When 2 worlds colide

The trouble with starting a new job is finding your feet and who to talk to. In areas where you are less familiar you are more reliant on the information you can glean from others, and to which you must have faith that they’re telling you everything.

The trouble is you don’t know what you don’t know, and therefore don’t know what questions to ask of whom.

The first functioning day in the new job was to start a list of people to talk to over the coming weeks, then try to persuade them that its worth their while talking to me. I’ve started to set up the beginnings of a project plan, listed all the people that I’ve so far been advised to talk to, then attempt to book time in their diaries over the next 2 weeks. Its important to get in early to determine who I’m going to need to interact with regularly, and who I only need to check in with from time to time.

I’ve got a call booked with our Exec to make sure that we’re all expecting the same things and to put some solid definition around the project. I’ve got my Prince2 manual at the ready and have already set up a high level project plan.

I apply a project planning style to most things in my life, particularly around #bellringing as there’s so much going on sometimes its difficult to keep track of it.

Also interrelated are some guidance in PR writing around knowing the audience, hooking interest of those you want to engage with by writing an attractive headline, using words that are relatable, using action words that motivate them to want to talk to you, spell out the benefits of getting them to talk to you, telling the story of what the objective is then ending with a call to action, in this case persuading investment in service development.

Who knew the two worlds were so similar?

Which way to the office?

Today I started my new role. This has meant a change of office. I went to my, now old, office to box up some stuff to take across and locked up behind me. I will be back in that office from time to time so have only brought across what I feel are the essentials for now.

I’m going to be sharing an office again, something I’ve not done for several years. Having said that, both my fellow officee and I will be working from home at various points, so in reality will probably see very little of each other.

The weird thing is that the desk I’m now occupying was clearly someone else’s and they vacated it in a hurry. I suspect as a result of the first lockdown when those who could work from home, were encouraged to do so.

It feels a bit odd though to be moving someone else’s coffee cup and pen pot etc out of the way, so I can clean it down, and make space for my stuff. Somehow it feels invasive.

I’m now in an inner office situated at the back of a larger open plan office. The open plan office used to be occupied by IT staff, most of whom now work from home. Its a bit like the Marie Celeste.

I’ve booted up the PC and its taking an age to load my desktop view. Then of course it wants to do a gazillion updates because it hasn’t been used in 6 months. There’s one of those ergonomic mouse gizmos which feels very odd. That’s going to have to go. The screens (yes, there are two) are too close, the desk is smaller, there’s a headset plugged into the phone. The phone doesn’t ring out loud even though I’ve tested the ring tone. I’ve had to rethink my lunchtime walk start and stop.

One of the good things about it is that I’m much farther away from the shops and canteen and would have to go outside and into a building about 3 minutes walk away, so that should stop me from snacking.

It’s going to take a bit of getting used to.

A strange day

With the excitement of starting a new role next week, and a long weekend away in between, today was a very strange day indeed.

Because the move to the new role has been swift, the opportunity to hand over things, finish things off and so on has been very short. Not least having the chance to tell my team about it.

The day has been spent trying to wrap up loose ends and get things to a sensible state for someone else to pick up and finish. The other things I need to sort out is moving desks. There are some things I can take home that I won’t be able to utilise in my new office space, but there are other things that I will need to take across, and some that I don’t need to take with me.

The plan is to come back to this office on Tuesday, after my weekend off, to pick the bits that I will need, then walk them over the other side of the site to where I will base myself. I also have the option to be able to work from home, so I may start doing that a couple of days a week too.

I suppose I’m not technically leaving the team as its only a secondment, so there’s been no “leaving do”. I’ve spoken to my team leaders and sent a message round to the team as I didn’t get to see and speak to everyone. I will get to see them from time to time so I guess its not a case of walking away.

At least I have a nice long weekend, Thursday to Monday inclusive, to be able to switch brain ready to hit my new role next week.

Reasons to celebrate

The 1st of December. The start of the build up to Christmas. The first day you can legitimately have chocolate for breakfast from your advent calendar.

For the last few years I’ve bought C a beer advent calendar from Adnams, our favourite purveyors of beer. However, this year they weren’t offering one, presumably as a bi product of covid shutdowns they’ve not been able to brew the volumes of beer as they had done.

Not to be out manoeuvred though I found an alternative supplier offering an advent calendar of craft beers from different establishments. Order duly placed.

On the route out of the checking out procedure I was directed to the “customers who bought this product also bought …” section. Apparently someone had bought a prosecco advent calendar. I never knew there was such a thing. Click, I’ll have one of those too.

For some reason or another an advent calendar is the one thing that C has never bought for me. We’ve bought them for R and her various flatmates over the years, and I’ve always bought him one, either chocolate or more recently beer. But for some unknown reason I’ve never been given an advent calendar.

This year he even bought himself a tea advent calendar. I don’t drink the stuff, so it was definitely a self purchase.

Well, I’ve treated myself this year seen as though no-one is going to do it for me. I know, sob story isn’t it? First world problems.

It seems fortuitous therefore that on the first day of opening my prosecco calendar, that I actually have something to celebrate. I was interviewed for a project manager 6 month secondment role, at a higher banding, and was successfully appointed, and asked to start next week.

I shall crack open that first bottle tonight and toast a new future.

What you permit you promote

What you allow, you encourage. What you condone, you own.

This phrase was mentioned recently with regard to leadership. I don’t think that this should be solely levelled at leaders. I think this is something that anyone at any level should look to.

If you see a damaged piece of equipment is it solely the responsibility of the leader to fix it? They may well have the responsibility to get it fixed, or purchase a new one, but if staff on the shop floor keep walking past it “oh yeah, that’s been broken for ages” without either reporting it or removing it, then surely they are complicit in any accident that may occur later on if someone tries to use it. The same if something is untidy or a behaviour is unacceptable. If anyone allows it to continue without addressing it, at a commensurate level of responsibility, then they are promoting, allowing or condoning.

As a leader though, you can be quite constrained about how to deal with an issue. Policies and procedures may require certain levels of challenge. Start with an informal conversation to address a behavioural problem, set some improvement objectives, revise them. If after a period of time there is no improvement, escalate to a more formal stage, then repeat the objectives and review. Then, if there’s still no improvement, escalate again and so on. Sometimes there may be 4 stages before anything final is resolved. All of that takes time and of course may have to be kept confidential. That means the rest of the team may think that nothing is being done about it.

For replacing equipment it might be an easier process, but again it has to go through several layers of authorisation before an actual order is placed. That takes time and it looks like nothing is being resolved.

Bring that back to something like parenting. I remember saying to my daughter, when she had books, toys and other stuff strewn across the floor “move it or lose it”. If she hadn’t tidied up within an agreed time frame, I would scoop it all up and put it in the bin. And I mean the outside bin, not a waste paper basket or the kitchen bin.

Mostly with my daughter you only had to tell her once, or on the rare occasion of following through, I did actually put her school work in the outside bin. She threw a wobbly and had to fish it out. But next time I asked her to tidy up “move it or lose it”, she did as asked.

I think as parents, or leaders, shop floor folk, or even family members or friends, it is something that we should all adhere to this mantra, in any situation, walk of life, relationship. If you permit the bad things to happen, you are promoting them as acceptable and the norm.

Leading to a new path

Its funny how things turn out sometimes.

After feeling stuck in a rut for a while, I’ve been making some noises and needing to do something different and I’ve been investing some energy in to making that happen. I still have a long way until retirement so I need to be enthusiastic about the work I undertake to make it valuable and fulfilling.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have a calling or a vocation. I’ve moved from job to job in line with my strengths or desire to do something different.

As I head into the final months of my 40’s, the thought of changing career, or doing something else is quite daunting. I’ve been fortunate over the years to have been in the right place at the right time, with the right people behind me. This has enabled me to move roles, increase my responsibilities and wage packet to go with it. Those people are no longer at hand and I am becoming that person for others. But I do still need a job that I’m engaged with.

A while back I made some noises about wanting to move away from service management and go back to project management, where my skills are more commensurate. I also want to spend more time doing things that I enjoy (e.g. #bellringing) and to do better at that too.

Deciding that I want to invest more in my own final years of employment and thinking about the “what if…” scenarios has helped me formulate what I want to do.

Its not about the pay packet, I’m not motivated by money, although I do enjoy having some. I need to have purpose, value and satisfaction. I need to feel that I can use my experience, knowledge and skills to contribute to a larger society.

Change is never without its worry. Am I too old to do this? Will I regret it? What if it doesn’t work out? Should I just bite the bullet and hang the consequences?

Two opportunities are currently about to present themselves and I’m going to reach out for both of them. Now is the time to do what I want rather than what I must.

This week can do one

The feeling you have after a week’s annual leave, supposedly of having rested and regathered, hasn’t lasted long on my return this week. For some reason its been a real challenge, more so than usual.

So many of my team are either on annual leave or off sick, or off because someone in their household has symptoms so they need to isolate. Of course the knock on effect for those left in the office has been really difficult. The volume of work doesn’t decrease, and the type of role we have means that you can’t just leave it until the next day. Stresses and strains were really showing.

I have emailed all our services users to explain our predicament to give them the heads up that our service might not be up to standard. It has prompted a few to offer support where they can, albeit very limited, for which we are incredibly grateful. Of course there are others who are adding more pressure by phoning through monotonously, demanding that theirs is more important than anyone else’s. Well, no its not. Its all as important as each others because it involves patients, and one patient is no more or less important than the next.

In order to support my team as best I can I will come in on my day off to deflect some of the grief they’re getting, and I have also bought them all a prepaid coffee voucher as a thank you for their hard work. Neither of these things goes anywhere near to making up what they’re dealing with this week, but a simple way for me to acknowledge them.

Here’s hoping next week is a bit better. This week can definitely do one.

Moral Injury

The #MSEBuddyNetwork meeting yesterday was discussing moral injury, particularly in light of dealing with the pandemic.

The group were sharing issues where they have been asked to do things, or not do, that go against the individual’s morals or that they could make things right.

As a manager of a large team I had to introduce mechanisms to try to keep the whole team safe and Covid secure. This has meant impacting on their home situations. As time has gone on, staff are getting tired and frustrated that their seems to be no end in sight.

The NHS is an incredibly resilient organisation, however the individuals within it are really struggling. People come in to work, and on the surface seem fine, but we recognise that deep down they are not. Accepting the current situation does not mean that we necessarily agree with it, but we are trying to manage it as best we can.

We also need to be careful not to project those things on to others either in the workplace or at home. Sometimes we need to accept that we can’t fix everything and that we have to accept a lower bar, but that doesn’t mean we agree with it.

You’ve got mail

One of the things I dread when I go back to work after some annual leave is the size of the email in box. I refuse to log in when I’m on leave or my day off. If I’m not at work, I’m not at work.

To some in managerial positions that might seem like sacrilege. Surely if you’re a manager you should be available all the time. Well, no. I’m available the hours to which I am contracted to and for what you pay me, and if the work you are asking me to do falls outside of that, then we need to have a serious conversation.

I have done my fair share of ridiculous hours, weekends, nights, earlies etc. Been on call, been on conference meetings, and been in for meetings on my day off and all sorts. The trouble is, the more you do it, the more it becomes expected, and the more you get in the habit of doing it, and don’t switch off.

I do make some concessions. If a meeting absolutely has to take place on my day off and its imperative that I’m there, I will of course support it if I can. But I ensure I get that time back.

I have so much else going on in life outside of work too that I can’t afford to do it. My brain would explode.

There should be nothing that either can’t be dealt with by someone else, or that can’t wait until I get back.

My role as a manager and leader is to equip my staff to be self sufficient and confident to deal with most eventualities, and I should not be a bottleneck in the way.

So, 305 emails in the inbox after 1 week off. A chunk of those are routine and can be dispatched fairly promptly. That took me down to 206 by lunchtime. Then there’s the ones that I do need to read but don’t necessarily have to do anything with or about. Then there’s the ones that do require input.

By the end of the first day back I’ve got them down to a manageable 31. And don’t forget, more were coming in throughout the day too.

Another day tomorrow and another new bunch of emails to wade through.

Having a clear out

We’re having a tidy up of the study to make room for a second office desk and chair.

Over the years what was step daughter #1’s bedroom became the spare room and eventually we moved the computer out of our bedroom and into this room, therefore redesignating it as the study. However, it also became the junk room.

Over years and years, more and more stuff has been pushed in there as either being “useful one day” or “file it later”. To the point where we can’t actually get anywhere near the other end of the room, and now have no idea whats there. To be honest, a bit embarrassing.

With lockdown #2 now underway and the potential for things to change for me at work, it might be possible, or desirable, for me to work from home from time to time. It would also be more beneficial as I do more #bellringing stuff. C is on the computer quite a lot doing whatever it is he does, so if I had a desk and set up too, I could get on with things. I know that I could sit on the sofa with my laptop but that’s not conducive to a nine and a half hour working day. I need a proper chair and desk.

So, desk and chair have been ordered, although the desired chair was out of stock, so was the second preference, so ended up with third choice, which of course was more expensive, but they’re giving it to us at the same price as the first choice, for the inconvenience.

Had a phone call at 07:30 (!) Thursday morning saying that desk will arrive tomorrow. Eek, better start making room for it then.

Why does tidying up always create more mess? C is making a start as the first hurdles are his. Most of my stuff is at the back of the room, so he’s got to make some headway before I can do much. This is going to take some time. He seems to be checking everything and reading things, and deciding that “that would be useful to hang on to” despite the fact that’s its clearly not been used in many, many years.

There are now bin bags, recycling bags and piles of other stuff accumulating in the lounge, ready for the next phase. This is going to take a while.