I have been promising for a long time to share some of my experience of being a supplier to the public sector instead of a buyer. In four years, I’ve had quite a few experiences, but here is one story that…
Reflections on running a small consultancy business Part 2 – more hats than a Royal Garden Party…
Finally! It’s been a while, but here I am with more blogs on my consultancy experiences over the almost 4 (eek) years since I took the plunge and moved from working in the public sector. I promised to share experiences of being on the other side of public procurement and I will, but today I’m mostly thinking about my many different roles.
Reflections on running a small consultancy business Part 1 – managing workload
It has been an embarrassingly long time since I posted anything to this blog – mainly because I’ve been too busy running my business to have time to write reflectively. A new year is a good prompt to finally do some…
What’s in a business name?
Several people have asked me how I came to choose the name, Glen Shuraig Consulting. A few people familiar with the beautiful Isle of Arran have recognised it. I was lucky enough to get back to Arran for a few days myself this summer, so thought it might be good to share a little about the background to my business name (and have an excuse to include some nice photos).
What reviewing corporate governance can do for our mental health
This blog post is prompted by Mental Health Awareness week, as you would expect. Early disclaimer: I believe strongly that promoting good mental health is a priority for all organisations, but I am no mental health expert. I would welcome comments from people with more expertise that would help improve my understanding. From the stance of my own experience, though, here a few reflections
When we set out to develop corporate strategy for promoting good mental health is governance at the front of our minds? Probably not. We can put in place good initiatives that raise awareness, roll out training and provide support. Taking these steps is really positive and will make a difference. There has been good progress in recent years on resources for organisations, leaders and individuals to draw on. The Forward Institute recently published Helping you Thrive: Leading through Covid-19 which has helpful, practical tips for leaders coping with the current crisis and looking beyond. I strongly recommend it to everyone looking after themselves and their teams right now.
We can raise awareness and take actions across organisations without having to do more than use already established governance processes – thinking through the business case and perhaps putting in place a project or programme structure to focus on delivering benefits. The case for going further depends on whether we are committed to lasting change.
It’s not as straightforward as introvert vs extrovert
I have been struggling over the past few days to feel inspired to write something on this blog. Saying anything about the current lockdown felt impossible, given the huge volume of material written by others covering every aspect, but also necessary. Reading this excellent blog post by Professor Hazel Hall has unstuck me.
In the spirit of counting my blessings, here are ways in which I am (very) lucky.
- Most of the people who are important to me are physically well.
- I have paid work that is interesting, and which I can do from home.
- I have a home in which to live and work, and even though a family emergency has taken me away from it, I am able to live and work safely elsewhere.
- I am naturally more of an introvert than an extrovert.
The point about introverts suffering less in this crisis has been covered extensively but let me say quickly that I am not a smug introvert. It took me a long time and a breakthrough moment discussing Myers Briggs results on a leadership development course many years ago to realise that I am on balance more of an introvert. It’s surprising that it took so long, really, but like a lot of introverts in leadership roles, I have had to adapt.
Can making ‘opposite’ mistakes improve our leadership?
I was watching an international gymnastics competition online recently. During a warm-up, one of the gymnasts fell off the beam. As a mistake, it was a very neat one – no tangled heap of limbs, just landing on her feet…