“Life is what happens to you when you’re
busy making other plans.”
I’ve thought a lot about this remarkably
astute line from a John Lennon song this week.
So often, we set out clear plans and then
things don’t quite work the way we expected. It can be hard to predict the
future because we sometimes underestimate the unexpected and life’s twists and
turns. That’s when flexibility and positivity become powerful tools. Just
because it’s a different plan doesn’t mean that it won’t be as good or even
better.
As you know, we’ve just announced that two
of our exec director colleagues - Henry and Suzanne - will be leaving us this
summer. Henry is retiring as medical director and Suzanne is taking up the
finance director post at Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust.
So, we suddenly find ourselves in the position of two significant changes
happening at the same time within our close knit exec team.
The other night as I was ruminating on this with my husband, he compared my job
to that of a football manager. While I would love to think he was comparing me
to the likes of Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho and co. in terms of style, he
wasn’t! It was more that he could see similarities in the challenges we face.
We both have to build strong teams and
manage when there are changes to that team through injuries, retirements,
transfers or promotions. Like a football manager, I’m not out on ‘the
pitch’, but need to create the right environment for the team to flourish
because people care about our performance. For us that is our staff, people who
use our services, partners and our regulators; and for football managers that
is their team’s fans.
So, having a team that can deliver matters,
but managing changes in the team is part and parcel of both our roles. Losing
great players who add so much can be difficult, and we will really miss Henry
and Suzanne, but it doesn’t mean we won’t still be great.
Just look at Liverpool football team (apologies for using this club as an
example in Manchester!), who have lost some seriously good players over the
years including Philippe Coutinho, who earned ‘The Magician’ nickname because
of his creative flair. However, despite this, with a few different solid
signings and a collective team philosophy, they have turned things around. They
really do demonstrate that the whole is greater than the sum of their parts and
their stunning 22 point lead is more than
proof of that.
I’ve always been an optimist, which helps
me stay more motivated than discouraged when things don’t go as
planned, and more hopeful than anxious.
That doesn’t mean I don’t empathise or
appreciate that people can feel deeply anxious about the unexpected or
large-scale change. It’s important we recognise this, and listen and respond to
concerns. It’s healthy to have a bit of both optimism and anxiety.
And I know there’s some anxiety among
corporate staff about the big programme of redesign we are working on, for example.
But it’s tremendous how you are leading this, on top of the busy day job and
with so many vacancies.
I’ve been to several different forums
recently where people have been praising the energy and commitment of people involved
in this work. For example, at our exec directors meeting this week, the
external consultants Niche have been feeding back on the first phase of
the corporate redesign process and they’ve been incredibly complimentary about
our ‘excellent staff’ and so impressed with your professional and positive
attitude. They feel you have really embraced the need for change, with a
real desire to improve. So a huge thank you for your commitment.
We’re also giving some thought to the extra
support needed for the corporate redesign as we move into the next phase. It’s
vital we get this right to help deliver our new five year plan.
In terms of the integrated leadership
redesign work that is running in parallel with the corporate redesign, we’re
just at the stage of looking at the feedback that we’ve received about the
proposed new structures. I just want to reassure people we are looking at how
we take these on board and reflect your views in any revised proposals before
we move into the next stage.
There’s so much going on and I am
frustrated that I am not always able to get to everything I want to. I was
disappointed, for example, to not be able to attend the recent
clinical effectiveness workshop which I heard was a fantastic showcase of
our clinical audit, research and innovation work.
But if I can’t always visit you or attend
every event, please remember that I still get constant feedback and compliments
about your amazing work and attitude.
I’ve just had a hugely complimentary email
from the psychology lead at the Black Country Partnership, for
example, about our older adult inpatient staff who have been on their Creating
Caring Cultures six-month initiative. She praised your ‘commitment to
excellence and determination to make a difference to the wards’ which
was wonderful to hear.
So, the love is being shared on Valentine’s
Day. Who needs romance when we have such passion!
Best wishes,
Claire
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