Entries with tag management .

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Blair McPherson
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25 Mar 2018 - 15:05

null How to impress the Boss

  You creep. Not as easy as you think if you don’t want to alienate your colleagues and lose all self respect. It’s not about agreeing with his or her every word, it’s not about volunteering when everyone else is looking at their shoes, it not about showing off as in sharing your knowledge of a new business theory from a book you recently read. It might be owning up to a mistake, a... See more
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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
wrote a new blog post
27 Feb 2018 - 14:43

null The Irrational Manager

      We all like to think we are rational decision makers. Senior managers build their careers on their ability to put emotions and bias to one side and carefully way up the evidence arriving at a rational if not always popular decision. Of course it's rubbish we select the facts that support our beliefs, ignore the information that is inconvenient and put a... See more
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Blair McPherson
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29 Jan 2018 - 14:32

null Evil Joe and Good Joe

Have you ever worked for some one who was a smooth talker, a real charmer, popular, intelligent, cool headed and fearless?  Confident, some would say over confident with a tendency to take the credit for the work of others and when things went wrong it was always some one else's fault.  Not the type of person who would lose any sleep over a decision to make staff... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
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
wrote a new blog post
03 Jan 2018 - 23:30

null Top tips on the transition from practitioner to manager

    How to decide what to delegate and what to do yourself. How to make your team members feel valued. How to allocate work . How to prioritise. How to retain your professional values whilst owning senior management decisions. How to keep your team members motivated. How to develop team members . How to manage an underperforming member of the team . How to make the best use... 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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30 Nov 2017 - 22:53

null Too nice to succeed

The claim that nice mangers can't deliver in a period of prolonged austerity is an insidious one in local government. There are no shortage of examples to contradict this but the debate is pointless because managers can't help but be the way they are. If yours is not a relentlessly aggressive style them trying to make it so will be at the cost of the finesse which is so admired by... See more
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Blair McPherson
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03 Nov 2017 - 16:32

null Just to make it more interesting

  Can you trust your colleagues let alone partner organisations or those you are contracting with? Why don't people stick to agreements, why do they put short term benefit before greater long term gain?   Three teams of senior managers. Each round of negotiations a team picks red or blue. They meet with the other teams to agree which colour they intend to submit. If both teams... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
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
wrote a new blog post
13 Sep 2017 - 11:40

null How organisations respond to allegations of racism

  A rather silly attempt at a joke  or evidence of racism? You're the manager you decide? The advice from HR is this isn't going to go away. It shouldn't influence your thinking but the manager  at the centre of this has delivered a very impressive improvement in services ,they get results, cabinet members have noted this and expressed their approval. This wasn't... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
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
wrote a new blog post
18 Jul 2017 - 13:02

null Psyching up for success

  Success is a series of good performances so psyching yourself up beforehand is essential. For the job interview it's telling yourself "YOU DESERVE THIS - FOCUS". For the big presentation it's telling your self ,"YOU CAN DO IT".For those crucial negotiations it's telling yourself," TRUST IN YOUR ABILITIES ". For the make or break cards on the table one to one with the boss it's telling... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
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
wrote a new blog post
08 Jun 2017 - 18:05

null Look under the bonnet and sprinkle the magic

  What type of person would  punch a puppy ? Would you eat your own dog food ?  Well you might if you realised it meant doing something detestable but good for the business and you might try out something new on yourself first. These are two of the more unusual and in my experience less common examples of management speak. Have you recently been encouraged to... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
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
wrote a new blog post
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
wrote a new blog post
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
09 May 2017 - 14:54

null How do I know if my boss is stressed out and what can I do about it

  The thing about stress is those who have it don't recognise it and so don't have any insight into the effect their behaviour has on those around them. If your boss has suddenly and uncharacteristically become difficult to work with, if team meetings are no longer fun, if the prospect of a one to one or even a short car journey together fills you with dread then your manager could... See more
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