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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 May 2023 - 13:12

null Us and Them 

  We pay well and promptly but can’t get the staff   “ They either do a poor job or are unreliable. It always starts well but then it quickly deteriorates.Either they stop trying so hard once they get the gig or despite agreeing how long the job will take they rush through it and unsupervised leave early, presumably to squeeze another job in. The consistently conscious worker turns... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
16 May 2023 - 12:18

null No consensus 

   The best managers seek consensus but recognise when the pursuit is being abused. I had a colleague on the senior management team who seemed to delight in frustrating the rest of the team every meeting. There was always one agenda item where she was at odds with the rest of the us. Rather than curtail the discussion and go with the majority the boss would seek consensus and the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 May 2023 - 11:45

null Rumpelstiltskin could spin straw into gold 

Good managers can manage anything  Some managers have a reputation as having the golden touch. No matter what they do, their teams seem to excel, performance improves, success follows. The reason for such success is often misunderstood. Usually, it’s attributed to the manager’s ability to organise people, institute processes, and adapt as new information becomes available. There’s little... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
09 May 2023 - 15:43

null Plan 75 

I don’t think I will be watching Plan 75, it sounds to depressing for someone my age.  Set in the very near future it tells what happens when the Japanese government responds to its population crisis by introducing voluntary euthanasia for the over75’s. With the highest life expectancy in the world the country has been struggling for some time with the implication of nearly 40% of the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 May 2023 - 12:04

null Benefits and Pitfalls of secondments  

A secondment is a great way for employees to enhance their career prospects. It’s also an effective way of retaining talented employees. In a fast moving business climate organisations need to be able to dedicate people and resources to developing new ways of working and taking advantage of new opportunities. Secondments are quick and effective response. However people are not always offered... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Apr 2023 - 13:29

null Tackling bias and discrimination

" Expecting an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy to tackle bias and discrimination without changing the management culture is like pulling a lever that isn’t connected to anything. "    Blair Mcpherson former Director and author of An Elephant in the Room- about equality and diversity published by Russell House. www.blairmcpherson.co.uk    See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
15 Apr 2023 - 14:52

null A dysfunctional organisation compared to an abusive relationship 

You say you’re sorry. You say it won’t happen again. You say you’ I’ll change. But you have said it all before. I don’t doubt you mean it every time. But I don’t believe you can change.  It’s not the first critical report. It’s not the first damming inspection report. It’s not first major investigation. The only surprise is that senior managers are surprised. And still they think the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 Apr 2023 - 11:15

null Anywhere. And Everywhere

This isn’t about somewhere I used to work. This isn’t about someone I used to work for. I can’t be in trouble because I don’t work there any more. I don’t know why they think this is about them.Or why you’re saying,”not again”. I’ve never even met them. You say they know all about me.You say they are angry and out to get me. You say it’s about an article I wrote.But I have written nothing... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
01 Apr 2023 - 06:41

null Bear shaving

Aimed at those who dismiss the problem of global warming as exaggerated an activist responded by saying they supposed critics would see the answer to bears dying of heat exhaustion as shaving off their fur. The expression , “bear shaving “ has come to mean proposing superficial solutions rather than tackling the real problem. And there is plenty of evidence of organisations doing just... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
25 Mar 2023 - 11:37

null Red Flags

I arrived in plenty of time for the interview despite the two hour motorway journey. It’s the one and only time I was interviewed at a football ground. The interview with the executive recruiters took place in one of the executive boxes overlooking the pitch. The first early warning sign was despite the emphases on Equality,Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the accompanying material for the post... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
20 Mar 2023 - 22:27

null Project Cassandra and Black Swan events 

Six years ago the German military launched Project Cassandra, a programme designed to predict disasters and black swan events by getting novelists, poets and journalists to write stories about them. If military and intelligence services believe fiction can act as an early warning sign of future disasters then we should be very worried about AI.    Once machines learn to think or... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
18 Mar 2023 - 13:23

null You don’t need the dream team to succeed. 

Could there be any better example of team work, dedication, professionalism and achievement than the Apollo space program which ultimately put a man on the moon? As a role model could you wish for a better employee than an astronaut , a skilful and knowledgeable team player, totally committed to the project? Well that’s the myth the truth is rather closer to the experience of the average... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Mar 2023 - 16:22

null What should you be allowed to say 

Few inside the organisation will talk about the changes but the feeling is there is little money and a lot of angry people. A popular Director has been suspended for comments at a meeting with carers. Not for saying anything critical about the organisation but for pointing out how Government policy was impacting on her social workers ability to do their job. I suppose it didn’t help that the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
09 Mar 2023 - 13:34

null A pattern of knitting found in organisations 

In China the Government has cracked down on feminism. Words relating to feminism online are censured. The response by bloggers has been to replace the words with rhyming slang, so feminist becomes, “ women’s fist”.  So what would a subversive social media posting critical of an organisations leadership read like using rhyming slang?  More about knitting  Senior management have... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 Feb 2023 - 15:49

null And anything else the boss asks you to do 

The list of requirements was so extreme that some commentators thought it was a spoof.   Must be “highly talented”, “ooze leadership” and be “a great orator”.   “High energy and sacrifice are required to excel in this position. We cannot carry anyone. We need a commitment to stay until the job is done.”    “ Excessively long hours are the norm and the role may... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
14 Feb 2023 - 10:09

null LA’s can be noisy organisations 

There is a technique composers  use in which the piece starts with what appears a random selection of instruments all playing at once, making a loud noise. Gradually a rhythm imposes itself and a tune emerges as instruments fall in-line some going into the background others to the forefront. It is the contrast between the discordant, chaotic, introduction and the subsequent harmonious... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Feb 2023 - 16:16

null Manage your energy not your time

In the tips for being an effective manager time management is always near the top but more radical advice would be manage your energy. People who get things done have in common energy and enthusiasm. But energy is exhaustible, let your batteries run down and you become less effective, let them run down completely and you burn out. So target your efforts, put your energy into projects,... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Feb 2023 - 15:35

null Different sides of the same coin? 

Resilience and Agility are closely related. Resilience is the ability to recover or bounce back. Agility is a set up able to take advantage of opportunities and stay ahead of the game. However the ability to over come set backs does involve some of the characteristics of agility like the ability to change direction quickly and smoothly.  Resilience for an individual is about confidence... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Feb 2023 - 14:14

null “ won’t get fooled again” should be the recruiters motto

According to some recent research at Columbia Business School  https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/newsroom/newsn/1879/mens-honest-overconfidence-may-lead-to-male-domination-in-the-csuite  men typically over over estimate their achievements and abilities by 30%. They are not consciously exaggerating but genuinely believe they are considerably more talented than they are. All to often... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
02 Feb 2023 - 13:33

null Keep a lid on it 

We have all experienced being asked a question  instinctively knowing you’re  not supposed to give an honest answer. I knew it when my boss asked if I thought he was a bully! A common theme in audit reports is that senior  managers did not recognise the extent of the problem. I read a particularly damning report which was strikingly titled,” I’m surprised your surprised”. The... See more
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