A man on a train. A quick conversation. A day of reflection.

I’d like to introduce you to a man who just stopped and made me think!

You know when you just listen to someone and feel humility? When someone says something that makes you think about life in general……..Well yesterday that very thing happened to me.

Imagine a busy morning commuting train – this one was taking me to Birmingham. You can probably hear the hustle and bustle of passengers and the mutterings that develop in the carriages. If I’m honest, I tend to sit and listen most of the times. But yesterday, this amazing elderly man seated next to me started one of those very conversations with me. He had no idea of his impact. But he made me feel humble. In the space of 40 minutes, he was about to influence my thinking for the rest of the day.

Here was a man who had lost his wife just over 20 years ago. But here was a man too, that had decided all those many years ago, that the status quo of having ‘nothing to do’ was not an option for him. So here’s what left me feeling so humble:

• He wondered if he could take up cycling – and became proficient in cycling 100 miles a day with no more than a map in hand. He has a list of B&Bs in his pocket for his ‘stop offs’.
• He enjoyed using his hands so he learnt calligraphy – and became so good at it that he now teaches it every Tuesday.
• He saw no point in sitting next to somebody for 40 minutes without making some form of conversation – why miss an opportunity to learn something whatever that might be?

I’d like to introduce you to Eddie.

Eddie left me feeling humble. He had achieved some big changes after such a sad occasion. He left me feeling amazed that someone in the later stages of their life could cycle 100 miles a day. I became reflective as I thought about my own life and those around me.

We all know that major events in our lives can trigger a new chapter for us. Organisations often need a shock into their systems to trigger change, revitalisation or renewal. Eddie simply reminded me of just how effective this can be – even when the opportunity for change is driven by sad or tragic events. There is plenty of this in the world right now, but how it’s used for the greater good is a challenge to us all!


(The name of the man on the train has been substituted to ensure anonymity)

Counselling and Coaching – Approaches as redundant as the workforce!

So we all know that the public sector reforms and efficiency drives are now well underway!.

For those employed in this sector, what lies ahead is complete uncertainty. Will l have a job? Where will I be? How will this affect my home life? What about all the hopes and dreams I have for myself and the people I care for?

If you’re in one of these organisations right now, and you’re leading and managing this massive slaughter – can I call upon you to think about how to best support staff for life after employment with you.

The traditional approach in organisational change is to provide very structured and equitable processes so that everyone is treated ‘fairly’ – a word we have heard so much of lately. And in the typical realms of a Human Resource philosophy we see things such as:

• Whole staff engagement exercises
• Organisational change frameworks and policies
• Offer of counselling and 1-2-1 support
• Provision of 1-2-1 coaching and wider career coaching
• Provision of funding for tailored educational courses

But in this new era of economic and global uncertainty – these approaches are as redundant as the workforce. For heavens sake, please don’t think that funding a degree or sending some one off to complete an NVQ is going to help them into the next job.

The traditional career development pathways of defined jobs and competences is being eroded – what we will have in its place are new ways of working that have yet to be designed. What we will need from the existing workforce is the ability to prepare themselves for a world where job titles have less meaning and where hierarchy becomes something of the past – so reminiscent of the public sector and so hard for many to give up.

So my challenge to organisations in the throes of all of this, is to think differently about how you support staff right now. Here are just 3 things that you might want to think about…….

• Forget the 1-2-1 coaching- it’s a waste of money in large scale change of this nature – go for group facilitation and inquiry to develop interpersonal skills, insightful questioning, creative decision making and self resilience. When people leave their organisations they need to have the ability to challenge themselves and others, and question their very being as social and work support structures start to diminish.

• Don’t waste resources by ploughing large sums of money into individual cases – you’ll be getting a much bigger return on your investment by funding collective development so that the benefit has far greater strategic reach and amplification. Have some ethics about how you discharge your final budget.

• Consider your staff as being larger than their ‘workselves’ – start preparing staff for life beyond their immediate employment. They are much more than a member of staff that walks through your doors each day – they have lives, dreams, ambitions and past times that already absorb a large chunk of their working day. Think about how you could help them to consider the opportunities that lie in all of these – and again use group facilitation and inquiry as a collective approach to share the learning and raise the spirit in everyone!

What I’m advocating here is to go outside of the standard HR approach to organisational change. It’s fine in local, discrete and for one-off episodes. But with the scale of what’s ahead both nationally and globally – the standard approach holds no favours for anyone.

Staff are going to have to be much more creative as they think about finding an income in the new world – surely organisations owe it to themselves and their workforce, to show how such creativity is achieved in the first place!

Preparing for personal change?

Preparing for personal change? – try thinking in different ways but above all else – hold your nerve!

So the August bank holiday is almost upon us. The leaves are starting to turn a mild shade of orange. The heavy dew on the grass in the mornings and evenings warns us of the cooler nights and days ahead. There’s even some early marketing for those Christmas corporate parties. It’s all change!

And so too all those working in the public sector will return to busy times again in September when the main holiday phase ends. Parliament opens and the raft of bills just waiting for approval will move swiftly through – and then it begins.

Everyone knows what lies ahead. Organisations are to be abolished. Funding is to be cut. New corporate entities are to be created. Mergers are welcomed! And amongst all of this there’s an element of needing to continue to deliver the day to day business as well as trying to find the time to focus on personal futures. Just where do you start if you’re in the middle of this shuffling pack of cards when you know that you won’t be where you are in 2 years?

Take a step back and try a different approach. We’ve all heard the saying that if you carry on doing the same things over and over again, you’ll get the same results. So here’s how I’d play out my time right now, if I was back in gainful public sector employment!

• Make best use of the up and coming ‘caretaking roles’. Organisations that are being abolished still have a statutory duty to deliver their responsibilities and will need people to fulfil certain roles as key personnel start to leave. Keep an eye out for those roles that can offer you something different that you could move into and gain new insights, skills and experiences. Caretaking is a wonderful opportunity to get some new exposure whilst also helping out the organisation.

• Make best use of those people around you who really challenge your thinking about how the future will look and feel. If you carry on talking with the same clique and group of people you generally work with, you’ll end up with the same conversations. Seek out those whom you would not normally link in with and open up some new avenues – most people love being listened too and sharing thoughts with someone new.

• Don’t get hung up on job titles as you start thinking about what your next role is likely to be. This whole public sector transformation is likely to throw up new ways of working and thinking that goes far beyond the traditional roles that we have seen over the last decade – it has to if it’s to succeed. Look beyond the title into the potential for the role and how what you enjoy doing most, is likely to feature in it.

• Know your values inside out! We all know there is the standard practice of knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Also, understanding your skill base and using your experience to move you into your next career phase is an expected approach. But there is something much more fundamental than this that can help carve out your future – your values! You need to be clear about those personal values which make you who you are and which underpin your beliefs. If your next career move compromises them in any way, you’ll be even more frustrated than you might be right now.

I remember once being in an organisation that was being abolished. It was hard to hold your nerve and still do your day to day job, as people started leaving around you. But you have to find ways and breakthrough strategies to do just that, as you may be the one who is actually turning the lights out!

If your own personal future is in a dilemma – start thinking in ways that you’ve never done before. The changes this time round will be colossal and demand new approaches. But above all – be true to your values!

It’s all in the name of change!

Any organisation worth its weight in gold, will want to engage with its workforce when leading them through major organisational change. But for heaven’s sake, can we please move away from this constant safety net of bringing all staff together in one big room, all in the name of ‘staff engagement’!

We’ve all been there! A CEO or MD stands at the front and:

• Tells everyone that they don’t yet know what the future looks like.
• Asks staff to voice their views and concerns.

and of course…….

• Tells the entire workforce that they are the most important asset to the organisation.

The organisation defends its change management strategy by these behaviours – and is proud of the fact that staff have been given the opportunity to attend, hear, listen and speak!

But let’s just stop and think - how could this be done more creatively?

Think about a time when you have had the best conversations in an organisation; when you have walked away inspired; when you have perhaps gone away and made a difference for yourself as an individual and also the wider organisation. And when you look back over your shoulder at those times, does any of the following ring a bell?

• That the best conversations you had happened in small groups (world café?)
• That you felt inspired after talking about things in a positive frame (Appreciative Inquiry?)
• That you felt motivated when you could see the part you play in a much bigger picture (Isn’t this just good local line management?)

My call to organisations is simple. There is a place for large scale events and meetings in keeping the workforce informed – but there is a much wider opportunity to create smaller organisational conversations. Only in these structures will staff feel more able to give the feedback that organisations really need to drive large scale change effectively.

Think big…..Act small!