Eddie Lovell’s Usine a Gaz?

I remember telling my Dad once whilst I was at (my very good) high school that the headmaster was a bit of a bumbler and fairly incompetent, and that it was the deputy head who held everything together. My Dad’s reply was that he couldn’t be that bad because it’s the man at the top that sets the tone of an establishment – the culture of a place, and its success or failure, stems from the top. After a few more years of work and life experience, I would say that I definitely agree with that statement. In addition to that some other things that have become apparent to me are; one, the fact that the change you can effect with a dictatorial approach is by definition short lived – if you want permanent change then you need to take people with you on the journey; and two, the fact that you can’t dance faster than the music.

So to the challenge I am currently mulling over – how can I maximize the speed at which I can effect positive and permanent change? I am a firm believer that this can’t be done without transparent and consistent communication, honest feedback, and the celebration of any quick wins you achieve, but it doesn’t seem to be that this is the whole story. Hmmmm, thankfully I’ve got a few planes, trains and taxis to take this week for pondering purposes…or am I making this too complicated (or creating an Usine a Gaz (gas factory) as the French would say), and am I underestimating the change that has already taken place…? Hmmmm.