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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 Nov 2021 - 16:53

null Arsey Attitude

Employees who don’t accept the authority of the boss, providers who think the customer is definitely not king and HR professionals who believe their advice is law.    The conversation wasn’t going well. In fact it was going so badly I had to say,” Do I need to remind you who is the Director here”. It was a relatively straightforward issue. There had been a complaint, a lot of... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Oct 2021 - 13:37

null How to recognise a dinosaur

Do you recognise this description ? A large organisation rather complacent about its relationship with customers and employees, performance wise coasting, obsessed with cost cutting,  inward looking, doesn’t feel it can learn much from other organisations because of its uniqueness, reluctant to collaborate due to past experience, made up of a number of management layers and a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Oct 2021 - 13:28

null How can I help? 

He is a very caring human being, with a good set of professional values . He is a terrible manager.   It’s the mantra of the new chief executive. He starts every conversation and answers every question with ,” How can I help you”. At first it’s different, then amusing because of the frequency he says it. But before long it becomes just irritating. We get it he sees his role as... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
19 Oct 2021 - 15:52

null The Bank Heist

What has an audacious bank robbery got to do with how organisations fail?  The plan is meticulous in its attention to detail. The team have been selected for their knowledge , experience and skills in their specialist areas. They have been through an extensive induction and team building exercise followed by a detail briefing. The plan anticipates the challenges and obstacles... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
02 Oct 2021 - 13:12

null The names Bond ,James Bond 

 007 returns, shaken not stirred, updated but still the cool under pressure, man of action leading a life style normally associated with the rich and famous, living it up in top hotels and exotic locations way beyond his pay grade as a civil servant. It’s fun which is probably why Bond doesn’t complain that after 50 years in post he has still not been promoted! Mind you his record of... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 Sep 2021 - 18:07

null Justified 

This is the title of a t.v. show about a US Marshall based in Lexington, Kentucky who was born and grew up in a close knit community in the Appalachian mountains. His unorthodox but Justified methods gets him suspended and then transferred. His superiors send him back to where he grew up to investigate bombings and murders suspected to have been carried by an extreme anti big... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Sep 2021 - 16:31

null Inclusive recruitment is not enough

 An inclusive recruitment process is all well and good but the benefits will quickly be lost if the organisation can’t retain these same employees. An inclusive recruitment process is useless if  not part of an inclusive culture . An inclusive culture is a lot harder to achieve than an inclusive recruitment process.    So you attracted all that diverse talent now what? All too often... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Sep 2021 - 14:26

null Waterloo

The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, so the Duke of Wellington is reported to have said on revisiting his old school. A statement that reflected a belief, still held,  that Eton makes leaders of those born into the upper class. With my background in senior management I share the belief that leadership skills can be developed but I think all managers can and... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
15 Feb 2022 - 13:30

null A proportionate response

The sense of injustice was strong. It was unfair. Every body said so. Every one except the manager I complained to and the chief executive who didn’t bother to answer my email. The Sunday Paper did acknowledge my complaint but said they receive a lot of requests for intervention and unfortunately this was not one they could usefully engage with. My MP was sympathetic but very busy... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
01 Sep 2021 - 11:12

null Have you noticed how often incompetence is rewarded?

It’s the opposite of what you would expect. Instead of penalising employees who regularly mis deadlines and produce poor quality work managers often seem to reward them. Perhaps they raised their concerns with the individual but saw no improvement or even found them selves subject of a grievance by the employee claiming they were being scapegoated, victimised or bullied.    Following... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
30 Aug 2021 - 11:44

null Has the pandemic changed what good leadership looks like

    According to research by a major management consultancy there is evidence of shifts in leadership style and behaviour during the pandemic. This has taken the form of focusing on the short term, taking a more hands on approach, closing down debate in recognition of the need to make decisions quickly, generally adopting a more reactive style whilst working harder and longer in the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 Aug 2021 - 11:46

null Corporate Kryptonite

“ I will pretend to agree with you ,boss, but only because I am afraid I will lose my job if I don’t.”    Every business pretends to believe in allowing candour and transparency in its workplace. They pay lip service to the ideals of employee empowerment and engagement but have no intention of letting it, ”get out of hand”. What’s more employees realise this, they know their bosses... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
19 Aug 2021 - 14:57

null How a no blame culture works

Whether it’s penalty misses or bad decisions there should be no scapegoats, no coverups, just a willingness to talk openly about mistakes  Sweden halved the number of avoidable birth injuries in hospitals after it introduced a no blame compensation scheme for injuries sustained as a result of medical treatment. The result was hospital  staff felt able to speak openly when things went... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 Aug 2021 - 15:36

null Never say No 

As a grandparent I never say no, as a parent I said it a lot, apparently. As a manager I didn’t like people saying no to me so I tended to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. As an experienced manager I liked to be asked for my suggestions. By the time I was a senior manager yes and no we’re replaced by how and how come.  Some organisation like some managers have a no... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 Aug 2021 - 08:16

null Corruption  and Crime in Local Government 

I worked as a Director in an LA where the leader and chief executive are still on police bail accused of corruption and intimidation of witnesses. Just how many senior local authority figures are under investigation for criminal activity/corruption and whether this represents an increasing problem I don’t know . But what I do know is there is a reluctance to talk about corruption in... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
02 Aug 2021 - 18:35

null The more things change the more they stay the same 

Many employees would recognise this as a description of their organisation. They have survived numerous reorganisations, frequent changes of leadership, the adoption of different working practises , the imposition of new terms and conditions of employment , the introduction of the latest technology, the outsourcing of production and the bringing it back in-house and yet they feel... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 Jul 2021 - 11:56

null The Hulk

I once worked for a Director who stormed out of the office when I said something he didn’t like. Thing was it was his office! Organisations like people have personalities which shape the way they operate.  Organisations are like individuals. A personality profile of an organisation will include strength and weaknesses, values, the work environment, behavior under stress, ideal... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 Jul 2021 - 11:43

null Success is all about who is on your team

Some times you meet the person at the top of the organisation and you’re  surprised, surprised at how ordinary they are. From the reputation for being a top performing organisation you were expecting something special in its leader. You imagined a charismatic figure, someone inspiring and challenging or at least a little taller with better questions than , “ did you work out who H... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
19 Jul 2021 - 10:28

null Does your organisation have trust issues?

Research shows that managers who cannot “ see” their direct reports sometimes struggle to trust that their employees are in fact working.   As a trainee, before mobile phones, my team manager liked to ring establishment I was visiting and ask them to pass on a message to return to the office as he wanted to speak to me. It was a control thing checking up I was where I said I was going... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Jul 2021 - 12:19

null Will cows become extinct?

If we can grow meat in the laboratory. Will vegetarians eat it? Will cows become extinct ? If cows could express a choice would they prefer to exist to be eaten, like the talking cow brought to the dinners table at the Restaurant at the end of the universe who takes pride in recommending their best cuts. 
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