I have been putting off a job I have been asked to do for some weeks because I do not feel very happy about working on it.
In between, I have run (and enjoyed) workshops for the NHS, a consulting programme for tro trusts, a series of activities to support a Regional Development Agency and also finalised a book. I have approached all of these tasks with my usual degree of gusto - but for some reason I cannot get excited about the job I have been putting off.
The job in question is something which is not 'core' to what I want to achieve (it is about business planning rather than transformation), I am missing a lot of the background information that I need, it will be contentious - however I do it (!) and lastly, it has the potential to let others down by not being an exact fit with their requirements.........and this is preventing me from working on it.
The fact that I have felt so bad about this (relatively) small piece of work, whilst feeling so positive about other work I have been doing around it, shows the impact that emotions can have on performance.
If I were positive about the work, if I felt it would be beneficial to all those I am doing it for (rather than just some) and if I felt I had all the information required to do the job properly, I wonder how successful it would be?
What is your experience?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Gerry Robinson & the NHS
Having spoken to a wide range of people involved in the NHS about the Gerry Robinson programme of two weeks ago, I am aware that it has generated a lot of debate.
My own opinion, based on similar work in acute care, is that the problems he identified were typical problems and the solutions that were identified were typical solutions - no surprise there!
However, where I believe Gerry went wrong was in failing to provide a structure to enable incredibly intelligent, yet busy people, to move quickly from seeing the problem to implementing the solution. This is why it took so long and generated so much stress.
The role of a Change Agent in the NHS is to provide specialist structure, guidance and support to enable teams to see the problem and then see how to quickly implement a solution, and by providing this structure the results that Gerry achieved could have been achieved with fewer tears and much faster!
I also propose that his approach would have failed completely (because it would have run out of steam) without the pressure of the TV Cameras - but I would welcome your views........
My own opinion, based on similar work in acute care, is that the problems he identified were typical problems and the solutions that were identified were typical solutions - no surprise there!
However, where I believe Gerry went wrong was in failing to provide a structure to enable incredibly intelligent, yet busy people, to move quickly from seeing the problem to implementing the solution. This is why it took so long and generated so much stress.
The role of a Change Agent in the NHS is to provide specialist structure, guidance and support to enable teams to see the problem and then see how to quickly implement a solution, and by providing this structure the results that Gerry achieved could have been achieved with fewer tears and much faster!
I also propose that his approach would have failed completely (because it would have run out of steam) without the pressure of the TV Cameras - but I would welcome your views........
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Are electronic mistakes acceptable?
Today I made a mistake - not a big one, probably not even an important one, but a mistake none the less.
As I sit here reflecting on this minor hiccup, I begin to wonder whether making minor mistakes - 'Humanisms' - is becoming more or less acceptable in business. Typical, and common, mistakes in an electronic age include sending emails to the wrong person or sending something to someone 'in the clear' when it should have been in the BCC section (sent blind). These are two of a thousand different mistakes that are now possible to make, yet difficult to withdraw, through an electronic medium.
Less obvious problems occur with the transmission of emotion electronically with people misreading innocent text as aggressive because they put their own interpretation into it. Until we can find a way of transmitting sentiment along with sentence then it will be the cause of unneccessary arguments and broken relationships.
Given that the probability tht everyone will make an electronic mistake over the year, I wonder whether it is more acceptable to forgive someone who has made a mistake of this fashion in the knowledge that you will make the same mistake in the future.
I don't know the answer, but it is one hell of a question! What do you think?
As I sit here reflecting on this minor hiccup, I begin to wonder whether making minor mistakes - 'Humanisms' - is becoming more or less acceptable in business. Typical, and common, mistakes in an electronic age include sending emails to the wrong person or sending something to someone 'in the clear' when it should have been in the BCC section (sent blind). These are two of a thousand different mistakes that are now possible to make, yet difficult to withdraw, through an electronic medium.
Less obvious problems occur with the transmission of emotion electronically with people misreading innocent text as aggressive because they put their own interpretation into it. Until we can find a way of transmitting sentiment along with sentence then it will be the cause of unneccessary arguments and broken relationships.
Given that the probability tht everyone will make an electronic mistake over the year, I wonder whether it is more acceptable to forgive someone who has made a mistake of this fashion in the knowledge that you will make the same mistake in the future.
I don't know the answer, but it is one hell of a question! What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
