Being Bold

 

With every news bulletin, we are given more and more pessimistic predictions of the length of this economic downturn (is that a euphemism? Or are we really in a slump?) We know that resources will become scarce, and despite the valiant efforts of our MPs to plug the hole with the vast sums they are pouring (back) into the public purse, we know that difficult times lie ahead.

 

And what do a lot of organisations do in times like this? They cut their training budgets!

 

Recent research confirms what many know – that companies who continue to invest in training their staff are more likely to maintain profitability. The survey concluded that the quality of personnel is more important in hard times than in good times and suspending staff training at the moment is a false economy.

 

So – we need to be bold and resist attempts to cut back on developing our greatest resource – the 1.3 million staff who make up the NHS. In fact we need to make every effort to target the resources we have imaginatively, looking for ways to get more for less, working in partnership with other agencies, developing collaborative models and creating solutions that will not only survive the coming years, but grow and thrive despite the economic climate.

 

Goethe says it eloquently:

 

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, Begin it.

 

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. BEGIN IT NOW.”

 

And for some insights into experiences of health managers, try reading “Trust me, I’m a health manager” – by Greg Sheridan, Charlotte Rastan and Dan Foulkes.  It’s published by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.