South by South East

Our Spring Programme got off to a flying start with a great turnout in both Lothian and Fife looking at procrastination!  Firstly well done to all of you who did not procrastinate, you told me you were coming, you put it in your diaries and you came!  For those of you who are still thinking about whether the Event was for you then obviously it was – you really should have come along and got some useful techniques to help you make those decisions.   Don Garford did a fine job is getting us all to identify why we procrastinate, when we procrastinate and the difference making a few decisions will make not only to our work but also our wellbeing.  Why not take another look at Don’s presentation below:

STOP PRESS!  IF YOU DID MISS DON’S EVENT WHY NOT COME ALONG TO THE BORDERS ON THE 30TH APRIL 2010.

Don will be at the Chaplaincy Centre at Borders General Hospital from 12 – 2 pm on the 30th – don’t hesitate, don’t procrastinate – just book it!

Happy New Year to you all! 2010 promises to be an exciting one with lots of new challenges, the very first being how to dig the car out of the snow and get safely to work! If nothing else it was a great exercise in community spirit and team working with the neighbour’s children helping enthusiastically until they heard that their school was closed and were off to find their sledges once again!

Our Spring Programme begins at the end of this month with Don Garford getting us to look at how effective we are at decision making. “Procrastination” …………. what does it mean ………………….. let me think about it ………………….. leave it with me! Some people just seems to be able to make decisions ……….. others need more time. Don will give us some hints on how to manage this behaviour plus one or two practical techniques.

In February John Armstrong from On Track Training and Coaching Limited, will introduce the role of workplace coaching and its impact on individuals and teams/departments. An interactive session which includes a dynamic and practical activity as well as plenty of time at the end for John to answer all your questions.

March will see Brian Blake our Co-ordinator in the North, returning to give us plenty of practical advice on how to prioritise our workload. Also this month Peter Gabbitas Director of Health & Social Care Lothian, will share with us how formal and informal development has helped him in his various roles in the health world.

To find out more details about these events and register online today click on the individual event on the right of this screen.

I look forward to welcoming you back to the Network.

We all know that working well as a team can make a big difference to health or social care services. But building and maintaining a good team culture isn’t easy. It takes time and skill. Where do you find resources that can help you? How can you tackle problems that your group may be facing?

This site developed by NES is a step in the right direction. It’s aim is to to point you to stuff that can help your team to work and learn well together. With exercises and guidance (particularly in the Toolkits already developed for NHS Scotland) the site makes it easy for you to find what you need. But this is just a start. The idea is that we can all learn from each other – you know what works and what doesn’t, which tips and tricks can make the difference. There is therefore the opportunity to contribute with feedback,ideas and suggestions.

These great resources are available right now just click here to take a look.

Brian Blake our co-ordinator in the North returned once again to Fife and Lothian to give us practical techniques on how to prioritise our workload: those incessant emails, the additional task that needed to be completed right away, the data that suddenly is so important never mind what needs to be completed for “the day job”!

A New Year, a New Challenge is this the time to incorporate the principles of “First Things First”?

Let us know how it works out.

Hugh Shiels from Tall Poppy had us all glued to our seats whilst when we saw video clips of past aircraft disasters which were caused primarly by human factors. Bad management of risk and communication amongst teams resulted in unsustainable loss of life which left unchecked, could have resulted in a plane carrying 500 passengers crashing every week! Something had to be done and so “Crew Resource Management” was born. Hugh took us through how changing the culture and communication in the airline industry dramatically improved safety in the air.

Hugh will be putting a shortened versiono of this session on his website in two weeks. For more information about this go to www.tallpoppy.org.uk

There has been such a good response to Hugh Sheils forthcoming event on “Managing Risk & Behaviours through Teamwork” that another 20 tickets have been released for his Lothian presentation.  Don’t delay – book your place now so you are not disappointed!

The World’s fastest man certainly had our thoughts racing in Melrose, Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy.  George’s very humorous and entertaining tales of his rise to fame were well received in each location.  He not only had us laughing in the ailes but also made us think about they key message of how to recognise potential in staff and how to help them reach their goals however large or small.

Did you attend one of these sessions?  Did George’s message hit home with you?  Have you made any changes since? 

All comments welcome!

Want to hear how other parts of the NHS do things?

Keen to share your views?

Interested in improving your skills?

The South East MDN Autumn Programme goes live in September with educational events such as hearing George McNeill, the World’s fastest man, show how to “Turn potential into reality”; looking at how to manage risk and behaviour through teamwork, as well as how to get through your day with the endless emails and communications you receive. Also each event will give you the opportunity to connect with people of similar interests as well as share ideas and experiences. Networking with colleagues over a bite to eat is a great way of increasing your confidence and self-esteem, and remember – these events are open to all managers and are FREE! To learn more just click on any of the Events listed to the right of this.

I’m looking forward to welcoming you back to what promises another exciting MDN Programme of events! Why not bring along one of your colleagues or even better send her/him the link to this website. Remember – this Network is for you, it’s FREE and open to all managers!”

Andy once again went down a storm with managers in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow.  Feedback from one of Andy’s session included “Inspiring”, “Very Motivational” and ”Good nuggests and quotes than I can use in my work environment”.   Even now months on from when Andy first got people talking they are still talking about him and his techniques!  If that is you and you would like to share your views on how Andy’s techniques have helped you/ your team to enjoy your job more we would love to hear from you! 

If you weren’t able to make any of Andy’s masterclassess here is a short clip with some of his key messages !

During June Allan Mackintosh of “The Brand New Academy” took managers through his “7 Levels of Manager Excellence” highlighting the key skills and attitudes to ensure they excel and prosper in their managerial roles. As always there was a great deal of interaction including discussion and even challenges of the concept.

Feedback from the session also highlighted that we also all needed good listening skills to be an effective manager! Did you take part in these sessions and if so, do you agree with this statement?

If you weren’t able to attend – sorry we missed you but take a look at Allan’s presentation below: