Entries with tag leadership .

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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
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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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
24 Sep 2015 - 11:42

null The Good Psycho

The Good Psycho   Dexter was a serial killer but he only killed other serial killers. As a blood splatter expert he was based at police HQ, working alongside detectives he knew their methods and the way they thought, he was also very good at disposing of the bodies so his victims simply disappeared. These two factors explained how he was able to get away with being a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
23 Sep 2015 - 11:12

null The battering ram of change

Change needs to be forced through, senior managers need to ram home the message, opposition needs to be battered into submission. Resistance will not be tolerated. Why the aggressive language? Could it be that change with decreasing merits has to be increasingly imposed, that where the arguments for change are weak the intolerance of dissent is strong. As all sides weary of the fight does... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
17 Sep 2015 - 18:29

null Cheeky Monkey

Today's ideal senior manager is not a strong, fierce and dominant leader.Today's senior manager needs to be agile,to be able to move quickly and easily from one area of business to another, to be able to manage a diverse range of services ,to be able to keep up with an ever changing business environment , to be able to quickly get to grips with complex issues and deliver efficiency savings. The... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
10 Sep 2015 - 11:50

null Chief Executives don't have tattoos or do they?

Chief executive. Very competitive. That's all it said in the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Job of the Week advertisement. So were they looking for a very competitive individual or was this a way of telling readers that a big salary was on offer? Or may be both! Is the implication it's the money that attracts the candidates, or for competitive could we read ambitious?  According to research... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
02 Sep 2015 - 16:59

null Five Myths about the Austerity diet

What sort of weight loss diet involves hacking off a limb? The public sector austerity diet. Five myths about the Austerity Diet It works you lose £s fast.- rapid cost cutting is rarely sustained. A radical efficiency program is the only way to lose £s- not true ,real efficiency savings require small changes that can be sustained over a long period. Outsourcing is an effective way to loss... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Aug 2015 - 09:26

null The last 30 years as seen through the eyes of a public professional

  This could be the story of an local government professional, a librarian, a housing officer, a policy officer ,a finance officer, a personnel officer or an admin officer.   Tim trained as a social worker in the 80s. He went on marches in support of the miners. You wouldn't catch Tim selling the Socialist Worker in town on a Saturday. He wasn't that type of radical social... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
11 Aug 2015 - 10:58

null "Same circus different clowns"

Change fatigue leaves staff exhausted, burnt out, cynical and ineffective and makes it less likely that the organisation will successfully implement changes.   Organisation change fatigue is where a significant proportion of staff within an organisation are feeling exhausted by continual change. Organisation change fatigue or OC Fatigue is not the same as staff resistance to change,... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Aug 2015 - 09:50

null He who pays the piper

  How much say should a Local Authority have in how a voluntary organisation is run? In the case of Kids Company the government thinks it is reasonable to tell a voluntary organisation to remove its charismatic and outspoken chief executive if it wants to continue receiving government funds. This is such a high profile organisation, one that in the past senior politicians have been happy... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
28 Jul 2015 - 14:08

null Just like True Detective

There has been a lot of comment on social media about the second TV. series of highly praised True Detective. Five episodes in and it couldn't be more confusing. With several back stories to untangle, a complicated plot and difficulty in working out which characters are important let alone who are the baddies. It reminded me of far too many inter departmental and multiagency meetings. What on... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
22 Jul 2015 - 11:52

null How do you get to be a Director

I worked for one director who became a director by dishing the dirt on his boss. As the deputy director he told the leader of the council that the director was having an affair with one of his assistant directors causing resentment and tension within the senior management team which was being picked up by people outside the department. His first act on being appointed director was to remove the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
16 Jul 2015 - 14:08

null How the game is played

The brilliant fictional detective has no time for the higher ups and their preoccupation with budgets, performance targets and the media. They get the job done despite the system, they have no career ambitions, they hate the politics and they think the service isn't what it use to be. They don't play the game, they don't get the promotions their experience  and ability warrant, they end... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 Jul 2015 - 11:13

null Like the House of Cards

The only reason to be deputy is to use it as a stepping stone to be a Director. Every ambitious deputy, and all deputies are ambitious, seeks higher office but strives not to be seen to be actively perusing the post because above all else deputies are required to be loyal to their directors. Every deputy see the mistakes their director makes, knows they would never make such mistakes, would... See more
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