Entries with tag leadership .

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Blair McPherson
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14 Mar 2018 - 13:13

null This Epidemic of Bullying 

The current epidemic of bulling is evidence of the frequency with which people get into positions of power without acquiring the skills to manage people. It is very worrying that that people can be appointed to senior management posts with out the necessary people management skills. It says much about the recruitment to top posts that either people management skills are assumed or simply not... See more
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Blair McPherson
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08 Mar 2018 - 14:40

null Assessing leadership 

According to a recent survey of 200 HR managers by Top Employers the best way to assess a manager’s leadership skills is to look at how good their team is. This means assessing team members clarity of focus, collaborative behaviour , ambition, sense of purpose and also their own sense of leadership and accountability.  So rather than asking team members how do you rate your... See more
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Blair McPherson
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25 Jan 2018 - 01:20

null Do teams need managers

An article on self managed teams caught my attention.  I've known quiet a few local authority workers who would find the idea of a self managed team very attractive and a lot of managers who would consider it ridiculous so I read on.  The headline Self Managed Team described an innovatory approach being adopted in a district nursing service. The aim was to give the district... See more
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Blair McPherson
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26 Dec 2017 - 11:43

null Show a little respect

  So shouted Jose Mourinho  as the opposition celebrated their victory a little too loudly for his liking. Aretha  Franklin spelt it out R E S P E C T . Do we mean deference to age, our betters or those who have don it, what ever "it" is. It is frequently demanded but it can only be earned. The speaker  acts offended but is their indignation because they feel... See more
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Blair McPherson
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16 Oct 2017 - 17:56

null Stranded on Mars

Your Mars rover breaks down, your only hope of getting back to the safety of base is to walk. The group must decide which items to take with them for this perilous journey, they can only take what they can carry and the more they carry the quicker they will use up their oxygen supply. The shortest route back to base is over most difficult and dangerous terrain and would involve carrying heavy... See more
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Blair McPherson
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24 Aug 2017 - 22:02

null Circle the wagons or get out the hairdryer 

    There is feedback and then there is the hairdryer treatment. There are league tables and then there is naming and shaming. They say praise in public, criticise in private and then there is the blame culture and holding people to account. There is the pull the wagons into a circle it's us against the rest of the world and then there is finding a scapegoat. Should you coax... See more
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Blair McPherson
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10 Jul 2017 - 10:55

null You bear responsibility but as part of a team

  When crisis and scandal hit a high profile bank (HSBC) the board dismissed some senior managers but despite calls for his resignation not the chair of the board. When asked if he should have taken  responsibility as chair of the board and leader of the organisation he( Doulas Flint ) replied , " You bear responsibility but as part of a team". Does this also apply in local... See more
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Blair McPherson
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07 Jul 2017 - 10:09

null Someone wants your job

  I once worked for a director who was unable to be away from the office for more than a week. On one occasion he booked a two week summer holiday and appeared back at work after the first week having left his family in Wales. This may be an extremely case but it is not uncommon for senior managers not to take their full annual leave entitlement. Many are afraid that a colleague... See more
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Blair McPherson
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05 Jun 2017 - 17:54

null Not just Zumba classes and lettuce leaves for the worried

  Budget cuts, redundancies, reorganisation , out sourcing , increased workloads, changes in working practices, increased use of technology, stress is part of the modern public sector work experience we just have to learn to live with it. So toughen up or to put it in HR speak become more "resilient".    Resilience training is the latest organisational response to... See more
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Blair McPherson
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31 May 2017 - 18:14

null Bounce back ability

  The HR term for being able to cope with set backs, disappointments and failures is," Resilience ". In today's public sector individual and organisational resilience is highly valued. Managers and professionals are expected to bounce back if they are unsuccessful in applying for promotion or don't get the job they really wanted in the restructuring. Organisations and teams are... See more
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Blair McPherson
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15 May 2017 - 16:05

null Does my boss have the right to demand enthusiasm

  The boss says the budget position gives us no choice but I don't like the changes. The new working arrangements may well reduce costs but they put extra pressure on staff who are already under to much stress and no mater how he spins it the service will deteriorate. I'm not happy but I reluctantly agree we have no choice. I will explain the changes to my team  and why they are... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
04 May 2017 - 18:03

null Metro Mayors

  So now Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool have elected Mayors with some real power and control over some big budgets, probably not as much power or as big a budget as they would want but it's a start.    It's the U.S. Model. Will Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool be the next Chicago? What have we to look forward to? Chicago's Town Hall politics are notorious.  ... See more
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Blair McPherson
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19 Mar 2017 - 21:29

null A place in the sun

  How are you rewarded for failure at work? A trip to the big apple, soaking up the sun in Dubai or a golfing trip to Portugal? It's called team building its very popular with managers whose football teams have suffered a dip in performance during the long winter days after Christmas. Team building is also popular in the public sector and not just if a new manager is trying to bond a... See more
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Blair McPherson
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22 Mar 2017 - 02:51

null The difference between management and leadership

Management, as managers are fond of saying, isn't about being liked but I say leadership is. Human nature is such that if staff don't like you they won't like what you say. If staff don 't like you they will mostly deny you the opportunity to influence their thinking. Leadership is all about influencing thinking.  Management is about getting people to do what needs to be done. Managers... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
01 Mar 2017 - 11:05

null Confrontational leadership

  A kick up the backside or arm round the shoulder. Delivered at the right time, in the right way both are recognised managerial responses. Some people respond better to one than the other. Managers may be predisposed to confrontational management or supportive management. Supportive management is presented as a good thing, although staff often complain there isn't much of it. Supporting... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 Feb 2017 - 16:09

null The Italian way

The thing about the Italian way is there is no Italian way. It's an Italian thing to be different to go your own way. This means there is no model or way of doing things that can be copied in the hope of emulating success. Which explains why management consultants have focused on the Japanese way, the German way or how successful organisations do it in the USA. Japanese team work, German... See more
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Blair McPherson
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14 Feb 2017 - 18:48

null The chemistry has to be right

  Appoint a good manager and the results will improve. Appoint a great manager and success is guaranteed. Well that's the theory in practice past success doesn't guarantee future success. A good manager, even a great manager needs the right set of circumstances and the chemistry has to be right. You can have a great story that captures the mood of the times, a lavish budget, creaking... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
03 Mar 2017 - 01:04

null More people with a business background would be good for local government, Not

  Donald Trump US president is appointing people with a business background to key posts in his administration because he believes government would be better if it was run like a business and who better to do this than people who have run successful businesses. For a number of years management gurus have told us the public sector should learn from the private sector about how to be... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
24 Jan 2017 - 12:47

null Let's do a deal

    Donald Trump the new US president with a business background has appointed people to his senior posts on the bases that they are good at "doing deals". Is this a new and worrying tend in the public sector  which we are likely to follow? A worrying tend because doing deals in the commercial world is a rather murky business where ethical and moral considerations are... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
06 Jan 2017 - 17:14

null Make my day punk

If only you were in charge you could sort this mess out. You know what needs doing and you know how to do it. But how long before you turn into Dirty Harry the Clint Eastwood anti hero  who is the epitome of ruthless policing and never hesitates to cross professional and ethical boundaries in his quest to get justice.  In senior management team meetings perfectly reasonable and... See more
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