Author: Chris Woodgate, ISAS Officer
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you!
Well that has put all in the Christmas spirit, NOT!
What an odd nursery rhyme for the festive season, yet I bet you all know it?
Conspiracy theorists will be asking 'who are the geese?', 'who is the old man?' I have my own theories but to be honest I dare not put them down in print.
Plus why are we still talking about outdated coinage?
This festive season will you be thinking about the ‘good cheer’ you can bring your teams or will you be worrying how you man the rota, pay for the agency/locum staff with the little ‘spare’ you had in your budget now removed as a cost saving exercise and worrying how you are going to keep the service running in the new year?
As a manager/team lead Christmas can be a difficult time as you juggle staff needs with those of yourself and your family.
Do you come into work in between Christmas and New Year as you know it will be relatively quiet and you can catch up on all those emails or the ‘to do list’ in relative peace; if so what are the consequences for you and your teams?
Does it mean you get peace of mind, reduction in stress a more positive start to the New Year or is it a nightmare of child care, conflicting interests around supporting the team in busier periods when you are trying to use up your leave that you could have taken in the quiet period?
No one said being a leader was easy.
If you are looking to provide a quality service with the patient at the centre then what does this nursery rhyme tell us?
- There will always be someone who is ‘getting fat’ enjoying the favour of the director of finance/the board/the CEO, perhaps they haven’t realised that one day they may be the sacrifice that ‘feeds’ others?
- There will always be a ‘poor relation’ is that your service? How do you make it different, how do you raise your profile, give credit to your hard working teams?
- In your service do have a team that thinks it is the poor relation, how are your other teams supporting them?
- If you really are at the end of yourself, the service is exhausted by change and cost savings, how are you going to go on?
According to Wikipedia the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is a popular motto that emphasises the importance of self-initiative and agency.
The phrase originated in ancient Greece and may originally have been proverbial. It is illustrated by two of Aesop's Fables and a similar sentiment is found in ancient Greek drama.
It is also mentioned in the Holy Quran and similar in the Bible – as ‘Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth’.
Dare I say that you will find efficiencies, evidence etc in the imaging standard that will help you help yourself as I sincerely doubt anyone else is going to do it for you.
So whether you decide to have a break or not this Christmas time, why not think about gifting your service with the Imaging Standard, have a look at how it can help you make a difference.
Why not give me a call or drop me an email maybe I can help a little too. All my contact details are on the webpage below.
A very Happy Christmas to you, I hope you enjoy all the festive season has to bring.