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Blog
Social workers don’t fear the inspector
A Labour Government would scrap Ofsted. In response to persistent  and loud complaints by teachers and head teachers that Ofsted creates an environment of fear, anxiety and worry the Labour...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  11 Oct 2019
0
Blog
How many communication officers does it take to change perceptions?
Across the country whilst services have been reduced and management posts cut chief executives and council leaders have been increasing and enhancing the role of communication staff. For a...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  09 Oct 2019
0
Blog
Humbug
There is a lot of anger and frustration about. The use of inflammatory language by tabloid news papers, radio shocks jocks and the Prime Minister means that people in the work place feel freer...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  08 Oct 2019
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Blog
Why senior managers and politician so often say nothing of interest. 
In my experience when politicians and senior managers talk they chose their words so carefully they can end up saying nothing of interesting, unless it's about themselves.    As an...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  07 Oct 2019
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Blog
Guildford BC
Really pleased to be in Guildford to lead Forces Connect South East (FCSE) training to Guildford BC’s Front Line Staff on both the Armed Forced Covenant and the issues affecting the Armed...
By: 
Canon Peter Bruinvels
Last updated:  07 Oct 2019
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Blog
Pre-application advice
I’d like to hear from those of you who operate a pre-application advice service. Do you require or expect the same detail and content in consultation responses as you would with a planning...
By: 
Bill Lindsay
Last updated:  01 Oct 2019
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Blog
A very British House of Cards
  The narrator and central character speaks direct to camera.   The head hunter was in a gossipy mood. He rang me on the pretext of asking if I knew anyone who would be a suitable...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  01 Oct 2019
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Blog
Introducing: Climate NI Health and Wellbeing Network
Climate NI, in collaboration with WHO Belfast Healthy Cities and the Department of Health, are establishing a Health and Wellbeing Network, which aims to share information and guide action on...
By: 
Stephen Jones
Last updated:  26 Sept 2019
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Blog
What to say when the Head Hunters call
From your application form / CV they know your career history, posts, responsibilities and achievements. They have enough to know it’s worth a follow up conversation. Having formed a...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  25 Sept 2019
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Blog
KHub Annual Survey 2019
The below infographic summarises some of the key findings. This will be the first blog in a series of blog posts where we will share further findings from the survey. 
By: 
Knowledge Hub Team
Last updated:  24 Sept 2019
1
Blog
What to look for if you want to work for an organisation that embraces diversity 
According to a survey  conducted by the Confederation of British Industry work place diversity is a high priority for young people aged between 17 and 23. Diversity along side pay and...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  23 Sept 2019
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Blog
World Alzheimer’s Day September 21st
Anyone who lives alone – and over the next 20 years that could rise to nearly one in seven people in the UK – may be highly alarmed by the prospect of dealing with dementia. By 2039, the number...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  24 Sept 2019
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Blog
The Trouble with Retired Spooks 
  The trouble with retired old spooks is they don’t forget the right things. When dementia overtakes them they forget their not on the job anymore. They confuse their  cover story with what...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  17 Sept 2019
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Blog
The Ex Directors Breakfast Club 
If there is an ex directors breakfast  club I haven’t been offered membership. If they invited me I won’t go. But if I did this is what I would expect to hear.   I speak of the time before...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  15 Sept 2019
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Blog
Character is Destiny discuss
A leader’s character flaws/ weaknesses will eventually lead to their downfall. Well that’s the way Shakespeare saw it (Lear,Macbeth, Othello ) . As  Cassius says in Julius Caesar, “The fault...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  12 Sept 2019
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Blog
Are you a manager or a player ?
 “Manager “ in this case does not refer to the responsibility for big  budgets or large staff groups but the way the individual just about gets by -manages- despite the difficulties. As opposed...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  10 Sept 2019
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Blog
Discovering the meaning of 'value'.
There has been much written about measuring the value of online communities such as Social Networks or Communities of Practice.   However, most pundits tend to think of measuring value from a...
By: 
Stephen Dale
Last updated:  09 Sept 2019
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Blog
The Nemesis
Healthy completion is one thing but there is nothing healthy about a work place nemesis. Some one who seems to be able to push your buttons with what may appear to the others present the most...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  04 Sept 2019
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Blog
Too Good To Slip Into Special Measures
A critical audit report. A new chief executive. A confidential management consultant’s report. All three coming to the same conclusion. Those running the organisation and many who work within...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  03 Sept 2019
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Blog
Here today but not to stay
Management is about the management of change unless you are an interim manager in which case it is about stability. That is restoring confidence, repairing public image , reassuring members and...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  27 Aug 2019
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Blog
In the not to distant future 
  A few Years from now, when the  high street is a wasteland and Local Authorities no longer exist and the once grand municipal buildings that housed them are fast food outlets half -buried in...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  19 Aug 2019
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Blog
Tackling Loneliness
The government's Loneliness Strategy was published in October 2018. It set out a wide variety of cross-departmental measures that the government would take to...
By: 
Philippa Lynch
Last updated:  19 Aug 2019
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Blog
Is it ever acceptable to swear in an interview?
I was being interviewed for a directors post and I was asked about working with colleagues in Health. Having discussed points of conflict like delayed hospital discharges due to budget...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  12 Aug 2019
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Blog
Organisations get the Management they deserve 
In the 80’s trade unions were strong and managers complained about not being allowed to manage. The response was organisations get the trade union they deserve. Meaning if you treat staff...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  11 Aug 2019
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Blog
The invisible Sword of Damocles
The feeling of ever present peril is one familiar to directors of social services. A former boss once confided in me that when ever he read about an abuse scandal he thought about a youth unit...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  08 Aug 2019
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Blog
Boss Quits Abruptly
The leader has a reputation for moving quickly and plain speaking. In the surprise ousting of the chief executive who has only been in the job 18 months , he has lived up to the speed part....
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  06 Aug 2019
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Blog
Loyalty, ambition, betrayal, vomit and sudden violent death 
I have always (nearly always) been loyal but sometimes my dissent was taken as disloyalty. I have always been ambitious but didn’t realise just how ambitious till I repeatedly put myself...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  13 Sept 2019
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Blog
Diversity isn’t a good thing 
It turns out that diversity isn’t a good thing if everyone is different but the same. The gender balance and racial  mix (and cross section of sexuality) may shout diversity but if every single...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  08 Aug 2019
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Blog
Are we kidding our selves 
We know it doesn’t make a difference but we do it any way. Why , because it reassures us , makes us think we have more control over the way things turn out. The  effort involved convinces us we...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  03 Aug 2019
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Blog
The glass Ceiling and the Cliff Edge
You have heard of the glass ceiling but are you aware of the cliff edge ? The glass ceiling is that invisible barrier to promotion. The expression was originally coined to explain why women...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  08 Aug 2019
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Blog
The Culture of Optimism 
The culture of optimism won’t get us out of austerity. The restructuring didn’t make services better or more efficient, the cuts did have a very negative impact, things are worse much ...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  23 Jul 2019
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Blog
A team of Super Heroes 
“ What we need is a team of heroic chief executives willing to step up and move outside of the comfort zone and take personal risks. .....We are trying to creat tipping points....The...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  05 Aug 2019
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Blog
Be Lucky
We down play the role of luck in achieving success. Parents teach their children that if you try hard enough almost anything is possible. This is a lie. But understandable since unless you...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  22 Jul 2019
1
Blog
Institutional Harassment 
There are managers who are bullies and then there is systematic institutional harassment. In the latter HR rather than protect employees against bulling and harassment advises senior management...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  15 Jul 2019
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Blog
Decent and Accessible Homes for Older People
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People have published their report on Decent and Accessible Homes for Older People on 4 July 2019. The report follows an in-depth...
By: 
Philippa Lynch
Last updated:  12 Jul 2019
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Blog
How much experience do you need?
Would you appoint some one to a high profile senior management post with only one years experience of management? Would you expect a minimum of three years, more than five years or at least...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  15 Sept 2019
1
Blog
How do you recognise a good employer?
About a year ago my son started a new job and it’s gone really well. My nephew was recently looking for a new job and I told him there were vacancies where my son works.  I explained that I...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  18 Jul 2019
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Blog
Your work nemesis 
  According to a survey carried out by the recruitment firm Totaljobs 20% of people have experienced an enemy at work to such an extent that they have called in sick because they couldn’t face...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  04 Jul 2019
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Blog
Austerity the new normal
It must have been 10 no 12 years ago.  My boss, the Director of social services returned from a budget meeting with the chief executive. We were expecting bad news, more budget cuts to plan...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  25 Jun 2019
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Blog
Naivety and Idealism 
I was told about a lecturer on the social work course who had taken a year off to gain a social work qualification but mostly to get a reality check. He deliberately choice to do a...
By: 
Blair McPherson
Last updated:  21 Jun 2019
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