spoofs it was just ridiculous  enough to be believable. It was advertised as a new service for organisations who wanted to address the under representation of minorities.    http://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2016/feb/17/rent-a-minority-one-stop-solution-to-create-the-illusion-of-diversity-at-your-company See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Feb 2016 - 16:14

null Bad Customers

  I can see it now one of those videos on the Internet by some American business guru entitled , " How to get rid of your bad customers". Serious articles in the Harvert Business review about how   studies of top US companies have revealed that they are good at "disensentivising" bad customers.  Now if by bad customers we mean those who are persistently or deliberately... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 Feb 2016 - 12:04

null Trust them to figure it out

The more demanding the agenda for change, the more savage the budget cuts, the more emphases on performance the greater the management emphasis on conformity. When senior managers feel the pressure their tolerance for dissent diminishes, questioning the methods is not acceptable, their is no room for doubt therefore no place for debate. The management mantra is,"do what I say". People with the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
25 Jan 2016 - 14:25

null Dead letter drop,positive vetting and unconscious bias

MI5 have them. They are helping the secret services get the best out of their "Spooks". It was one of the reasons they were awarded public sector employers of the year. Soon every CEO, head teacher and senior manager will want one. They are the RDMs ( Reverse Diversity Mentors). Reverse mentoring in diversity is where a senior person seeks out some one to mentor them on diversity issues as a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
19 Jan 2016 - 12:48

null How training as a social worker made me a better doctor

  My favourite opening sentence this week comes from the Guardian. " Sharon D Clarke studied to be a social worker before becoming a doctor..... on Holby City." At first I thought this was going to be an interesting angle on the integrating health and social care debate. How training as a social worker has made me a better doctor. But no. Sharon is an actor and Holby City is a tv hospital... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
11 Jan 2016 - 16:20

null Tribute to Dave Bowie - Changes

  The conference like the song claims we can all be heroes. The promotional material speaks of the battles that have taken place and the battles to come, battles that have left many managers feeling bruised, demoralised and overstretched. The rallying cry is heroic leadership is not an optional extra. Which like the Bowie single is a bit of a surprise because that idea has... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
04 Jan 2016 - 12:59

null 2016 The Force Awkens

  Is the Force still with us? Who is The Dark Lord ? Where is Luke Skywalker? Is the private sector the ultimate weapon of destruction, the Death Star.  The Force is sheer will power, determination and single mindedness. A Jedi uses the Force to do good by being on the side of the weak, vulnerable and disadvantaged. The preferred  weapon  of the Jedi social worker is... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 Dec 2015 - 13:25

null The "Special Ones"

  They are the,"turn round " kings. They can straddle two LA 's, they can manage two large schools at the same time, they can transform your failing hospital trust, they can restore the reputation of your children's services  and they can get your adult care services out of special measures. They are the "special ones".  So when the magic doesn't work, the  turn round... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
02 Dec 2015 - 10:33

null The dangers of getting things done

  Pragmatism can be a cover for so many wrongs. It starts out as just cutting through the red tape but ends up justifying prejudice, discrimination, and self interest.  Pragmatism in the public sector is recognising there is no choice but to, outsource services, reduce management posts, make redundancies, remove services we can no longer afford, lower expectations we can no longer... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
20 Nov 2015 - 15:49

null The Professionals

  The future for professionals who work in the public sector is bleak. The attempt by government to impose a new employment contract on junior doctors is just the latest example of a campaign against professionals. Whether it is the medical profession, the legal profession, the teaching profession, policing, nursing or social work, professionals are seen as resisting change, undermining... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Nov 2015 - 16:17

null Get the job your abilities merit

  Turn self doubt into self awareness and get the promotion your abilities merit  Highly successful people in the public sector come across as confident and not suffering self doubt. Whilst it is true that there are those who are over confident, have an exaggerated belief in their own abilities and have very little insight into their own behave there are just as many who are good at... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
04 Nov 2015 - 23:10

null Directors who go over to the dark side

When Directors go over to the Dark side  Have you noticed the number of senior social service managers taking early retirement ,  resurfacing in the private sector trying to sell local authorities private sector solutions to health and social care issues. These managers were strong advocates of the public sector ethos who have now gone over to the " dark side".    What... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
27 Oct 2015 - 15:49

null Confessions of a serial cutter

  The budget setting process starts earlier since austerity became the norm. As the summer comes to an end budget holders have already submitted their proposals based on best case scenario, most likely scenario or worst case scenario. And most are resigned to it being worst case again.   The austerity climate in the public sector has made serial cutters of us all. Where once we... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Oct 2015 - 05:57

null Unlikely things for senior managers to say

I don't think we will have too much difficulty delivering this round of budget cuts. I have the board in my pocket.  The inspection is a formality. Can I just say thank you in advance to all those of you who are about to fill in my 360 degree feedback questionnaire  I think you will be very pleased with the new terms and conditions we are imposing it will certainly help many of you... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
15 Oct 2015 - 07:10

null Is it fair? No. But it's not the fault of the inspectors

  The CQC has come in for more criticism recently a chief executive thinks they were unduly harsh in placing his trust in special measures having judged two areas of service failing yet recognised excellent work in many other areas of the trust. A journalist writes an article on nursing homes inspected and deemed to be performing well only for staff to be prosecuted for abuse! Doctors... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
05 Oct 2015 - 13:59

null Square pegs in round holes

    Local Authorities under sever budget pressure and wanting to "change the culture" tend to undertake a management restructuring. They hope the disaffected and incompetent will be forced out but often they are redeployed giving some one else the problem of the square peg in a round hole    Square pegs in round holes    The restructuring interviews were a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Sep 2015 - 12:00

null The Godfather

  "No-one leaves this room until …………….."  I didn't hear the rest of the sentence as I was pondering the menacing tone and veiled threat of these words.  The suits sat round a large, long table.  At the top of the table sat the boss of bosses and next to him the money man. We were all playing the numbers game but the take was down. The capital projects would... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Sep 2015 - 12:08

null Leadership is about asking the right questions

Institutional cheating, how does it happen?   "Make sure our cars pass the emissions test" and they did and no one at the top asked how. "We don't know how you're doing it but keep it up ". Senior managers at the bank didn't enquirer too deeply into the financial methods as long as the  result was they got their bonuses. (HSBC) "The staffing budget must be brought... See more
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