“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78–82 Said by Polonius to his son Laertes
William Shakespeare
Cascade of broken promises – Seth’s Macbook Story
Seth Godin is one of the most influential people on the planet, in my (humble) opinion. So when he writes like this no matter who you are, you know that people will listen.
Lesson is simple: “Don’t make promises that you can’t keep”. It applies at top end, middle and bottom end of each and every market. It’s relevant whether you’re bringing in a project at £1 million, you have told a patient that their crown will be ready next Thursday or you’ll meet a friend for coffee.
Over to Seth’s blog
Cascade of broken promises
… a cautionary tale. It’s always easier to make a promise than it is to keep one, and if you’re not careful, it compounds.
I got my new Macbook Pro the other day. It comes with Migration Assistant, a flawed piece of software that promises to easily transfer years of old data from one machine to another.
The software failed. (Promise broken). Having paid $99 for the One to One service (which promises individual hour long sessions), I make an appointment and head over to the store. Nate, the promised guide, doesn’t know how to fix it, because, despite the promise, he’s not trained to do so. He hands me over to a genius, Michael, who hears my story and promises to personally handle it (it takes ten hours to do the transfer, he’ll watch over it and make sure it goes well.) He actually looks me in the eye and says, “I promise to personally handle this.”
The next day, the phone rings. It’s Aideen, who has the case, doesn’t know who Michael is and doesn’t know what to do. She leaves a message. I call back, talk to someone at the store who insists that Aideen isn’t available but that someone will call me back within thirty minutes. He says, “I promise that someone will call you within thirty minutes.” An hour later, no one has called back.
It goes on and on. Every employee means well. Every employee is overwhelmed by incoming traffic, most from people who have already had their promises broken. Every employee has discovered that it’s easier to make a promise and pass it along than it is to either tell the truth or keep the promise.
The cascade starts with the product. When your brand makes promises it can’t keep, your overworked staff bears the brunt.
Once a day – Three things to do today – and every day – for a more productive work life.
From the Business Link website.
I spent a long session with my coach yesterday morning discussing daily effectiveness, how to improve it, how to maintain it, how to acknowledge when you have had a good day and how to learn from those days when you have not been as effective as you would have wished. Coincidentally this tumbled into my in box just after our conversation so I thought I would share it.
First thing
Research suggests that avoiding distractions and focusing solely on one task can improve intelligence, mental sharpness and productivity, and reduce stress. So – proactively plan to avoid distractions.
First thing in the morning decide on what your one or two most important tasks are for the day or week. Such tasks could be anything from doing your tax return to dreaming up the next big idea.
Then organise your days to make sure you find time to focus on these tasks. Everyone has their own approaches to organising time, so think about when’s best to schedule tasks; straight away, or perhaps late afternoon when you’ve cleared up other matters? Block out one or two ‘sacred’ time segments – times when you silence your email or escape to a quieter place to work, and simply focus on one thing. Even one or two hours spent focusing solely on key tasks could help you feel – and be – more productive.
Midday
Allocating a set time to clear up the clutter could help to rejuvenate your mind and focus on more important matters for the rest of the day.
For instance, take some time each day to tame your email. In our article, Avoid email overload, we explore tips for doing so, such as devising a system for quickly processing incoming emails. Devoting a single period of time to do this – rather than continually reacting to emails throughout the day – could help to avoid distractions so that you can focus better on more important tasks. Of course, it’s not just about email: you could sort through your in-tray, do your expenses, prepare paperwork for posting, or organise some errands to do while you are out at lunch.
Last thing
Harvard Business Review’s Peter Bregman observes that “we rarely take the time to pause, breathe, and think about what’s working and what’s not. There’s just too much to do and no time to reflect.”
He proposes that at the end of every day we “save a few minutes to think about what just happened”, comparing what we wanted to happen with what actually happened; “the meetings you attended, the work you got done, the conversations you had, the people with whom you interacted”. Then ask: “How did the day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I endure? What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do – differently or the same – tomorrow?”
Such an approach might provide satisfaction on a good day, or insights and learnings you can use to create a better tomorrow. And it links neatly back to our first action of the day suggested above. For example, if you didn’t find time for those important tasks, look at the issues that stopped you and think about ways to solve these problems so that future days are more productive.
In essence – a daily cycle of planning, clearing clutter and continual learning could make future days more focused and productive.
Dip in household budget confidence.
If you’re the owner of a “family” dental practice then don’t be surprised when people are concerned about what they perceive as discretionary spending and choose the cheapest options.
Prepare for it, acknowledge it and take action to be able to offer alternatives either clinically or financially.
Dip in household budget confidence
21 February 2011
Worries over the economic outlook were heightened with news that household budgets are under the greatest pressure for almost two years.
According to the Markit household finance index, anxieties about job losses and the wider economy have seen confidence in personal finances slip in 34 per cent of households.
This is the lowest level recorded since March 2009.
Tim Moore, a senior economist at Markit, said: “An unhealthy combination of high inflation and job worries has caused households to report that their financial outlook has slumped back to the levels seen during the worst part of the recession in early 2009.”
The gloomy figures were backed up in a separate survey. R3, the finance group, reported that 43 per cent of respondents to its latest poll believe that their personal finances will deteriorate over the next six months.
This represents an increase of 13 per cent on findings for the previous quarter.
Fewer than one in four people questioned think that their financial situation will improve over the coming months.
Steven Law, the president of R3, said: “Since we last carried out the survey, people have seen a rise in the cost of living, from the VAT increase; to the rise of fuel and utility costs. This has happened against a backdrop of pay freezes, pay cuts and, in some cases, redundancies, so it is understandable that many are feeling pessimistic about their financial outlook.”
The Monday Morning Quote
First They came… – Pastor Martin Niemoller
“First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
The Monday Morning Quote
“What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence.
The only consequence is what we do.”
BDA press release: Deferring dental treatment unwise, warns BDA
So it’s not just you that is experiencing problems with “the book”.
17 January 2011
Deferring dental treatment unwise, warns BDA
Concerns about the economic climate are leading patients in England to cancel dental appointments and defer treatments they need, according to research by the British Dental Association (BDA). The unfortunate knock-on effect of these decisions is an increase in the number of patients presenting at surgeries requiring emergency treatment.
A survey carried out by the BDA found that 59 per cent of dentists questioned had seen their patients cancel appointments, while 68 per cent reported decisions to defer treatment. Unsurprisingly, given these trends, more than a third of practitioners said they had seen an increased demand for emergency treatment during the past twelve months.
Dr Susie Sanderson, Chair of the BDA’s Executive Board, said:
“It’s understandable that, at a time when there is widespread concern about household finances, some patients’ financial anxieties are leading them to defer dental appointments and treatment. Achieving short-term money savings at the expense of longer-term health problems really isn’t wise though. Neglecting your oral health can increase both the complexity of the problems you face and the cost of the treatment you must eventually have. As well, visiting the dentist at appropriate intervals will ensure that you get the help you need to maintain good oral health.”
Ends
For further information, please contact the BDA’s media team on 0207 563 4145/46 or visit www.bda.org
John Hilsdon
Head of Corporate Communications and External Relations
British Dental Association
020 7563 4145
07515 199942
The Monday Morning Quote
‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’
The Monday Morning Quote
CQC = Can’t Quite Cope
As Susie Sanderson said: “CQC stands for Can’t Quite Cope.”
Nearly 1,000 care homes are without a registered manager, says regulator
8 October 2010
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said today (8 October) that nearly 1,000 residential care homes do not have a registered manager in place, despite this being a requirement of the new Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Although it does not present a direct risk to the safety of residents, care homes without a registered manager may be less able to identify potential concerns and address them quickly, said the commission. It has placed conditions on the operators of all the care homes in question requiring them to put managers in place.
Under the provisions of the Act that came into force from last Friday (1 October), many care homes must have a registered manager who is appropriately experienced and qualified. This was also a requirement under the old legislation, the Care Standards Act 2000.
CQC announced today that so far it had newly registered the care providers operating about 20,000 adult social care service locations in England under the Health and Social Care Act. Just over 15,000 of these locations are residential care homes. Most of the others are home-care agencies and nurses agencies. However, around 1,000 care homes (operated by more than 500 different providers) had a condition placed on them that they appoint a registered manager by 1 April 2011.
Not all care homes need to have a registered manager – CQC said that registered individual providers who manage their own services on a day-to-day basis do not need to also register as managers.
Cynthia Bower, CQC’s chief executive, said: “It has been recognised in the care sector for some time that there is a shortage of experienced and qualified managers. While we have been undertaking the enormous task of re-registering thousands of care services, the scale of this has become clearer.
“The lack of a registered manager does not necessarily mean that people are receiving poor care, but we know from experience that care services without leadership can struggle to address any problems that may arise. Good-quality care is led by good management.
“We know that some providers struggle to find suitably qualified people to take on this role. The sector as a whole needs to take a robust approach to seeking solutions to the shortage of registered managers. It cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.
“We will use our enforcement powers in the best interests of people who use services. If a care provider is genuinely trying to appoint a registered manager and the quality of care is good, it might not be in the service users’ best interests for us to take enforcement action immediately. But if we find that people are being put at risk because there is no registered manager, then we will take action.”
Under the new Act, CQC has registered about 9,400 providers of adult social care (with a total of 20,000 different service locations), and 600 providers of independent healthcare (with 1,500 locations such as hospitals and cosmetic surgery clinics).
A further 600 providers across adult social care and independent healthcare are resubmitting their applications after their original applications were incomplete or it was unclear which registered activities they needed to register for. A further 430 have not yet been asked to apply, because they were registered near the end of the old system under the Care Standards Act 2000 and consequently are the last to transfer to the new one.
A further 1,300 providers have not yet applied for registration. CQC said they included those who had proved difficult to contact, some of whom may no longer be operating; all of them would be followed up to establish whether they needed to register or not.
In addition to the conditions relating to the lack of a registered manager, providers of about 200 adult social care and independent healthcare service locations have had conditions placed on their registration in relation to various other compliance issues.
The names of providers with conditions on their registration will be published in due course, after they have had the opportunity to exercise their legal right to make representations to the commission.
Ms Bower thanked care providers for their co-operation: “This has not been an easy process for providers or for CQC. We were set a very tough challenge by government to get everyone into the new system in a very short space of time. Now we can move onto the crucial and continuing task of monitoring the quality and safety of care across the sector.”
NHS trusts came into registration last April under the new Act, which CQC says is an important step forward in ensuring that people receive joined-up care. It is the first time that healthcare and adult social care services have been regulated under the same legislation and the same essential standards of quality and safety.
CQC has tough enforcement powers to drive improvements where it finds standards are not being met, including issuing a warning notice, carrying out a prosecution, and suspending or even closing a service.
-ends-
For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401. Out of hours on 07917 232143.
About the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of all health and adult social care in England. Our aim is to make sure that better care is provided for everyone, whether it is in hospital, in care homes, in people’s own homes, or anywhere else that care is provided. We also seek to protect the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act. We promote the rights and interests of people who use services and we have a wide range of enforcement powers to take action on their behalf if services are unacceptably poor.
We are introducing a new registration system that brings the NHS, independent healthcare and adult social care under a single set of essential standards of quality and safety for the first time. Registration is a legal licence to operate. We register health and adult social care services if they meet essential standards and we continuously monitor them to make sure they continue to do so as part of a dynamic system of regulation which places the views and experiences of people who use services at its centre.
The Incisal Edge 