Entries with tag management .

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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 12:54

null Over managed or over stretched?

  There is a reason why there are more management posts in the public sector and it's nothing to do with bureaucracy or inefficiency. The new leader of the council was fond of making comparisons from his background in industry " over managers and under occupied". He had no doubt that an easy and relatively uncontroversial way to save money was to cut one in five management posts. It... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:25

null Man marking

  Man marking like many management expressions originates from sport. To man mark is to follow    your designated opponent around the field of play, wherever they go you follow never letting them out of your reach. Man marking is the practise of employers closely scrutinising the work of an employee. It is different to the close supervision and support a manager gives a new... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:32

null How do you follow a great leader

  Following some one who has failed  is not so difficult. You distance your self ," my priorities are not  the same , I don't do things that way, my management style is different as are my methods, I will listen more, I appreciate the need to take people with me, I understand the history and sensitivities." Following on from a success story is more difficult. Do you simply do... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:25

null Sometimes you have to ignore the sat nav

Sometimes you have to ignore the sat nav common sense tells you you're going the wrong way.   Driving around Florida was made a lot easier by the Sat Nav we took with us. Pre loaded with all our destinations,hotels, museums and restaurants. We thought it would be particularly helpful in finding our way out of Miami and through the series of spaghetti junction like motorway... See more
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null 1922 Views
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 13:02

null Jobs for Mates

Margaret Thatcher used to ask “are they one of us." Tony Blair was accused of surrounding himself with cronies and now Michael Grove is said to be firing people who don't agree with him. But it not just politicians who want to get rid of the awkward squad, the dissenting voices. Most of us would prefer to work with like minded people, so if you get to chose your own team why wouldn't you... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 12:55

null Does your organisation pass the Blue Badge test

  You may have thought it was the year on year budget cuts, you might imagine it was the rock bottom morale of a workforce that feels undervalued and much maligned, the over ambitious performance targets, the constant negative stories in the press, the gap between what the politicians promise and what can realistically be delivered, the constant stream of policy initiatives and the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:32

null Why Sherlock could never be a local government manager

  The smartest people don't get the top jobs. It is possible to be too smart, to be admired but disliked isn't that Sherlock Holmes problem?   Getting a top job isn't about what you know after all most senior managers these days don't know much about the diverse range of services they are responsible for. It not about who you know although networking is as important in the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:09

null We didn't need all those staff after all

  We didn't need all those staff after all   Call it efficiency, call it outsourcing, call it a purge but it turns out you don't need all those managers. If you outsource HR, IT and Admin then you outsource their managers. Likewise if you close half your libraries and most of your sports centres you dispense with the need for their managers. If you combine service like... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 13:09

null Transferable skills and the shock of the new

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the financial crisis is dramatically changing the way the public sector looks.  Many outside the public sector and some inside consider that management structures built in the good times were bloated, unaffordable and unsustainable.  Slimmer structures have been imposed with fewer tiers and greater spans of responsibility.  There have... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 13:02

null Career advice: be opinionated, abrasive and intolerant

Opinionated”, “abrasive” and “intolerant” of those less able and committed’: these were the words my placement supervisor used to describe me as a trainee. They came to mind when I was recently invited to share some snippets of advice with new entrants to the civil service fast stream.  Once I had written down my pearls of wisdom for tomorrow's high flyers it occurred to me that what I... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:32

null The difficult financial climate has thrown up a new range of HR challanges

The difficult financial climate has thrown up a new range of HR challenges.   Management is still about managing budgets and managing people, it is still about promoting good practise and challenging bad practise, it is still about managing change and getting people to do what needs to be done but budget cuts, service reductions and concern about service standards mean that there is a... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:19

null What we don't need is irresponsible leadership

Being ethical and socially responsible is all part of the public sector ethos – but is the business world corrupting the public sector just when business ethics and the role of extravagantly rewarded business leaders are being questioned? Being ethical and socially responsible is all part of the public sector ethos – or it was before business people were parachuted on to NHS boards, schools... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:40

null Important meetings or meetings of important people

The relationship between meetings and effective management is unproven. So why are organisations so wedded to them and why despite our lack of enthusiasm do we continue to view them as necessary? It’s all about status. Who chairs, who attends, who speaks and who records is all about status. Why else would a manager ask who else is attending before deciding whether to commit if this wasn’t... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 12:56

null More management less leadership

The message from the business schools, from management gurus and from Government has been consistent. The public sector must change and this requires leadership. Not just leadership from the top but leadership at every level. All managers should be leaders or rather demonstrate leadership skills. It’s not about one charismatic individual imposing change through sheer force of personality but... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 13:10

null Smarter and Harder is for Dummies

If someone tells you to work smarter not harder what are they saying about you? The work has increased by 20% but the staffing has been cut. We are not allowed to authorise over time. We have had year on year budget cuts for the last 4 years. My staff are working at full capacity but the backlog is increasing. We are given less and less time to complete the work but no extra... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:33

null Lessons in leadership from a master of disaster

You don’t always have to learn from the best. You can learn a lot from your own mistakes but it’s less painful to learn from someone else’s. So I am recommending lessons in leadership from a master of disaster. Learn how not to do it and save yourself the pain, frustration and indignity. Let Mark make the mistakes. Benefit from being able to observe what happens when leaders lack insight into... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:33

null The job's becoming undoable

Who said “the job’s becoming undoable”? Was it a nurse anticipating the criticism about to be levelled at their profession following the damming report that serious neglect exists across the NHS. Was it the chief executive of an NHS Trust expressing anxiety about the pressure they feel under? The pressure of increased demands, the struggle to hit efficiency targets, the stress of... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 13:10

null Heroes

The music industry and the wider world gets over excited about a new David Bowie single. The main reason seems to be no one saw it coming after all he hasn’t produced anything in the last ten years. Now the public sector seeks to revive one of his greatest hits with a return to heroic leadership. The conference like the song claims we can all be heroes. The promotional material speaks of the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:10

null Future uncertain prospects unclear

The future for Local Government, the NHS and the Civil Service is uncertain as a consequence your career prospects as a manger are unclear. When the restructuring, outsourcing and downsizing is finished will you be a survivor or a casualty?  When the music stops how can you ensure you have a chair? The winner in any game of musical chairs has to be fast on their feet, able to... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:26

null Management books for Christmas

Mastery is the latest management book by Robert Green. The book deals with how talent is developed with reference to Darwin, Einstein, Goethe (author of Faust) and John Coltrane. The message of the book is “the secret of success is working hard for many years”. This not very helpful since if you are not successful either you are not working hard enough or you are not cleaver enough! Much more... See more
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