Entries with tag local authorities .

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Blair McPherson
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03 Jan 2023 - 12:34

null Pele, the beautiful game and Local Authorities 

Pele referred to it as the beautiful game. As played by him and the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in 1970 it was. Any team he played in would rather win 4-2 than 2-0 because it was about attack, inventiveness,  creativity and skill. In contrast to the Italian team they played in the final who epitomised the physical, defensive approach whose first aim was not to lose. When I... See more
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Blair McPherson
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12 Nov 2022 - 14:55

null Only senior managers wear suits 

The new senator for Pennsylvania doesn’t wear a suit to work. For public appearances he prefers what those in the US call, “work wear” usually a hoodie. He captured the white collar vote and his style of dress is a simple, effective way of saying I’m one of you. Hoodies are also popular office wear for senior executives in Silicon Valley because of their image of being ,”cool” and “youthful”. A... See more
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Blair McPherson
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13 Dec 2021 - 14:07

null Succession 

He has been the leader of the council for 15 years. During that time the council’s has acquired a national profile and come to dominate the region. The first to embrace out sourcing. The first to agree a major contract to outsource all back office services. The leader has a reputation as a canny negotiator and a ruthless political manipulator. Which has not always endeared him to... See more
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Blair McPherson
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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
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07 Jul 2021 - 10:41

null Are organisations inevitably hypocritical?  

 Writing in defence  of hypocrisy would be like  expressing sympathy for the devil, you’re not going to convince anyone that it’s anything other than despicable. And yet hypocrisy exists in every organisation for a very good reason. It occurs whenever decisions and actions are inconsistent or conflict with previously stated ideals, values or performance measures. This... See more
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Blair McPherson
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29 Nov 2020 - 21:31

null The Chateau 

If local government were a building it would be a crumbling stately home , still grand but decrepit now in parts,  it’s gardens over grown and floor boards warped. Makes you wonder does it have a future or will it be allowed to decay through lack of funds and indifference, no longer considered relevant. The longer it’s neglected the more costly it is to restore it. But it’s amazing... See more
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Blair McPherson
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08 Dec 2019 - 15:05

null Christmas and New Year Challenge 

There is an old Mexican saying that if you drink the water then you will stay. Meaning if you stop for even a short period you will be captivated by the place. But in view of the state of the water supply it might be more appropriate to say that you need a strong stomachache to live here. When I think of how local government use to be and how it is now I think of old Mexico and the... See more
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Blair McPherson
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01 Oct 2019 - 10:48

null 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 candidate for a senior post he had been hired to fill. This is how these management recruiters do business, use their contacts to get names then ring the names and say your name has come... See more
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Blair McPherson
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19 Aug 2019 - 13:10

null 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 unrecycled waste , a hot wind will blow through the dusty unswept streets  and carry with it the question. But if they were so creative, so well led , such a force for sustainable development,... See more
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Blair McPherson
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18 Jul 2019 - 11:49

null 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 didn’t know the detail of the work but the company was a good employer. Well what exactly does that mean he said. I told him that he would get holiday and sickness pay, that my son had a good... See more
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Blair McPherson
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24 Mar 2019 - 11:18

null Gardeners Question Time 

The residents committee has just named my neighbour  as having an outstanding garden and to my embarrassment has named and shamed us as having a poor garden with little prospect of improvement. My neighbour certainly has a well maintained garden that is not only colourful all year round but has carefully selected plants and flowers to encourage the bees and butterflies. They have... See more
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Blair McPherson
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09 Jan 2019 - 15:40

null Kirstie and Phil plus Kevin and estate agents with all year round  suntans agree with Jose 

It was one of those remarks by Jose Mourinho that on first hearing you think something has been lost in translation. Never the less you turn it over in your mind because as well as being a controversial figure he is/was a very successful manager, the management gurus ,guru.  Referring to building a successful team he said,  “It’s like buying a house-there’s more to it than... See more
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Blair McPherson
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11 Jul 2018 - 09:33

null Just because you own a garage doesn’t mean you can fix cars

A friend has just come back from a family holiday in the south of France. They went with another couple and their children who are the same ages.  They stayed at a “gite” complete with a swimming pool and acres of wood land for the kids to explore and ride their mountain bikes. They went via the Euro Tunnel and drove down through France breaking the journey by spending the first night in... See more
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Blair McPherson
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13 Mar 2018 - 14:22

null Are local public museums a thing of the past?

  As director of Community Services, museums and Libraries came under my portfolio of responsibilities. When it comes to managing a service within a shrinking budget there are many similarities. Notably reduced opening hours leading eventually to unpopular closures. The difference was that those running museums always had optimistic proposals for increasing income as away of avoiding... See more
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Blair McPherson
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28 Nov 2017 - 12:31

null A brief history of management bullshit

For decades LAs had enjoyed a virtual monopoly on local public services. Then the PM of the day announced that the public didn't care who provided their services as long as they represent value for money. Soon LA's would be facing tough competition from the private sector. Management teams across the country did what management teams do, restructured, downsized and outsourced. But for... See more
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Blair McPherson
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10 Aug 2017 - 06:41

null Fostering v Boarding school

  I worked in a residential boarding school run by the local authority for boys with poor school attendance and behaviour problems where it was thought they would benefit from being removed from their environment ( family). Typically they were young boys who came to the attention of the education welfare service before social services. Interestingly if they had come to social services... 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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23 May 2017 - 21:04

null We want you back

The government wants you back. A lot was invested in your training. You gained valuable experience which we could really use now. We have developed a great programme for supporting returnees like yourself. We understand why you left, there were a lot of unpopular changes,  we were experimenting with changing the skill mix, long hours and a cap on pay rises didn't help. The emphases on... 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
14 Mar 2017 - 20:33

null Surrey CC played poker and won

  So the government claims no deal was done with Surrey County Council it just happens that they benefit from the formula for allocating the additional funds more than any other authority. This has provoked outrage from Labour at both the injustice and the government's barefaced lie that a behind the scenes deal hadn't been struck. But hold the hypocrisy the government of the day... See more
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Showing 1 to 20 of 32 entries.