Monthly Archives: May 2015

A tale of two managers

Posted by Phil Hawthorn on

A Practice Manager in a General Practice somewhere in England had resigned.  The response from two of the owners of the business (the Partners) was enlightening – in that they  responded  very differently to each other.

One blanked the resignee straight away.  The manager was moving out of the healthcare arena.  The blanker sent an e mail,  “OK – you’re obviously going for a better package – what can we offer to match it?”

The PM refused to dignify the e mail with a reply.

They did however become quite moved by the second response.

“Oh shit. That’s bad.”

There followed a quiet, thoughtful silence.

Then he said, “OK. What can we learn from this, do you think?”.

Isn’t that just so spot on? It is how you hope you would react in similar circumstances.  It is why the PM will return one day. And it is why the second partner gets my vote for leader of the month.

(Sometimes a blog is short because it doesn’t need any more input.  This is one of those).

WILY – weeks 16 & 17

Posted by Phil Hawthorn on

As this is General Election poling day in the UK, I thought I’d start with the political bits from the last two weeks of What I Learnt Yesterday.  Sorry – I know this is mainly organisational biased stuff – but politics and power get in the way at work too!

I had an epiphany.  It was during one of the pseudo debates / question time style of programme.  I was fed up with the condescension and them telling me what they were going to do.  Politicians are there to spend our taxes in the way that we would prefer them to be spent.  They are servants, not masters.

Also had the embarrassment of someone European questioning our system! Danish friend heard we were talking about tactical voting.  “I’m sorry”, she said, “If you are talking about tactical voting then you don’t have a democracy.  Maybe it is time for first past the post to curl up and die.  It doesn’t suit a multi party state?

There were a few times when I had those lovely “I just love what I do” moments.  First, working with a set of experienced nurses.  Why, whatever else we talk about, does the conversation always at some point end up with sex?  I don’t know either, but it does!  And even after 20 years – I still get a huge buzz from working with committed and hard thinking delegates.  And then the thanks to everyone e mails start to circulate – and I know everyone is having a quiet and personal warm glow sensation.  Lovely!  Getting personal feedback that’s immensely positive too – I still do get quite emotionally choked up.  Working on local volunteer radio is a new thing for me – and as ever with anything new, a bit scary. There are always people to hold your hand…and it does help!

Found myself tweeting congratulatory tweets about the BBC.  W1A – just can’t imagine any other station taking the michael out of itself so deeply.  And so good to see Nick Robinson back in the saddle after his recent ops.  I hope he turns up, as Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC 1 coverage tonight.

The scary light...

The scary light…

Mentioned football a few times too – still love it, and still go through the whole gamut of emotions.  Maybe next season??

Personal stuff?  Live concert performances – Handel and then onto a bit of Soul – quite an evening!  But realised yet again how uplifting live performances can be.  Music is the food for the soul – and the human voice one of it’s best instruments.

A quote from @tipsy_writer to end on

“So poor – all they have is money”

Nice…

The C Word

Posted by Phil Hawthorn on

Alright…this is not a normal blog for me.  It’s not about organisational stuff, or What I learnt Yesterday – although it fits that strand apositely.  It’s just not that common for a TV drama to still be burnt into my head 24 hours later.

The C Word starred Sheridan Smith as Lisa Lynch, the 20 something who was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She didn’t want to be a victim, so she wrote her way through the bullshit (as she called her cancer).  And the blog turned into a book, which turned into this doc-drama play.  I half caught at the beginning that Smith was a friend of Lisa’s.  Lisa’s friends certainly concurred that she had ‘nailed it’.  There was one part late on where a counsellor or nurse advised her and husband Pete (the exquisitely pitch perfect Pail Nicholls – who I remember mainly as a sort of heart throb in East Enders?) to read a book – and was given a copy of her own book!  Apocryphal or what – it doesn’t matter – if it did happen – well, brilliant!

My dad died of stomach cancer, as his dad did.  I suppose that history makes it more cutting and real?  And having had too many friends in the last few years being diagnosed and treated for many and various cancers – 3 of them breast – I really couldn’t take my eyes or ears or hankies off the TV.

Some of you reading this will know who you are (and just one or two can’t read this), and will probably not have been able to watch.  It will be too raw as yet.  But for those who missed it – please, please have a go at finding it on iPlayer.  it was on BBC 1, on 3rd May.

45 years ago my dad’s eldest brother, Uncle Ted, was visiting his wife Aunty Marge in Liverpool’s old Royal Infirmary Hospital.  We were there as a family.  Uncle Ted was led into the corridor by my dad, as he had just been told the diagnosis and prognosis was not good for the breast cancer she had. (the patient didn’t used to be informed in the UK at that point).  I was left with Uncle Ted while he cried in huge gulps while I tried to console him, while everyone else had to go back to put on a brave face.  I was 11.  It stays with you.

My thoughts are often with you, my friends who have been or are still going through this.  Much love. You know who you are. x

just one of the reviews:

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/04/the-c-word-review-sheridan-smith-cancer-wonderful-testament