Commissioning - what are the differences that make the difference?

I had another article published by the Guardian this week:

Is increasing public sector commissioning a good thing?
Creating dynamism or a race to the bottom? The questions we need to ask about commissioning from the private sector (You can see the article here)

The broad issue for me is how to structure commissioning so that it is a worthwhile use of public money in the short, medium and long term - taking into account all the various costs and benefits (and I don't just mean the ones that can be counted and turned into money). 

What the key ingredients for you - what are the differences that make the difference between good commissioning and bad commissioning? 

Free networking & boosting event

Spring clean your CV and find new business opportunities!

Many independent consultants, management development advisers, trainers, researchers and other knowledge workers are feeling the pinch right now. There are far fewer business opportunities in both private and public sectors than there were a few years ago. Moreover there are many people who have recently entered the market and set themselves up as independent advisers / consultants etc. Times are tough.

We have arranged this FREE day to help you stay (financially) afloat and (psychologically) keep your head above water. The focus is on revitalising your CV, taking a fresh look at your business development plans and exchanging ideas on where to find business opportunities. If you are like us, you will have realised the value of having someone take an objective look at your CV and other aspects of your business – and ask you some questions and give you some straight, supportive feedback.

We are planning to hold an informal workshop for seasoned self-employed, local consultants, researchers and management development professionals to provide a CV ‘carousel’ where each person's CV (and other plans) will be reviewed by at least two others to offer advice and ideas about improving content and also discuss possible areas of work that you may not have previously considered. And of course there will be time and space to network, grumble about business and share ways to keep on keeping on!

We have booked a village hall in North Buckinghamshire on 30th March from 10.30 to 14.30.

Please contact Marion Cole (marion@fenton-cole.co.uk) or me (jon@jonharveyassociates.co.uk) to find out more and, indeed, book a place. The session is free although we would appreciate any contribution you can make to covering the cost of hall hire. We will provide some milk, instant coffee and tea bags. Please either bring your lunch with you or there is a good pub just across the road from the hall we have booked. Thanks.

We look forward to seeing you. 

And please do forward this link to people in your networks who you think might be interested also. Thank you.

Marion & Jon

A Chronicle of power corrupting?

Chronicle is the latest in that sci-fi genre which concerns people gaining super powers and then documenting the consequences. They don't usually have happy endings. This film is about three American lads who discover something mysterious and then use their new telekinetic powers to do miraculous things like building a Lego space ship. It then gets more complex. It is reasonably gripping but I won't be buying the DVD to see it again. But if I come across Chronicle 2 on ITV 3 in a few years time, I might watch it out of curiosity.

So does power always corrupt? Just as in life, there is no clear answer in the movie. It can do both.

The phrase "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is often quoted on its own. But the second part is less well known: "Great men are almost always bad men". (Attributed to John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton: with more information here) The second part could well be a nod towards believers in an omnipotent God who might challenge the idea of absolute power corrupting all beings absolutely.

Or is it the other way around: do you have to be bad to gain power? 

Leadership brings power by its very nature. I would assert that all leaders need to understand the power and influence that they wield. 

So my questions to you: 

How well do you understand the intricacies of the power you have? 

How do you know that you are using your power wisely and fairly? 

What do you have to stay hold of and give up in order to use your power well?

Finding an eye in the storm

Predictions by public bodies and economists warn that 2012 will be even more austere than 2011. The Economist Intelligence Unit (http://gfs.eiu.com) is predicting with very high probability and very high impact that the global economy will fall into recession. They declare that “lacking the scope for more fiscal stimulus, developed countries could level off into a lengthy period of deflation and stagnation”.

The skies are darkening: there are turbulent and stormy times ahead. At moments like this, all leaders make a choice. Leaders can choose gloom and (to continue the metaphor) batten down the hatches as the bad weather approaches. Other leaders will choose to look beyond the clouds and acknowledge that whilst this will be a time for careful action, it is still a time to look forward. And it is in these moments that these great leaders paint pictures of what can and must be.

Pictures are very powerful. It is said that when Turner painted “Slavers throwing overboard the dead and dying — typhon coming on" he was assisting the abolitionist cause. Equally there are many pictures that have inspired people to do more than they would ever thought possible. And these can be word pictures as well: “we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches...”

My suggestion is that it is your job to paint a picture (in words or colours or both) of where you expect your team and organisation to be once the storm has passed. It is our view that having such a palpable vision will help you and your colleagues weather the storm and emerge stronger on the other side.

What is in your picture?

Tender: Create amazing leaders in a day!

Advanced Leadership Skills Training Course

Blankpolis City Council invites organisations to provide a quotation for delivering a one day “Advanced Leadership Skills” for senior managers in the ‘Making a Positive Difference’ Directorate (for 26 delegates).

Learning outcomes: by the end of the workshop delegates will

• Refresh current skills.
• Be able to develop their empathy, trust, strategic insight, communication, candour, resilience, patience, ethics, personal hygiene and time management skills.
• Move to higher level leadership skills to engage, influence and/or reach agreement or compromise without upsetting anyone including local councillors, community activists and the Daily Mail.
• Use more creative leadership techniques (including juggling, high wire walking, appropriate clowning about and diving into a bucket from 20m high).
• Handle awkward situations such as having to be candid and self-disclosing about leadership with a group of relative strangers in a crowded room.
• Present confidently to large or small groups, using videoed role play with detailed feedback for each delegate.
• Lead with style, flair and presence (via intravenous transfusion).
• Practise a range of techniques.

OK. I admit it, this is not a real tender specification. But it is fairly closely based upon one I saw today asking for a one day course in advanced facilitation skills for sixteen people. Speaking as someone who has spent most of his adult life honing his facilitation skills (and I am still learning loads), the advert roused me (shall we say) to create this parody. 

But it also saddens me as well. Here is a large public authority, needing to help some key people become better facilitators but all that the budgets will allow is a one day course... In my view, more than a quart is being poured into a pint pot. 

And in the end, will value for money be achieved? Resources are tight I know. But, is this the answer?

What do you think?

36/366

There has been a rather irritating trend on Twitter of late to list the day of the year in this format. I am really not sure why. It feels rather intrusive - as if we counting out the year already. And we have only just begun it.

This is especially irritating to me as I made a resolution at New Year: I have resolved to live life in 2012 in a way that means it doesn't zip by in the way that 2011 did! I am not sure how to go about doing this. But one thing for sure - I do not intend to count the days of the year out!

In this context, I came across an interesting article the other day which was referred to me by someone who was on a leadership programme that I ran last year (thank you Chris). The article can be found by clicking here. It is called:

Making our minds more agile - The implications of 'thinking fast and slow' (written by Daniel Kahneman)

It is a great article and I commend it to you.

One of the messages I took away from it was the importance of both kinds of thinking. Yes there are times when leaders need to think fast, on their feet, intuitively. But there are also times when we need to go a little bit slower and think in longer loops. The article says we also need to think about our thinking too.

So maybe this is part of my solution to ensuring this year does not rattle by... I need to make time to think slowly, to mull, to cogitate and chew the fat. Sometimes I don't give myself enough time to do this...

Do you?

Ten questions for potential police and crime commissioners

Guardian Public published my article on this a couple of days ago - and you can read it here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/blog/2012/jan/30/ten-questions-police-crime-commissioners

If you would like to respond to the article (as the Guardian article is not open to comments) - please post them below. I, and perhaps others, will be interested to read what you say. Thanks

Productive Workplaces: Dignity, Meaning and Community in the 21st Century

In my opinion this is the best book on organisation development. You can read more about it here:

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470900172.html

This is the3rd and 25th Anniversary edition. Do get a copy!

And I must declare an interest - I'm on p334 telling my story about how I came across the book:

I Already Had Huge Misgivings About Traditional Consultancy…

In the early 1990’s I was just starting out as an OD consultant. I read widely, trying to find the essence of what being an excellent OD practitioner meant. Books by Schein, Bennis and Beckhard helped. And then I stumbled across Productive Workplaces in a bookshop in my home city of Oxford. The book had the same affect on my brain as space dust sherbet has on my tongue. There was almost an audible pop in my brain when I came to the chapter on whole systems working. I must have read a quarter of the book sitting on the floor before I went to purchase it.

I contacted Marvin for more information about Future Search, and he sent me a draft of the first few chapters of his forthcoming book with Sandra Janoff. The idea that my role was to assist whole systems find or rediscover their own way forward was utterly compelling. I already had huge misgivings about more “traditional” consultancy models which sought to do change to an organization (or system) rather than work with the people involved. Marv’s book helped me know that I was part of a growing community of people who believed this too.

Productive Workplaces continues to influence my practice as a leadership coach and tutor, change facilitator and (now) blogger. Moreover, there is nothing I value or enjoy more than working with a client to implement a “whole system in the room” approach to organizational development. I have used ideas and practices from PW many times to tackle such issues as reducing gun & knife crime in the UK, the development of women within a large public service organization and assisting an association of psychotherapists renew their voluntary association.

Recently, I designed and facilitated a process to help integrate a range of professional agencies who are about to move into a single building. The client wanted to make sure that the co-location was not just physical but also resulted in some significant partnership building and streamlined inter agency processes. The agenda I developed for them was centered upon the idea of helping a system improve itself.

War Horse: leadership as an act of waiting

Having seen the stage production of War Horse only a few months ago, I had to make a very deliberate decision to go and see the latest movie directed by Steven Spielberg. I knew it would be impossible not to compare the two productions. Whilst the film has it merits, the stage show using puppets and minimal sets is more realistic and moving, and ultimately tells a more integrated story. The film is worth seeing - but also find the money from somewhere to go and see the play. You will not regret it.

But as to my leadership 'thought from the film' - there is much that could be said about courage, perseverance, loyalty and compassion. However, what I will highlight is the role of the main (human) character's mother. She displays a quiet patience that is breathtaking. I don't want to spoil the story by describing the events where this patience shines through - but if you see the film - watch for this.

So I will say that leadership is often about waiting, quietly, patiently for change happen and events to unfurl. Often we are 'sold' the image of action leaders, out there, driving change, making things occur. But I would contend that sometimes it is entirely appropriate to just wait and see. Such pausing patiently can be a supreme leadership act. Sometimes it is all that you can do. And sometimes it is the best thing to do.

When was the last time you patiently waited as a leader? Was it the right choice? 

Leadership in 3 words (2012)

After my post last year, which gained a diverse and fascinating selection of ideas (see this link), the time is ripe again for this question:

What three words sum up the kind of leadership we are going to need for 2012?

Please post your suggestions below. Thank you. (Mine are: circumspect, determined and creative)

You....?

STOP PRESS: I have put all the words from this blog, and linked in, and the Communities of Practice blog as well - into Wordle. Click here for the result

Mission Impossible: acts of derring-do

Continuing my series of using contemporary movies to illustrate leadership principles, I had the pleasure of sitting on the edge of my seat for over two hours the other day watching MI4: Ghost Protocol. As always great special effects such that I now worry that several Muscovites will have kittens watching the Kremlin being blown apart.

The film prompted me to consider morale and what leaders do to encourage it. The IMF team plainly have buckets of it since they can jump out of high windows, onto pointy objects and from moving vehicles without a backward glance to H&S procedures or employment conditions. Throughout the film I kept wondering, what keeps them motivated? It certainly can't be their pension plans...

Back in the real world, people don't take such risks, of course. But perhaps, relatively speaking, many do. People have to put themselves out there: talk to complete strangers and keep calm, pay as much attention to the first bolt being tightened in the day as the last one, or keep your eye out for other white van drivers also eating sandwiches. All of these jobs (and many others) carry risk and responsibility - and morale is a key ingredient. Moreover, without morale, there is often little innovation and not enough of the straight oomph needed to stay afloat in these austere and troubling times.

So as a leader, how do you know whether what you are doing is boosting morale, or making it worse? Some way of measuring this is critical. As without measurement, how will you know, whether any of you do is having a positive effect.


Within your team or organisation - how do you assess the level of morale?

Truly inspiring: J K Rowling speaks at Harvard

My friend and colleague Marylou Lousvet recommended this video to me some months ago and I have only got around to watching it now. I should not have waited!

Here are 20 minutes of gems from J K Rowling as she speaks to the graduates of Harvard in 2008 about the importance of failure and imagination.

Truly uplifting.

Go on - treat yourself to 20 minutes of a writer who has inspired millions

http://vimeo.com/1711302

(Thanks Marylou)

Leadership 2012

2011 has been a tumultuous year where we have had the Arab Spring (ongoing), Eurozone crisis (ongoing) Fukushima (ongoing), not to mention riots on the streets of several UK cities, the end of several despots and far too many disasters, the impacts of which are still also ongoing*

2012 is likely to be equally challenging. As this is the time of year when people assemble lists - here is my list for what public service and business leaders need to be focussing on over the next 12 months:

• Innovate, create, do something different
• Take risks, be bold, encourage others to do likewise
• Get involved in social media
• Delight in diversity - in all of its diversity
• Harness transparency
• Expect compliance to come from the inside
• Lead the future

What would be your top seven?

(*And if you want to make a donation to aid people who are affected by the severe drought in East Africa, please click this link).

New Years Eve: just schmaltz or something deeper?

The first film I saw last night was New Year's Eve. It is a lot (a lot..) better than the comparable film Valentine's Day which was panned a while back. But I can be more positive than that! NYE was a warm pastiche of some delightful moments (especially the speech by the Tess Byrne character) and although very predictable in the main - sometimes predictable is good. But I am an old romantic who can happily watch Love Actually if I stumble across it on ITV4.

But back to the theme of this blog - leadership and change (etc) - are there any lessons for leaders in this film? (I have the beginning of a plan to watch movies in 2012 and critique them from a leadership and organisation development viewpoint... watch this space - and see previous post as well)

I think the film is ultimately about keeping your promises. I don't want to spoil the movie for you - but I would argue that this is a theme which underpins nearly all of the vignettes on show. Whilst the consequences of breaking a promise here or there are shown, the story centres on several characters moving heaven and earth (and eating some very humble pie) to fulfil a promise that they made.

As leaders, we must keep our promises. If we think we will not be able to keep a promise then I would say we should not make it. A long time ago, I worked for a firm which had a very clear set of value statements. One of these was 'do as you say you are going to do'. That has stuck with me every since. It is a principle that guides me.

Good leaders keep their promises. 

Of course people do break their promises and explain why it was necessary. But observers know. We know when an explanation is just a rationalisation. (And we do know when the explanation is authentic too.)

As leaders, we know when we keep our promises. But how do we distinguish an authentic explanation from a rationalisation when we may be driven to break a promise?

How do you know when to make a promise.. and when you must break it? 

Sherlock Holmes: predicting your shadow moves

I treated myself to a couple of movies last night. The second one I saw was Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (still showing at a picture house near you I expect). I set myself a challenge: what insight into leadership does this film display?

Firstly I would say it is a cracking film with Guy Ritchie showing off his trade that the public first appreciated in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Game of Shadows was fast moving, mildly humorous and had some edge of the seat moments where I was aware that the whole audience were holding their collective breath. I could say more, of course, but the point of this blog is not to write a review of the film, there are plenty of other people who have done that (here and here for example).

There is no spoiler here, but there are a number of occasions (usually in the fight scenes) in the film where Sherlock runs through his assessment of what is about to happen  in his mind's eye and then maps out how he will be victorious. It is as if he is acting on the basis of premonition or as (as probably the character would contend) deduction from the facts of the situation. And I got to wondering how many organisations or leaders do that successfully? How many strategies are carefully crafted from the known facts and then played out in such a way as to achieve the results needed?

In my experience, and I am being a tad cynical here I know, many (perhaps even most) strategies are derived post hoc. Something is achieved and then people get to be clever in linking that result with a logical interpretation of what was done. Strategies that do not work are carefully forgotten or condemned by an incoming new manager / board / government... It is as if strategies always work.

Of course Mr Holmes' strategies always work in the film. The question for me is how many strategies really work in real life? If they are going to work, I would propose a number of conditions that need to be present. Drawing on the film as a source of inspiration, these are:

• Clarity about the desired outcome
• Awareness (perhaps a hyper-awareness) the factors that will hinder and help
• Non attachment to past ways (what worked then may not work now)
• Understanding of human behaviour and how that might change the plans
• Creativity and using resources in very innovative ways
• Preparedness to risk (almost) all
• Openness to other ideas but also the confidence to stop listening at times

What else would you add?

(And if you see the film, have I summed up the character's approach adequately?)

What is your perspective on 2012?

Greetings!

Well here we are again! Where did 2011 go? It may well be that I am getting older – but this year has gone by at breakneck speed for me. My theory is that because we are aware now of so much happening (perhaps more is happening or just that technology brings more of it into our vista), it is like being on a train where the near objects whistle past. Objects further away drift past more slowly. But now it seems as if everything is close – and fast –now.

And in this flurry and buzzing change – to what do we now have to look forward? Certainly I am thrilled to be living near London where the Olympics are happening next year – even though I will probably watch them through my TV screen. Whilst I am no Royalist, I am looking forward to the diamond jubilee festivities when I hope that communities will come together in celebration and warm friendship. (Why not organise a Big Lunch?)

But on the wider economic stage, this is likely to be a very harsh year. Although someone once said that the reason we have astrologers is to make economists look scientific, I think their gloomy predictions for 2012 could be true. This is not an email in which to get political. I will only say that it is my earnest hope that all those who can, will mitigate the damage that 2012 is likely to inflict upon people, especially those who are already hugely disadvantaged. I genuinely hope it is not as bad as I fear. Maybe when I come to write to you next year, I will be saying ‘there we are – it wasn’t all that bad!’.

So I have been pondering what word to adopt this year. I thought what do we need above all else as we pitch into 2012? I concluded that what we all need is perspective – a belief in a horizon that extends beyond the last few and the next few years. An outlook that will help see these times from a bit further away – a perspective that doesn’t lose sight of the fact that we are brilliant, creative, resourceful and caring people, able to collaborate to achieve remarkable things. No matter how bad things might get, we have the spirit that keeps us moving on, keeps us looking after each other, keeps us... human.

This is my word, my perspective, for 2012. What is yours?

In the meantime, I will hope that you find some good time to be with friends and family over the Christmas period, and that all your dreams and ambitions for the coming year are fulfilled.

My very best wishes

Jon

The dangers of spurious data

I was reading an article the other day about how Pfizer now use computer tablets (as opposed to the usual ones they manufacture) to keep track of the conversations their representatives have with physicians. Not only is the partly due to the need to comply with all the legislation around what influence pharmaceutical companies can exert upon doctors, but is also about observing the patterns of interest among their clients.

So all well and good: it is not surprising that Pfizer is investing in clever analytics to carry out its business better.

But the thing that struck me was the senior manager talking about their strategy said (refreshingly I thought) that they were not overly concerned about precision. His view was that since the data is all about helping them manage the future, and the future is fairly fuzzy place, spending endless resources on getting numbers to three decimal points was... pointless.

Also this week, I saw a fascinating graph in the Financial Times which showed just how wrong the Monetary Policy Committee has been about its predictions for the consumer prices index (which stands at 5.2% - near a 20 year high).

All this got me to thinking about precision and spurious data. For me one of the places this often crops up is with 350 feedback tools - where people are told they have scored 3.6 on some competency against an average of 4.1. Naturally people want to know if this is significant or not - and as I know a little about stats - I have to say that I have no idea - as the full data is not there.

So, as a leader, how much spurious data are you forced to read - or indeed how much do you create?

(and yes I have left in the 350 degree feedback just to annoy you...!)

Leadership food (International Blog Action Day 2011)

OK. I have been busy! Hence no blog posts for a month. I am sorry. But I had to write something today as it's Blog Action Day 2011. The theme is food...

And as the BAD2011 website says - there is so much one can say about food: http://blogactionday.org/why-food/ - what you like, don't like, how so many people still don't get enough of it and the huge cultural significance it plays in our societies around the world. But I want to talk about 'leadership food' instead.

By leadership food I mean the stuff that sustains us as leaders - what do leaders have to 'eat' in order to be healthy and successful leaders? Is your diet wholesome or based on comfort food?

Comfort food for a leader are models, tools, techniques - the materials that we can use to ensure we cover the issues that need to be covered when putting together our business plans (for example). These are the checklists, the researched recipes for success, the latest fad in management etc. I don't mean to be dismissive at all - we need this stuff - just as we all crave for the odd late night slice of toast with butter and Marmite (or not...!) But a diet of only these sorts of materials will create leaders that do things by rote or mimicry, in my view.

A wholesome diet includes all these tools, of course, but is also about much more. This diet  has plates of feedback, many spoonfuls of reflective practice, sandwiches filled with unanswered questions and puzzlement, a few pinches of self doubt, bowls of self exploration about where your confidence comes from (and how you can help others gain confidence too) and ladles of careful observation of your impact as a leader.

What is your diet as a leader? What is your leadership food?

With a mop and a duster...

According to the BBC R4 Today programme this morning, Tesco say that September is the month in which most cleaning products are bought - leading to the idea that we now 'Autumn clean' rather than 'Spring clean'

So with a good duster, mop and broom (and even a micro-fibre cloth) - what would you like to clean out of your organisation in September?

Police Crime Commissioners: what might be in their manifestos

Events of the last few weeks have thrown into relief the issue of police leadership and just how political their job can be at times. Debates have been raging at the highest political levels and widely discussed in the media about accountability and professional practice. In the middle of this maelstrom, the Government has stuck with its plans to introduce politically elected Police Crime Commissioners. Whilst not yet on the statute book, we can probably expect the legislation to be whipped through Parliament as swiftly as possible so that the elections for these new police leaders can happen as planned next May.

All this has prompted me to think about the issues that might be addressed in manifestos of the candidates – and what the electors might be interested to know about, before casting their votes. I would expect the local police officers and staff would have an interest too. 

So here is my ‘template’ manifesto for this new kind of political police leader:

There is a huge and complex matter about the distinction between operational & strategic command and political direction and accountability. I would expect that any candidate for the position of one of the PCCs to make very clear just what kind of influence they expect to bring to and exert on the local police service. Some of this of course will be determined by statute, but any candidate worth their salt will be able to describe how they plan to play their part in the leadership of the local police service and not just in times of crisis, but also day to day. 

One of the criticisms of the existing police authorities is that they have not managed to engage with their publics well enough. Some PAs have been better than others of course but the overall level of awareness of their existence and role is not as high as it should be – certainly in the eyes of the Government. Therefore, a candidate for the role of PCC, should be able to articulate just what they will do differently and how their engagement with local communities will be a step change for the better. They will need to state clearly, in my opinion, how they will fairly represent the views of the many diverse communities who will be electing them. 

As we have seen evidence of in recent times, there is the massive issue about deployment of resources. I would expect any candidate for the post of a local Police Crime Commissioner to say what will guide them in influencing how the police service allocates its resources. Again this cannot only be during times of crisis but also (and more importantly) during the everyday job of tackling crime. I would hope that the candidates will address the conundrum already being faced by police services up and down the country: how do you balance resources between areas where people are most at risk of harm (and where people are often less vocal about the need for ‘bobbies on the beat’) with areas where crime is much lower but fear and concern about crime and anti-social behaviour is much higher (and often articulated loudly). 

Crime prevention is often something of a poor cousin in police circles. It might be said by many officers and staff that the needs to respond to calls for help will always be paramount and therefore long term measures to prevent crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime will naturally come second. However I think the issue goes deeper than this and touches on some quite embedded elements of police culture. I would hope that the manifestos of the PCC candidates will tackle this issue head on and say how they plan to boost prevention and work strategically with the police (and many other partner agencies) to do what can be done to create communities that are sustainably infused with the Queen’s Peace.

Finally, there is the matter of professional practice. Unlike many other public professions (and I am thinking here of medicine, teaching, probation, social work and nursing), policing practice is near the beginning of being an evidence based pursuit. Often what police officers do is determined by precedence or custom and practice rather than evidence based research. Just as you would not expect to be offered a treatment by a doctor that had not been reliably tested, it is also the case that police practice should be similarly informed by what works (and what does not). The Neyroud report published earlier this year went into length about the need to establish policing as profession based on evidence based practice. In line with this, surely any candidate for the post of PCC (who will be responsible for the effective, efficient and economic running of local police service) must be able to express a view about the vital matter. I hope that every manifesto published will discuss the importance of building police practice around good research and everyday learning.

No doubt the manifestos will mention many other matters in addition to these – ones that reflect the particular concerns of local people and the crime challenges in the local police area. These could be very interesting political campaigns!