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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
08 Dec 2014 - 11:39

null When things get nasty,and they will, you don't want a nice guy in charge

When things get nasty, and they will, you don't want a nice guy in charge He is intelligent, a commanding public speaker, politically astute and unlike so many council leaders he has insight into how his behaviour effects others. Despite a 40 percent cut in the budget, compulsory redundancies, a wage freeze, the closure of most of the councils libraries, the out sourcing of most of the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
28 Nov 2014 - 16:21

null Make them laugh

 Make them laugh Whether face to face, in your blog or through your tweets, whoever the audience, whatever the topic it helps if you can make them laugh. Humour can defuse a tense situation and it’s hard to stay angry if you’re smiling. People like a laugh and they like people who make them laugh. But it’s risky. Service cuts and redundancies are no laughing matter so your joke may be... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
20 Mar 2015 - 11:39

null Pornography and the work lap top

Three Judges are dismissed and one resigns caught viewing pornography on their work lap top.   Does the social media enable staff to share knowledge and experience or share sexists cartoons and racist jokes? The internet opened up a world of information, and  easier access to pornography. Facebook and Twitter allows fiends to share photos and the minutiae of their day, and... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Nov 2014 - 13:12

null F is for fantsay P is for promotion

The police have been fiddling the crime figures for some time (HMIC report) but in this they are no different to other parts of the public sector. This is what happens when performance targets become the measure of success and the means to promotion.    Performance data is suppose to help managers by prompting the right questions. What are the reasons for variances in... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
17 Nov 2014 - 17:14

null Let's work together. Let's not....

Don't really want to work with you but can't say so. Don't really want to be at this meeting but darn't say so. Don't see what's in it for us but better not say so. Don't agree with you but it would prolong the debate to say so. Don't even like you. The this last point may seem unprofessional but in my experience of joint working the biggest factor in determine success is the personal... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
11 Nov 2014 - 12:04

null Below the line and below the belt

The fear of getting shot never stopped me from putting my head above the parapet at work. I couldn't help myself  if I felt it should be said I said it . This did not always make me popular but didn't appear to damage my career, I was only sacked the once! As a social worker and a director I wrote articles. I can think of only two occasions when my boss expressed annoyance at what I had... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
10 Nov 2014 - 16:06

null How you make your staff feel?

The leadership road show where senior managers do the rounds talking to large groups of staff has become part of most organisations communication strategy. The senior manager introduces the event and is expected to energise the audience with a short standup routine. By lunch time your audience will have forgotten much of what you said in your speech. When asked by a colleague the next day... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
05 Nov 2014 - 15:34

null Leadership as a contact sport

One public sector chief executive described leadership as a contact sport. This is a slap in the face to those of us whose management style is more about cooperation rather than confrontation. Boxers talk about imposing themselves on their opponents, the use of controlled aggression,having the right people in your corner and we talk of people and organisations punching above their weight.... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
28 Oct 2014 - 14:12

null argaret Thatcher was wrong and President Kennedy was right t

Senior managers may wish to Do No Harm ( see previous blog) but in this austere financial climate many simply have to pursue the least worst option. In project management there are three elements that must be balanced quality, time and money. Each element pulls in a different direction so it's impossible to treat all three as a priority so two are pursued at the expense of the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 Oct 2014 - 11:27

null More Adders than Ladders

Restructuring, redeployment, redundancy have become all too familiar to those in the public sector. Employment has become a game of snakes and ladders. Restructuring may mean applying for your own job all be it with a different title. Redeployment may involve a sideways move, a loss of status and a move to the back of the promotion queue. Redundancy isn't the end of your career but it's been... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Sep 2014 - 12:32

null leave early, take the rest of the day off, have as many holidays as you like

Richard Pay no attention, the media like nothing better than poking fun at rich and successful entrepreneurs. Today’s eccentricities will be tomorrow’s management wisdom.  "Take as much holiday as you want when you want", may be a reward for an outstanding piece of work from one off your creative geniuses who has just doubled your personal fortune or the sort of thing a caring employer... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
26 Sep 2014 - 15:22

null Whistleblowers

Most whistleblowers on bad practise and abuse are not board members or senior managers they are front line staff reporting concerns about colleagues having failed to get their line manager to take the matter seriously. But what happens when a higher up does listen? From my experience if the whistleblower wants management to take action they have to be prepared to make a signed statement and... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
19 Dec 2014 - 14:33

null Memebership of the 700 club

It’s an exclusive club you don’t want to be a member of. The average tenure of an NHS chief executive is 700 days but the issue of the high turnover of senior managers is a concern across the public sector. A study by consultancy Hoggett Bowers found that the main reasons for chief executive departures included difficulties in personal relationships with their chair or a senior figure in a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
22 Sep 2014 - 12:36

null Are you a team player?

You read it in the job adverts. It appears it the qualities necessary for the post and it's often an interview question. Are you a team player? The honest answer would be no but you say yes. You're good at what you do. You have a track record to back up the claim. You're a leader, you're decisive, determined, persuasive, creative and industrious. When you are in charge the team delivers.... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Sep 2014 - 12:05

null The tail should not wag the dog

I had been in post about a year when there was a management restructuring and the chief executive offered me the post of assistant director operations. A couple of weeks later the director of HR invited me to head office to discuss how we would work together in the new structure. Buoyed up by my promotion and the confidence that the chief executive had shown in me I decided that this was the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
17 Sep 2014 - 11:55

null Deputies are Rubbish

One of the few good outcomes of budget cuts and subsequent management restructuring has been getting rid of all those unnecessary management posts, the ones that had deputy or assistant in their title. The ones that seemed to carry status but had no real power. I mean what does the deputy president of the US do or our own deputy prime minister? Likewise what did those assistant chief... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
09 Sep 2014 - 12:19

null Successful People

All successful people do two things well. They manage themselves and they manage their boss. Some people think success is about luck being in the right place at the right time, others think that money and power led to successes rather than the other way round. But even if you have luck, money and power if you can't manage yourself or your boss you won't be successful. To illustrate the point... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
01 Sep 2014 - 14:39

null Getting the message right

Corporate communications have assumed a more elevated status in the public sector since the onset of austerity. Budget cuts, service reductions and closure of hospitals have resulted in a lot of "difficult" messages to deliver. The new style corporate communications gurus emphasise the importance of being proactive rather than reactive so rather than drafting press releases in response to... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
05 Aug 2014 - 12:06

null Hypocrisy and senior management

You won't find many chief executives who will admit to hypocrisy but you will find plenty of their staff who accuse them of it. So it's interesting that  in the recently published top 100 places to work chief executives placed an emphases on values, integrity and business ethics. If chief executives think it is so important why do staff think it so rarely happens and have those in the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
01 Aug 2014 - 11:34

null The retail model in the public sector

The problems experienced by Tesco and the response of the board has a lot of parallels with NHS Trusts and Local Authorities. This isn’t surprising since the public sector has been encouraged to adopt the retail model. The financial and business press described it as “brutal". The announcement of his departure was sudden and unexpected. His replacement was already lined up. The loss of his... See more
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