Tag Archives: Incompetence

Southwark Council Cost-Cutting Risking Lives

March 28, 2010 7:15 pm \

Getting the best value for money is important to everyone.  Whether personal or business we all want to get as much as we can from the resources we have.  In business it’s called best value.  My grandfather called it “not throwing your money away”.  Whatever you choose to call it, it’s not rocket science.

Getting the right people and equipment to do a job is important.  Again, it’s not rocket science.  You wouldn’t use a lawnmower to put nails into walls nor would you hire an aromatherapist to rewire your house.  You wouldn’t hire me to provide safety checks at a nuclear reactor.  These courses of action would surely lead to things going wrong.

I have some experience in the housing sector as well as some in fire and security.  So I was very shocked to read that Southwark Council had used housing officers to provide fire risk assessments on high properties instead of surveyors.  It seems the logic was that a one day training course would equip a housing officer to be able to carry out an assessment with the same level of knowledge, skill and expertise of an experienced surveyor.

The words to respond to such a serious lack of Clue and dereliction of standards fail me.  Well, polite ones do.

Who seriously thought that a housing officer would be able to do a surveyor’s job?  With just one day’s training?  I have seen both surveyors and housing officers at work and they are jobs requiring different knowledge and skill sets.  Both jobs are challegning enough on their own.  The idea of mixing them strikes me as crass stupidity.

The BBC’s article continues with a killer punch:

Every council in London used external consultants or in-house experts to carry out checks, except one – Southwark Council had sent 132 housing officers for one day’s training by the London Fire Brigade [LFB].

These officers were dispatched to carry out detailed checks on aging buildings six storeys or higher.

But the LFB did not think they were qualified for the job.

An email from a top LFB official, leaked to BBC London, said: “Our course information clearly states the course is designed to provide the knowledge to undertake assessments in simple premises.

“The course is not designed to equip attendees to carry out assessments in complex structures where a clear level of expertise is required.”

An official LFB statement confirmed: “London Fire Brigade does not approve housing officers to carry out fire risk assessments.”

Southwark’s cost-cutting cost six lives.  Whoever thought up this half-witted idea and whoever approved it should come forward, admit their errors and resign.  I hope that the authorities give serious consideration to manslaughter charges being levelled against those people.

As the former station officer who trained me on fire marshalling said “Responsibility goes upwards in matters regarding fire safety.”

I hope those responsible for this incomprehensibly stupid decision are held to account for their catastrophic lack of Clue.

Posted in: bad management, ethics, lack of Clue, Management, safety \ Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Leadership – How Not To Do It

January 23, 2009 1:07 pm \

While tidying up some papers and books recently there was one particular piece of paper which caught my eye.  The phrase “one man cannot bring about major change” had caught my eye so I decided to make a cup of tea and read the piece of paper in its entirety.

With a cup of excellent Assam tea to hand I read through the contents of the piece of paper.  It was the text of a farewell speech made by a head teacher .  Someone who is supposed to be a leader, skilled in man management, education, psychology and discipline, to name but a few areas.  To me the text of the speech did not show any of these skills, nor did it suggest levels of knowledge beyond the text itself.  In short it was a cop-out.

“One man cannot bring about major change” kept screaming at me from the paper.  What utter utter utter utter utter garbage that is.  The leaders with whom I have had the pleasure of working have done just that, and continue doing so to this day.  How do they do it when this experienced leader says it can’t be done?

Let me tell you.  It’s not rocket science.

One organisation I worked with was in trouble when my involvement with them started.  The Chief Executive was determined to resolve the issues, eliminate bad practice and performance and get back to a stable platform.  He did just that.

  • He did it by accepting the situation rather than hiding from it and deluding himself that everything was ok
  • He did it by encouraging his staff to make hard decisions, the authority to do so and offering full support for them
  • He did it by asking his staff for feedback and accepting it, whether it was critical or positive
  • He did it by acting upon that feedback
  • He did it by making clear what standards of behaviour and performance were expected
  • He did it by making clear what would happen if those standards were not met
  • He did it by being the example he wanted from everyone else

Can you see the difference?  No saying  “one man cannot bring about major change”.  No saying “Well, if you look at it this way things aren’t that bad, we’re doing ok” and doing nothing.  When change is needed, insisting the status quo (remember the rock band are referred to in this blog as Da Quo to avoid confusion) is acceptable and not being the catalyst for change is not acceptable.

Another Managing Director with whom I had the great pleasure of working wanted to bring about a change based on his vision of excellent service.

  • He did it by announcing that doing nothing, accepting the status quo, was unacceptable
  • He did it by encouraging the staff to look for ways they could improve processes
  • He did it by constantly comparing the organisation against others to see where they were on the journey
  • He did it by making clear what standards of behaviour and performance were expected
  • He did it by making clear what would happen if those standards were not met
  • He did it by being the example he wanted from everyone else

In both examples the change was successfully achieved, service and morale vastly improved.

Improving morale within an organisation is crucial to achieving good productivity and the excellent working environment to provide excellent products and services.  If a leader cannot see that staff morale in their organisation is at rock bottom then they are not fit to be in that position of leadership.  If a leader cannot see that improvement should continually be sought then they are not fit to be in that position of leadership.

It may be that this head teacher ‘s vision (if he has one) is simply a product of a bygone age, one which he is viewing through the proverbial rose tinted spectacles and which has little relevance to today.  If that is the case then are such people fit to be in positions of leadership in the ever-changing world we now inhabit?

One man may not be able to bring about major change by himself but he can influence others by his words, thoughts and his example.  The leaders to whom I refer in this piece I will remember by their example, the way they conducted themselves and were the example for others to follow.

I wonder if the same can be said of those who will remember this head teacher ?

Posted in: business, Management \ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,