Seven ways I help public and private clients reinvent and prosper – where does your organisation sit?

Speak and write in ‘humanish’ Use accessible and affirming language that focuses on vision rather than problems and calls a spade a spade – what is a ‘Financial Inclusion Officer’ to someone with a debt problem? Doesn’t ‘Create Prosperity’ sounds better than ‘Tackle Poverty’? Let’s also replace don’t do signs and rules with positive guidance and, for heaven’s sake, use more humour.

Lead rather than manage. We need strong and compelling visions and the will to think and act boldly. Take Jaime Lerner of Curitiba in Brazil or Edi Rama of Tirana, both mayors who listened and acted quickly and decisively on citizen aspirations, regenerated civic pride, made massive impacts and created new hope and momentum.

Speed up decision-making and encourage decision-making at all levels – moving from a management to a leadership culture and turning policy victims into policy entrepreneurs. A person empowered to think and act will make things happen.

Focus on participation rather than representation Connect people to the means to shape ideas. This means moving from traditional notions of consultation and creating exciting ways to engage people in future planning. In an age of social media there is no excuse for not doing more.

Involve and listen to children’s ideas and give them influencing roles. They are more connected to the technologies of the future, more creative, more open-minded and ‘can do’ and yet we persist with the adult always knows best policy. Kiran Bir Sethi at the Riverside School in India set her children the challenge to change a billion lives – the impacts they have made are staggering and their performance at school has improved dramatically.

Raise rather than manage expectations. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, always sets his and his team’s sight on winning everything – they often do. He has never targeted second or third place, which is what I have heard other sports managers aiming for.  It’s time to raise the ceiling not the floor. You invariably get what you ask for.

In the past two years I have done a simple test with people I’ve worked with up and down the country. Let’s call it “what does this brand say to you.” Responses are almost always immediate and passionate because a brand is the sum of all its behaviours. Some are seen as a force for good, others as vulture capitalists – those that profit over human or environmental impact. Scale and size is irrelevant in this test. What matters is that faceless, dishonest and untouchable brands will die and they will die quickly

We are seeing a seismic shift in how people perceive and respond to business brands – the baby boomers have been let down by a culture of corporate greed while an emerging generation wants to test the humanity of a business before they touch it with a barge pole. I work with clients to turn them into magnet brands – this requires a real appreciation of what a brand has to represent in the future. 85% of people expect companies to be actively involved in promoting individual and collective wellbeing – that’s a 15% increase in just one year. But, only 28% believe companies are doing enough. With social networks facilitating global conversations on corporate transgressions we really are on the cusp of a new wave of people power. There will be casualties unless some serious rethinking is done. We need leadership at the highest level to create a culture change. That takes boldness and courage and a willingness to make waves big enough to sweep away the detritus left by the greed merchants and create something wholly different. The difference between the highest and the lowest paid employees is as true a test as any. Go and ask.

What people won’t tolerate is a corporate facelift while the internal organs remain in poor condition. That’s why I work deep in organisations – the answers are to be found among employees – where I consistently find a wealth of great ideas. People want to walk to work with a spring in their step. Release their pride and energy and we find a turbo-boost. I like companies that say: “We are imperfect, we learn from our mistakes and we grow better and stronger as a result.”

Drive up to Geneva Airport’s drop off point and you will be greeted with the words ‘Kiss and Fly.’ We know that Irn Bru ‘Gets you through’ and who among us gives a **** for a Castlemaine xxxx? The punch up between a John West fisherman and a great brown bear had us in stitches yet made a clear point about the brand’s pursuit of quality. Even Governments can get in on the act (as above).

Humour is memorable and, at its best, thought provoking. But can fun be used to change human behaviours? Take the Speed Camera Lottery now used in Stockholm. Exceed the speed limit and you pay into the Lottery, obey it and you are automatically entered for the prize draw. Fantastic. Does it work? Go to http://www.thefuntheory.com/speed-camera-lottery-0

Why are we so given to austere messaging in this country? Wherever we turn we are faced with instructions and warnings. Stiffer penalties don’t do it, yet we persist with the same predictable responses to our great societal challenges. Catch and punish. I want to bring some new approaches to this country that don’t just deliver great results but bring a sense of fun into our lives. Finland’s health revolution involved older people’s playgrounds and cholesterol competitions between neighbourhoods. What would we give to achieve the dramatic improvements Finland has made to its health and wellbeing? How about some lateral thinking here? We have got great creative thinkers here – set them free to make the difference and let’s not be afraid to venture into the playground. We need to lighten up and use laughter as an agent for change. It works.

How easy is it to talk about Scotland’s growing poverty over a cup of coffee, shake our heads disapprovingly, blame government and then order another latte? There are also those of course who blame the victims. I’ll remember that when I see a small child in one of those peripheral estates where hope has become a luxury too far. “It’s your fault,” I’ll holler. The latest research shows our poverty levels at their highest for 30 years.

That should be a source of shame to us all. But here is where I get really exercised. When we shrug and point to government policy we ignore the billions of pounds that has been spent on alleviation programmes over the years. Policy and intent is one end of the spectrum. At the other is delivery. We have created a lucrative poverty industry in Scotland. Yet, what has really changed? Now, some of these professionals (publicly at least) seem focused more on their own pensions and conditions than any passionate purpose. Let’s tear up the rulebook and start afresh with bold new ideas. I have a track record of working with people of all ages inside some of our most impoverished communities to set and pursue new ambitions. Change starts not in council chambers but with people themselves. Stop bombarding them with policy speak and give them the voice, tools, confidence and connections to change their world and we spark a human revival. I focus on people as ‘assets’ not ‘problems’ and talk of ‘creating prosperity’ not ‘tackling poverty’ I am too maverick to fit with the programme – even though it consistently fails. When I was down and out what I wanted more than anything was someone who smiled at me and saw the possibility. Change is here – right now. Time to Thinktastic.

185 active cranes dotted around the city, buildings rising like flowers in spring, a population that’s diverse and valued for its diversity, inventiveness, can do and energy – this is the Toronto of today. I was there last week and I witnessed a palpable sense of confidence, optimism and civic pride in and around the city. Its creative and cultural industries are burgeoning and its reputation for digital media, film and television output is growing by the day. It’s economy is strong and getting stronger.

So, what makes a city do well in this uncertain climate? First, you set a clear vision for the future and set, and I quote, “audacious goals”, second “you ‘tell your story and repeat it often” then you empower people at all levels to lead, take risks and add to the City’s rich cultural and economic tapestry. I spoke to a group of enthusiastic citizens in the city of Oshawa, 35 minutes from Toronto. Their mission is to involve imagination and people of all ages in its development. We came up with great ideas and then the local Mayor arrived, breathless and apologetic. He’d been at a vital budget meeting but didn’t want to miss the opportunity to hear fresh ideas. That impressed me greatly. Then I went to Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation, now also opening in New York. What energy and what buzz. Businesses and individuals rent shared space within a four-storey building, with a mission to catalyse social change in Canada and across the world.

How about a Centre for Social Innovation here? Would you back me in making this happen. Toronto’s real magic is, I believe,  its multi-culturalism – the City positively celebrates its diversity. New Canadian replaces immigrant and the City brings ideas, experiences, talents and enterprise from all corners of the world. I saw the future and I found myself with renewed energy. Toronto speaks of ambition and is fearless in facing the future – let’s learn from it.

Living with asthma and bouts of depression has made me more determined to live my life on my terms. I have worked hard to use these conditions as a positive life force and never to allow them to limit my ambition. Many of our highest achievers are what they are, because managing their condition gives them extra steel, higher motivation, extra insights and uniquely learned tools

Paula Radcliffe’s asthma made her more determined to go on and achieve, Steve Redgrave says that “diabetes had to live with me, not me live with it.” Prince has epilepsy and Angelina Jolie suffers from depression. She says: “When I felt I was going into a very dark place, and wasn’t capable of getting up in the morning, I signed up for something that would force me to be active.”

These stories and there are many, many more, show us that such conditions can lead us on to greater things. Medicines, exercise regimes and special treatments all play a part of course, but ‘chief’ of all is the determination to seize control of our own life and health. The NHS move to supporting self-management is long overdue but it needs to be fuelled by inspiring tales of those many people among us who prove daily that a long-term condition can spur us on rather than limit us.

Now, did you know that over 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic? They are hired because of their superior problem solving and spatial awareness skills. How many lives are blighted when we ignore the enormous talents that may just lurk behind a condition?

I like speaking to young people, so I leapt at the chance yesterday, to address pupils at Leith Academy. I enjoy these occasions because the young feed my enthusiasm and sense of hope for the future. Okay, they may not always be talkative or effusive but look beyond that and you will find intelligence, determination, inventiveness and enterprise in abundance. Surely, we have a responsibility to help them release these qualities. They want to be valued and given a chance to show their strengths. Yet, we surround them with the constant drone of a negative surround sound and too often, we focus on their weaknesses

Join Thinktastic and let’s celebrate and promote our young people at every turn and talk hope and opportunity – not doom and gloom. Not only do young people see life from a less cynical perspective, they are leaders in the technologies that will create opportunities for us all in the future. This is, after all, the generation that has produced more 15 year-old entrepreneurs than any other. Let’s stand up for them and encourage them to shape, rather than inherit, the future.

I made a personal discovery early on in my working life – that I could make someone’s day. A well-placed word, a gesture, a smile, a helpful suggestion and a willingness to go beyond – it works like magic. Customer service is about putting yourself in their shoes and asking what would make you happy. We each have the power to make customers welcome, valued and uplifted. Yet, in this country service is still hugely undervalued and let’s be honest, were it not for hard working immigrants from Asia, the Antipodes and across Europe, we would have been bereft of positive examples.

You used to have to travel abroad to know what a great customer experience feels like. Things are improving here but we have a way to go. We still seem unable to distinguish between service and servitude. What utter tosh! Service is a relationship of equals and when we learn that, it is fantastically rewarding. Let’s make service sexy. Remember, each day it gives us opportunities to provide solutions, to shine in the eyes of others, to be noticed and to make someone’s day.

London 2012 proved that a whole city can rise to the challenge and create an atmosphere of warmth, welcome and feelgood and yet, the games makers were voluntary. This country faces major economic challenges – now is the time to make sure that thousands of interactions each day raise rather than sink spirits. Great service rocks and when you experience it, you want it again and again,

• Invest in and give new life to what works and repair or sweep aside that which doesn’t
• Draw in people who relish our challenges because they bring fresh perspective, skills, enthusiasm and they deliver
• Say “what if” not “if only” and use the creativity that exists around us to guide us to new solutions
• Use positive and clear language and avoid jargon
• Present a friendly human face – not one that’s obscured by layers of bureaucracy and guarded by gatekeepers
• Talk to people outside your sector and industry and ‘see yourself as others see you’
• Collaborate with unlikely partners and create something new and exciting
• Use the phone rather than email and rediscover your human skills

This is a year to be bold, take risks and create something that is wholly better for our colleagues, our customers and the community at large.

Thank you for your support and friendship and may 2013 bring you fresh enthusiasm and energy for the challenges ahead.

Mayor Gulliano launched a campaign to make New York ‘the safest in America.’ He achieved his goal. His successor, Mayor Bloomberg’s sustainability plan for New York, already making great progress and inspiring other cities to follow suit, includes the aims “Create homes for almost a million more New Yorkers, and make housing more affordable” and “Achieve the cleanest air of any big city.”

Then there is Mayor Jaime Lerner who turned his city of Curitiba in southern Brazil into the world’s most revered eco city. His starting vision: “A city designed for people.”  Compare the impact of these visions with those of our politicians who still talk of  “Tackling poverty” or “Reducing inequalities.”

Language is powerful. When I asked a 2^nd year class what the logo of their local council evoked, a hand shot up: “No Ball Games mister.

I talk on this subject all over the country. Now, I am writing a book on the subject and would welcome any examples you have seen of the great and the bad.

That’s the choice facing many of our most prominent companies in the months and years ahead. We are in an age in which only brands able to show business in a new light and make a positive contribution to the wider community will prosper. Others will fall because they are too slow to react to the new imperatives. Disillusionment at business behavior has reached such a stage that it will take much more than a Corporate Social Responsibility Policy to win back confidence. 85% of consumers worldwide expect companies to be actively involved in promoting individual and collective wellbeing, while only 28% believe they are doing enough. Transparency and humanity are the keys to future brand success.
Consumer power is about to assert itself like never before. Social networks will ensure corporate misdemeanors penetrate consumer consciousness faster and more effectively than any advertising or PR campaign. Lost trust is difficult, but not impossible, to restore. I did a staff session with one organisation in Glasgow this week. I asked how they’d like their brand personality to be described. “Bubbly, happy, dependable, adventurous and open” they said. If the wealth of knowledge, creativity, connectivity and resources corporate Britain has at its disposal is deployed imaginatively we will tackle many of our nation’s current ills and put our recovery into gear. Business can take a courageous lead in repairing damaged confidence and damaged communities but it needs to rediscover its humanity first.
Adam Smith said: “No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.” What would he have made of today’s version of ‘Capitalism?’

I meet some extraordinary people on my travels around the country. These are people that believe in the power of people, turn adversity into a positive force for change, use each day to give others a chance to shine and put the needs of others before their own. They ask for nothing in return yet, without them we would see impoverishment on an unimaginable scale.

We rarely hear their stories. Instead, we are fed a diet of celebrity. What does that say to our young people? Have we now created a culture, so shallow, that we are in danger of a human drought? Are there people more likely to intrigue, excite and inspire me? You bet there are.

Tomorrow, I will hear Muhammad Yunus who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering the concept of micro-finance in Bangladesh – a financial model that has lifted millions out of poverty, could now be pioneered here and may drive the future of Scotland. It’s a model that contains totally new approaches to business and represents real community innovation.

People like Muhammad are real celebrities and it’s time they became alternative role models. As a motivational speaker and keynote motivational speaker, I always tell inspiring stories about people who are literally changing the world for the better, often, but not exclusively, through business innovation and business creativity. They are powerful and motivating and I see people stirred to act; that’s real community empowerment. We have remarkable people with remarkable stories – their worth to our nation is incalculable. Let’s do more to celebrate their achievements and the power of thinking positive.

I get to speak all over Scotland to business, public and Third Sector leaders and to people in some of our most maligned communities. I sense that we are not just at a stage in evolutionary change but at a point where there has to be a complete rule change. Business as usual simply won’t do. In Scotland, there is a determination to create something new. Aside from any discussion on independence the Scottish Government’s agenda around health, economy, education, social justice, enterprise and carbon reduction is one that most people regard as being on the button.

The challenge they face is in delivery. A culture of managerialism still exists at every link of the implementation chain.

Too many of our public services are still driven by internal priorities. That must change. Public consultation, social inclusion and partnership working are now discredited concepts because we associate them with people and processes that prevent rather than spark progress. I have organised community ambition events in different areas of Scotland where young and old come together to set out a new vision for their area and then look at what needs to be done to get there. Many of these ideas simply make more imaginative use of existing resources – we are talking here of people who know better than anyone how to make more from less. Resourcefulness exists in spades around us yet remains largely untapped. That is daft. I use fun, positivity and creativity and people respond. Tired of the constant drone of negativity they hunger for a confident and optimistic voice and they want to make improvements happen. The naysayer, the incrementalist and the bureaucrat have held the reins for too long. If you feel their force around you, let me help you challenge it.

It is so easy to lose a sense of who we really are. The influence of parents, teachers, siblings, peers, partners, workplace colleagues, the media and the emotional impacts brought about by major incidents – all shape our personality and behaviours. But, all that buffeting can create a person we feel ill at ease with. As a motivational speaker and someone who helps to develop skills in leadership, I meet many people who know they underachieve yet don’t know what to do about it. They have lost sight of who they really are.

After delivering a keynote speech recently a woman approached me. She told me she felt she was: “Living in a stranger’s shoes … presenting different faces for different people and events.” She was not happy with what she had become. She had created a survival persona at odds with who she really was. That was an epiphany moment for me. I realised that I had reinvented myself many times over – each time getting closer to the core of what I really am. I learned to turn experiences (good and bad) into a positive addition to my toolkit. That’s when I decided to turn what I know into a powerful learning experience for other people. Launched soon will be a workshop carefully designed to help people to develop their most vital leadership skill – the ability and confidence to lead themselves, unleash their true strengths and package them into a new life force.  These are the fundamental skills of leadership.

It is said we only use around 10% of our brain’s capacity. Imagine how little of our true potential we get to realise? I will help people to reveal their authentic self, sharpen their understanding of what and who they are, practise being that person and then unleash that revitalised person on the world. Call it personal branding or unleashing the real me – this is an exciting development.

Alex Ferguson is 70 and still going strong. I have years of busy, active, creative and productive life ahead of me and with each passing day I see a fresh opportunity to pursue. Why then do people insist on asking me when I intend to retire? I’m only 61 and I have no intention of retiring: I want to be the motivational speaker who continues to learn and be inspired, and, I hope, inspire others in turn whatever age I happen to be. I don’t see myself as on a ‘treadmill’ and I don’t think of myself as slowing down or losing it. Why are we so obsessed with categorising people by their age? I have more to offer now than ever and as a motivational speaker with a focus on inspirational leadership I use my experience in a positive way. How many other people out there have similarly gathered life-skills of diamond value to others?

A project in the USA brings together small schoolchildren and older people in a nursing home over the road from the school – older people read to the children and help them develop their language skills. The result is a new lease of life for the nursing home occupants and better performance by the schoolchildren. We need more of that. Yet we work so hard to keep people apart because of their age category? Inter-generational events, and I have run many, achieve so much more because there is always a dynamic chemistry and young and old learn from each other.

Hail Sir David Attenborough (82) who is still inspiring millions on TV and Sir Alex Ferguson (70) leading his Manchester United side to what would be an incredible 13th Premiership title under his stewardship. They are as passionate and as enthusiastic as ever and continue to inspire, demonstrating the skills of leadership to audiences of millions all over the globe.

If, like me, you see yourself as improving with age – shout from the rooftops. “I am Older and Better.”

You couldn’t make it up could you? Two capital city teams meet in the national cup final for the first time since 1896. One has not lifted the trophy for 110 years, despite at one time inspiring the sport’s greatest ever superstar with its unique brand of attacking flair. Add the clamour to have the match played in a larger sporting arena, home to another sport and in the Capital city and we have a scenario that could have been scripted by Disney.

Hibs v Hearts is surely the only final capable of raising Scottish Football from its sleepy hollow. A film made of this story might well feature the Boer War, Billy the Kid, Queen Victoria and Pele in its narrative. Yes, it is Pele who described the Hibs side that toured Brazil in the 50’s as an inspiration to a generation of Brazilian footballers. This occasion is a real blessing for Scottish football. It will attract more column inches than any other and potentially draw a whole new set of fans back into the game. That has to be a good thing and with Thinktastic’s connections to Disney perhaps we work on a film idea.

I am a Hibs man and, critical as I have been of the club’s lack of vision and ambition in recent years, I’ll be there, cheering them on. If they win, it will be for the first time for 110 years. Now that really would be a story.

My mother is just shy of her 90th birthday. She is homebound, has dementia and told me last night of her unquenchable thirst for humour and laughter. I am considerably younger and share her love of fun. Children are at their best when they shriek with laughter. It is true to say that we all feel better when we find humour – however desperate we may feel. We know of the therapeutic quality of humour, yet even those organisations with a mission to alleviate misery are given to use an austere language. The effect is to compound people’s sense of despair – hardly the kind of skills in leadership to which organisations would want to aspire. Advertisers use humour to grab our attention and make us think – interest in the product follows the feelgood. I look at annual reports, brochures and websites produced by organisations with a great message but which will never be read. I like to illuminate communication with stories, quotes and a sense of fun. People are funny and leadership in management involves embracing this. In Glasgow’s South Easterhouse, I asked a group of locals if they could sum up life on the estate. One older women quickly piped up: “Well son, see if you want a sun tan or a lawyer, this is heaven on earth but if you want a banana you have to jump on a bus to buy it.” That elusive banana became a central part of our campaign and it worked a treat. Here’s my message to Scotland. Let’s put Calvinism to bed and start to use humour in communications – from training for leadership that includes everyone, right through to customer service.

To break new ground and make transformational change we need to look well beyond our normal field of vision. It has become too culturally acceptable to stay within the confines of role, organisation and sector. That is far too comfortable, it limits our knowledge and experience and stifles innovation. To embrace the new, we have to expand our sphere of influence and create new forms of collaboration – bringing together totally different perspectives. In New York a pizzeria and a bookshop joined forces to create an added value retail experience and it worked – buy a book get a pizza meal. Whacky? Yes, but it works. As the motivational speaker that talks of approaches to leadership I often show a short clip of a playground shaped by children, designed by design students and engineered by engineering students. The result is a children’s playground that generates electricity with each activity. How magic is that? When we start sharing ideas and resources with people we would not normally associate with we discover new concepts and paradigms. Habitual behaviours and towing the party line narrows rather than broadens ideas and that’s simply not good enough any more. You only have to listen to party politicians to see how blinkered people can become. To frame a better future for all of us we need to climb out of our boxes and see a wider world. It really is abundant.

Without burning ambition Andy Murray wouldn’t have made the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Mohammed Ali wouldn’t have been world champion and Multi-gold medal winning cyclist, Chris Hoy would be doing something entirely different with his life. I applaud Andy for his ambition and the hard work he puts in to winning a grand slam – I am also confident he will get there soon. Ambition focuses mind and body. It galvanises us to do what’s needed to make the right things happen. Yet in this country, we have a history of managing expectations – setting our sights low to avoid disappointment. We invariably get what we expect.

I remember being at the Largs training centre weeks before the Scottish football team headed off to the France World Cup. I asked one international player who was hanging around outside: “So, are you going to reach the quarter finals this time?” “I’ve booked my holidays for then,” he said. I knew then that we were doomed to another glorious failure. That is a Scottish default position. I’ll never forget Harry Carpenter’s interview with a young Cassius Clay: “I am the greatest and I’m gonna be champion of the World” The rest is history.

When our children show signs of ambition. Back them. Don’t discourage them and don’t mock them. We need a culture of ambition if we are to thive. Well done Andy Murray – you are showing us the way.

Against a relentless backdrop of clever and yes, not so clever, commercial advertising it is now more challenging than ever to get people to stop, think and take notice – especially when it comes to socially driven messages. I know, because I design campaigns to achieve human benefits not just commercial gain.

How does one cause differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded market? That is a challenge I, and others like, me relish, but we are always ready to applaud a great idea like this one from Sidney which sought to bring the issue of neglected children into public consciousness.

Try walking past this poster without being hit by the power of the message. It’s utterly compelling, thought provoking and was ultimately very successful. Placed in high footfall and traffic areas of the city it didn’t take long for radio and television to respond – interviewing passers by, charity champions and CEO’s of some of Sidney’s top companies. When Thinktastic leads creative sessions with organisations it is amazing how many ideas will surface that go way beyond the expected and lead on to groundbreaking approaches like this one.

Incidentally, it is a mannequin not a real a child being used – otherwise there would have been some profoundly contradictory messages transmitted.

The London Olympic Games has been a demonstration of all that’s good in humanity – individualism, team spirit, hard work, ambition, achievement, humility in victory and disappointment and determination in defeat. Add thousands of smiling and helpful volunteers, appreciative and fervent crowds and we have witnessed one of the most life affirming events I can remember.

That it transported us all away from the doom and gloom of today’s global economic crisis made it all the more special. But, it has also sent a powerful message to each and every one of us. That within each of us rests massive untapped potential and the chance to achieve something great in our lives.

If we take that on board the much-vaunted Olympic legacy will not just be about sport but a profound shift in how we view our lives and capabilities. I know so many people who have triumphed in adversity or reinvented themselves in the face of impossible challenge.

I am now on a determined mission to help people find their hidden gold and bring some added shine to their futures. It’s a wonder that it’s taken me so long, but Brand New Me is the result of years of learning. If you know someone who wants to reshape their future then get them to sign up for a cracking event on 21 September.

Go to:  http://www.brand-newme.co.uk

I took part in a debate on Radio Scotland this morning. The discussion was prompted by a Glasgow councillor’s call for action to be taken to remove beggars from the city centre before the Commonwealth Games comes to Glasgow in 2014.

Having spent more than a year sleeping on the streets of London, I come at this argument from a wholly different perspective. Among those who sit out in the cold pavements are individuals with unique stories and untold talents. They are human beings who, when valued and given a chance to find purpose in their lives can achieve anything. John Muir, the great father of environmentalism and a Scot whose status in the USA is legendary founded the great National Parks. It was when he was homeless that he formed his love of the natural environment. He had nature seen from a unique perspective.

Now, here’s a punt. Glasgow 2014. Why don’t we create a proposition to homeless people in the city – you can be Commonwealth Games ambassadors? Pull that off and Glasgow will have created a wonderful coup for the city and a once in a lifetime opportunity for those who currently languish in its streets. That was my call to action this morning. It is bold and ambitious but moves people, many who will cite personal horror stories, from being seen as a liability to finding themselves as a prized asset. I can tell you from experience that we are talking here about people who know the city inside out.

Move beggars off our streets and not only do we present an unreal picture of our cities but we are putting aesthetics above humanity. That is an inhuman response. Give them the chance and the backing to be Commonwealth Games ambassadors or city guides and it’s a win, win. We need leadership here and genuine collaboration between agencies to make this happen. Go Glasgow and, if you want my help I am here.

Seeing my mother in her final two years,  increasingly reliant on carers (friends, family or paid) and a host of medical professionals, has made me so much more aware of the importance of supporting people to die with dignity and, if they choose, in the familiarity of their own home.

I have written a resolution for those professionals who can make a difference to the lives of those in need of some support. See what you think.

MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

As a health and social care professional I will always ask myself two things:

How would I, or a loved one feel if I were in the shoes of patient/person and what would the best possible experience for us look and feel like. That is the least I will give. But, I will take responsibility to exceed that and get others to follow suit.

Why? Because, the person is at the centre of all we do and how we do it. When we listen (really listen) to them, their families and their carers – we learn to walk in their shoes and see life from their perspective. I then need to collaborate with the right people and agencies to make the right things happen at the right time. Forget egos, old habits, needless boundaries and organisational tensions -then challenge and overcome barriers.

From my body language to my words and actions everything I, and others do with (not to) that person will make a difference.

I will always make sure it’s a positive difference. And, I will ensure contact with us is always easy, assuring, good humoured and helpful.

I remind myself that I care less about how my watch works than I do about being able to tell the time.

Because, patients are concerned with staying well, getting better and feeling as good as they can be. They want to retain their dignity, to be valued and to enjoy moments of light-heartedness. They have a story to tell and they will invariably surprise us.

They care not one whit about the processes we use, our professional titles or the challenges and difficulties we face.

I will be human first and a professional second

That’s because I know the outcome is a thousand times better if I, and those I work with, see things through the patient lens and work closely with other professionals in delivering the support and care he or she needs. Oh and we will do it in the spirit I know the patient will welcome. Finally, I never assume anything about anyone. Each individual I meet is unique.

“If only.” I’ve heard that plaintive cry so many times in business. The temptation to imagine our world as perfectly aligned and then bemoan it when it isn’t is seductive – but wholly unproductive. Over the next five years we will face changes around us that will dwarf anything we have experienced in our lifetimes – acceleration in smart technologies, altered public values, co-creation as a key business tool, the impact of entrepreneurial China, India and south America and a young generation with skills and ideas well beyond our current radar. And there’s much, much more.

Work only with what we know and we fall short of what is possible. The new imperative is to think anew, embrace and lead the future. Here are a few hints on how to kickstart 2013.

See ourselves as others see us – the value of an external eye is greater than the result of endless naval gazing. Bring in people from outside your industry (even sector) and they will ask you questions you haven’t considered. Ask children and they will find crystal clarity. When you recruit avoid the safe pair of hands and seek the unfamiliar.

See people as diamonds – invest in your people by involving their thoughts and ideas in meaningful ways and then put these ideas into action – it works like self-raising flour and creates new energy. Remember, ideas should have no hierarchy of source and should be part of a healthy workplace diet.

The beauty of a blank sheet – imagine, you are starting your organisation from scratch. What would you do? What are the must haves? How would you kick-off and retain great relationships with your customers? What would you produce or provide? Who would you talk to? See what looks different and you have a future strategy.

Rediscover the passion – create a vision that excites you and your people and use the language of a five-year old. Doesn’t Disney simply say ‘We make people happy’ Then ask what you need to do to get there, what should you prioritise and how should you do it. Take a leaf out of the British Cycling team and measure micro advances – not just big steps. Remind people daily of progress and see the difference

1 + 1 = 3 – great collaborations achieve something greater than its parts. Look outside. Use network meetings to join your strengths with complementary strengths. Listen to the challenges others face and sell less and you might find a greater prize there for the taking. Tell me what you can add to what I do and I shall return the favour. Competitor? So what.