Your First Resource
Writing for the Resource Centre of the Health Service Journal, Nicky Spencer encourages everyone to update (if not, create) their career plan – using some ideas from the business sector. Should you want to find out more – review the article and HSJ subscribers can also make comment at HSJ.com.
Inspiration on steering your career through a recession is peculiarly sparse. But by applying the plethora of business advice to your career you can create some useful tips.
Three main principles emerge, all centre on taking control: of your direction, your investments and your emotions. Things you would want to do in good times but are still more important to do in difficult ones.
A strong business plan focuses the attention, actions and resources of businesses on their ultimate goal. With the first whiff of any change in the marketplace, their plans are revised to keep the company moving in the desired direction.
In recession, our first task is to revisit our career plan. As events unfold, adjust or write for the first time your ambitions and the benefits you seek to achieve. Reschedule or schedule time frames to ensure they are still realistic. Refresh or construct your action plan to keep on track.
Base your plan on a sound view of the future: you will need to speculate on all that is going to happen. How long do you expect the recession and public sector freeze to last? What impact is predicted for your sector, service and career? Watch news, listen to critics, surf the websites, network and debate with a range of people to identify the possible scenarios. Hope for the best but plan for the worst.
According to the New Statesman smart businesses are “leanbut not short sighted”. Being lean means managing your investments – inside and outside work. Mindful that it is easier to save than to earn, reducing expenditure also provides more flexibility and choice in your future career moves.
Scrutinise new purchases and recurrent spending: are they needed right now; could they be secured another way – made, mended, borrowed; and, if inevitable, be procured at the required quality but least cost?
As a minimum:
Originally published in the Health Service Journal in July 2010.
Find out why Nicky thinks it’s important to manage your reputation in the Health Service Journal’s Resource Centre, 17th June 2010. And. if you are convinced you need to improve yours, she’s suggested the main steps you might like to take. Remember, it’s easier to keep a good reputation going than correct a bad one.
If you subscribe to the HSJ, you can read and comment on the article at the HSJ website.
Nicky has committed to one further article for the HSJ. It will appear on 29th July If you’ve ideas for future articles of interest to health service managers, please send them to nicky.spencer@accomplice.uk.com.
Having contributed to the MacCleod review, Nicky Spencer is pleased to accept a complementary ticket to the “Engaging the Human Resource” conference in late June.
With the level of national debt and pressure increasing on the public purse, we want to be ahead on how to make the most of your workforce: increasing productivity whilst sustaining motivation and commitment. Workforce engagement – especially in maximising their own potential – is crucial.
Find out more about this conference at PublicServiceEvents.co.uk.
Nicky Spencer presented a sample of ideas on how to retain and motivate a team alongside at the Medilink East Midlands event on June 9th.
Addressing delegates from the bioscience and healthcare industries, she encouraged team leaders to know the factors that they could adjust to meet the needs of (and so retain) their team members. Challenging them to secure the right foundations for the team and lead by example – signing the way through difficulties and exhibiting the best behaviours in both private and public,
Nicky concluded with a call to “balance concern for team members with the product or service that must be delivered. Neither neglect nor favour one over the other. Instead, recognise that the motivation of your team members and greater productivity are inextricably linked”.
Whether you attended the conference or not, review a copy of the presentation script and slides here.
A client sent this to Nicky a few weeks ago…
Believe it not I think about you most days as you will be very pleased to hear we have a little photo of you on our notice board. No I haven’t gone completely mad! Some time ago, our director, brought along your article on the pitfalls of email and asked that we all took note of the very insightful content! Anyway, ever since you have lived on our notice board.
What lovely feedback!
Nicky Spencer will be speaking for the first time from a private sector platform on June 9th – with East Midlands Medilink. Addressing delegates from the bioscience and healthcare industries, she will have just 20 minutes to present her best ideas on how to retain and motivate a team.
It has been confirmed that these events are available at no cost to the NHS and equate to 2 hours for those wishing for CPD accreditation,
The event is to be held on 9th June 2010 at BioCity, Penny Street, Nottingham.
Download the programme or visit Medilink.com for more information.
A half-day, motivational programme for any NHS manager who wants to succeed in the new era.
By the end of the session, you will have outlined a personal plan to best position yourself for success – having joined colleagues to map the most common challenges, consider what success would look like and generate the hottest tips to ensure you thrive.
Watch this space for the details to this exclusive IHM East Midlands Workshop planned for the end of June / early July.
We’re pleased to announce that our team audit tool has been launched to gather the views of external parties and not just to gather your team’s view on its performance. It’s been fascinating (and motivating) to provide our first team with real-time feedback from their clinicians and managers. How can you not want to hear that, because of your excellent service, a clinician believes that they are providing “100% more service” than they would do if you were not there?
Hearing the good news that your service users, patients through to your directors or colleagues share and knowing how to tackle areas of improvement proved to be a pleasant surprise. Perhaps your team is doing better than you think you are?
Read more about the Team Audit or contact us to chat through you team’s requirements.
May 6th saw the publication of another in the series of articles Nicky is writing for the HSJ’s Resource Centre. To find out what innovation is about – and it’s more than generating those big ideas – read on.
If you are an HSJ member, then please lend your comments on the article or innovation at HSJ.com.
Watch out for Nicky’s next article – how to build your reputation – due for publication in the HSJ on Thursday, 17th June.