It is 30 years since I made my first presentation at a national conference. It was based on the paper I had prepared as part of the Institute of Health Services Management's evidence to the Royal Commission.
I am proud Zenon has reached the ripe old age (in consultancy years) of 10 and I am delighted that at last month's NHS Confederation conference we had many clients, colleagues and friends celebrating with us.
One of the biggest challenges in conveying the profound implications of complexity theory is its name. What could be less appealing to busy staff?
How difficult are you to deal with? We tend to talk about difficult people as though we are talking about someone else, but everyone can be difficult to deal with.
Leadership is essentially a smoke and mirrors illusion. In a leader's best moments, we project on to him or her all the qualities we wish we had ourselves or long for in a boss.
Last November, commenting on the first Darzi report, I pointed out that only a crusade for nursing and a focus on team leaders would improve patient experience.
Last autumn, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao delivered a speech to the Communist Party congress entitled, "Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive for New Victories in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all Respects".
