Vulnerability is not limited by ethnicity

*** Trigger alert warning. If this post seems like I’m challenging you, rest assured that I am definitely doing that.

With all of the current ‘noise’ about prioritising Maori and Pacifika health interventions, I thought I’d add my two cents worth – and as usual, it’s slightly off the main thread.

Firstly let me just say, we absolutely need to improve the health outcomes for those groups. Despite throwing resource and desire at it for years, we’re still not making a real difference so something needs to change. Personally I would favour more work at the primary health level but that’s a topic for another day.

What really concerns me is that yet again we’re talking about poor health outcomes and seemingly only focused on ethnicity. There is a vulnerable group within our community that has a much shorter life expectancy and overall poorer health outcomes than Maori and Pacifika yet they never get talked about. No other group would incur this neglect without people raising a hue and cry, yet health professionals, politicians, advocates and the general population remain mute – almost as if they don’t care.

People on all sides of the current debate are sitting on their high horses, oblivious to who may be trampled beneath them.

If you know me, you’ll be aware that I’m talking about our intellectually disabled community. That small group that gets tagged onto the description of vulnerable communities and then forgotten about.

Just for the record, ask yourself what other groups in our community would you allow to receive such poor health outcomes before you spoke up?

and how much more likely are people with an intellectual disability to need care and treatment compared to people without?

ConditionPeople with an intellectual disability
Cancer1.5 times more likely
Heart disease2 times more likely
Diabetes2 times more likely
Mental health3 times more likely
Cervical screeningless than half as likely
Use emergency department2.5 times as likely
Dental15 times more likely

This isn’t a health or government issue, it’s our issue. The powers to be will only act if we we stop allowing them to ignore it.

Why do you want to be redundant?

Before leadership was such a buzz word, I attended a first level supervisory course that left a piece of advice forever embedded in my brain. Your key job as a manager is to make yourself redundant.

This pearl may date back to the ‘80s but it’s still a key fundamental for leadership. It’s about building systems, processes and more importantly your team so that your role simply isn’t needed anymore. The team, all capable leaders in their own right, basically take over.

I’ve used this thinking in many situations over the years and not just about being a leader of teams.

If you’re a business advisor, isn’t your goal to make your clients so knowledgeable, confident and networked that they don’t need you anymore? If not, do you really care about your clients or are they just a meal ticket?

I presented a paper at a conference of disability support organisations titled “my ambition is the demise of your organisation”. The argument I raised was that if these organisations really accomplished their goals, people with disability would flourish without needing ‘bought’ support. Sure, it may never happen but if the organisations has a strategy of making themselves redundant, then everything they do would be about fostering independence, empowerment and inclusion.

Seeing the discussions around AI made me think more about this. Is our move for AI:

  • Just the shiny new toy?
  • The ultimate attempt to make ourselves redundant?
  • or have we simply given up on our ability to empower others to have the skills to do so?

This is all hypothetical and in reality, it’s a mixture of all three points plus the lure of fame and fortune.

Thinking about this issue has made me realise that we really do need to explore our personal ‘why’ for making ourselves redundant. Simply replacing us with a machine will never empower our teams or the people we support without that intent being part of the machines DNA.

Those magic words

Having been head down for 12 months, I’ve missed networking (drinking coffee) with a range of people.

I’m slowly getting back into it and realise how much I’ve missed hearing people say “thanks, I’ve never thought about that” or “wow that’s a different way to look at it, thanks”.

I really do love sharing random thoughts to help people.

If they act for you, they are you.

A lot is said about values and how important they are to your brand. They guide your actions and tell those you interact with, including of course your customers, the behaviour they can expect from you.

We all know how important it can be to stand by what we say and often it can be the little things that can undo a lot of good work, for example, saying “we care about our customers” and then not returning phone calls.

So if we all know it, why am I writing about it?

What concerns me is that sometimes we engage contractors to act on our behalf but don’t ensure that they adhere to the same expectations that we place on ourselves. I’ve seen this often over the years but what brought it to mind now was how two different recruitment companies acted.

As I’m busy ‘looking for opportunities’, it is interesting to see how organisations treat applicants. Some make you want to work with that team while others make you glad you didn’t get the role. In those cases though, it’s on their heads, so be it.

Recruitment companies are different, when they fall below expected standards, it’s not just their reputation that suffers. If you engage a company that treats applicants as numbers and the whole experience is very transactional – then that is how you too behave. You must own that perception

In future, a rejected applicant who was treated as an unnecessary bother by a recruitment company may be the key decision maker with a potential customer organisation. What will they remember about you?

Remember, if they act for you, they are you.

No wonder it was fun

Recently the National Operations Manager gave us some insight into what he saw that the role as Area Manager for the Census really entailed:

Recruiter

Relationship manager

Health & Safety officer

Engagement specialist

Sales and marketing rep

Logistics specialist

Chief financial officer

Site manager

Social justice warrior

Counsellor

Inspirational speaker

Problem solver

Cat herder

Looking back, he is right. So many hats over such a short period of time. No wonder it was fun.

A wee reminder

As I’ve been off-line for so long, I thought I’d just re-share the support I can offer you. With things a bit quieter for me, now is a great time to get in touch and have a good old fashioned “chin wag”

The Bounce Programme
Think of this as having a sounding board, coach, mentor and motivator rolled into a single cup of coffee.
Sounding board: a person you run things by, or someone you turn to for advice.
Talk to me about your ideas, or issues – let’s explore them together.
– Test your ideas and theories
– Nut out solutions to the issues you’re facing
– Speculate on a new future
My aim is to explore and reflect your thinking, to add to it and then to help you plot a way forward.

Read more

Business Anarchy
Don’t become beholden to the old way of doing things or a prisoner to antiquated systems and processes. Together let’s liberate your thinking and disrupt the status quo.
I can help you develop management systems that will work for you, in a way that fits with the culture and values of your organisation.

Read more

I’m back…

My current journey with Census is coming to a close – and what a ride it’s been.

Living and breathing absolutely nothing apart from work for three solid months during the field period. Working with an awesome team, people who really to care about their communities. Travelling around the mighty Maniapoto – country folk and those in small towns are the real NZ. Doing something that actually matters.

I’ll probably write more over time but, for now, I’m back…. 

Question, argue, debate

Over the weekend I had a quick flick through the first notebook I used to jot down ideas for blogging, a book and of course thoughts around purposeful business.

One fascinating thing for me was right from the word go, I was interested in the opposing theories around starting a business. What comes first, the product or the journey?

The first page had two sayings, (all kitted out with my original branding – a weasel would you believe):

“If you want to be your own boss, that’s not a good reason to leave. Maybe you are the next Mark Zuckerberg but being an entrepreneur isn’t a lifestyle choice. It’s the result of having an amazing idea. Do you have one?”

“Dream big. Start small. But most of all ….. start.”

Of course nothing is black and white, or mutually exclusive. Side-gigs, contracting, partnering with an existing business, the list of options goes on and on. Throw in risk comfort levels, financial backing, personal situation etc and the potential situations are limitless.

Personally I love opposing views – and those that know me will also be aware that I often take on a devil’s advocate stance, or argue for/against both sides of an argument (who says I like to argue?).

Reading those quotes again reminds me of two fundamental rules for business:

  1. There is no model or approach that works for everyone – listen and find the right answers for what you want to do, at that time and in your specific circumstances
  2. Question and debate everything  – even with yourself.