Chief Executive Blog - March 2015
Colleagues,
Effective channels of communication are important in any organisation and even more so when there are the challenges that we have ahead of us and everyone needs to pull in the same direction.
That is the reasoning behind the new leadership forum, comprising heads of service and senior managers, which will meet for the first time later this month and on a regular basis thereafter. The agenda for the group will be to consider each of the 5 corporate priorities: growing a diverse and sustainable economy, healthier citizens, ambitious and confident young people, adults living healthier, sustainable independent lives safeguarded from harm and safer communities. These will be discussed in detail in terms of what actions we take and how we ensure the support will be there to deliver success. This will ensure that everyone is singing from the same song sheet in terms of the council’s priorities and in delivering the corporate plan.
With the challenges that await us in the years ahead, it is vital that staff at all levels know what is expected of them as individuals and their sections and departments, and I believe the leadership forum will be important in achieving that aim. So ask your boss all about it.
The past month has been a busy and varied one during which the council has hosted a number of visitors and I have had a trip to Edinburgh for the COSLA leaders’ meeting last Friday.
Among those we welcomed were Marco Biagi, the minister for local government and community empowerment, who took part in discussions on a number of issues as well as visiting the Out Of The Darkness theatre group at their new base in what used to be the council’s Academy Street offices in Elgin.
We also had a visit from the Scottish Government civil servant who is responsible for overseeing the integration of health and social care throughout Scotland and during a very positive and constructive meeting, which also involved out NHS colleagues, we were able to update her on the progress which is being made and assure her that preparations for full integration are on track.
Along with corporate director of education and social care Laurence Findlay, I also met local MSP Richard Lochhead to discuss issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of teachers and, separately, we had a visit from representatives of Audit Scotland who briefed us on educational attainment figures.
Others meetings I have been involved in included a workshop held by the workforce culture group set up in light of some issues which emerged from the last employee survey.
Away from council business, I had the pleasure of being part of a full house at the Universal Hall in Findhorn for a first-class evening of entertainment by a quartet from Scottish Opera who, with just a piano for accompaniment, produced a wonderful selection of operatic songs. Just goes to show my musical tastes extend beyond rock ‘n’ roll.
A hectic few weeks lie ahead on the football front, beginning with Buckie Thistle v Wick Academy this Saturday which will see me achieve my long-held ambition of visiting Victoria Park. Then a resurgent Elgin City have home games against Clyde next Tuesday and Queen’s Park the following weekend. Winning both would see them climb into the top half of the table for the first time in recent seasons, unlike the Scotland rugby team which is heading for the wooden spoon it would appear.