Search Results

In my role as SynergyMode Advisor, the recent (virtual) CEO Breakfast Roundtable discussing Leadership in an ever-changing and ridiculously fast-paced world was excellent. Never has this been so apt at now with the Cover-19 global pandemic! Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash The key takeaways for me were: Although the context in which leaders need to operate is changing, leaders still need the same key skills: more on these in our recent blog about leadership in the 2020s here The importance of keeping existing routines and enhancing communications/check-ins such as 5 minute daily video-cons from leaders (ideally with pets / kids / partners to demo authenticity) or all-company / team drinks. We are still in the first mile of a marathon - enabling people with the tech and tools to work from home is not the same as creating a highly engaged remote workforce that is collaborating and working effectively. Indeed the ONS have just released figures that, of the 32.6m people in employment in the UK, less than 30% have ever worked from home in their current job: that’s a lot of new ways of working to embed! On top of significant changes to working practices, this is a heightened time of anxiety for staff: online searches for health anxiety have increased by 3,000% in the past few weeks. Leaders need to be providing additional support for staff to help them adapt and cope. This is a real opportunity for businesses to build deeper relationships with their existing client base and also with staff, partners and associates. The need for businesses and organisations to realise that the world has changed and will not revert to how it was. This is the new normal. That ‘hunkering down’ and 'riding this out’ is not going to cut it - now is the time to adapt: the organisations who will emerge from this the strongest are those who are already changing their business model and ways of working permanently. The decisions leaders take now are critical: some will kill their businesses (think Sports Direct and the massive customer backlash), some will simply revert back ways of working that frankly were outdated pre-Covid-19 and some will reinvent / re-imagine their business models. The latter will emerge the strongest. This is a rapidly evolving situation that requires daily attention, agility, flexibility and adaptability. The importance of network and collaboration: no-one was incentivised or paid to join the round table this morning but everyone was enthusiastic about sharing their views and experiences. Thank you!

Over recent years there have been significant increases in our understanding of mental health and the link between mental health and physical health is clear: individuals with mental health issues have an increased risk of suffering from physical illness because of diminished immune function, poor health behaviour, non-compliance with prescribed medical regimens and barriers to obtaining treatment for physical disorders. Moreover, individuals with chronic physical illness are significantly more likely than other people to suffer from mental health issues. The Covid-19 global pandemic is a threat to both mental and physical health. Anxiety levels are increasing with the spread of coronavirus and online searches for health anxiety have increased by 3,000% in the past few weeks. The implementation of social distancing and reduced access to physical activity (such as team sports and gym access) is only going to increase those anxiety levels and the risk of mental health issues. With such a strong link between mental and physical health, this could have severe implications on people’s ability to continue working during this crisis and potentially increase susceptibility to Covid-19. Although effective interventions are available, many are not accessible to the majority of those who need them. But help and support is available... It is vital that people do not suffer alone but sometimes it can be hard to discuss these issues with family (who may now be living in very close proximity), friends or colleagues. Speaking to a qualified professional working in an approved ethical framework is an additional option to provide staff with counselling, therapy and support to help staff at this challenging time. How we can help Our Counsellors are trained and experienced in helping clients to grow their confidence and deal with issues using proven therapeutic approaches including Person-Centred and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. We operate under the ethical framework of the British Association of Counselling Practitioners (BACP) in the strictest confidence. We have a great deal of experience working with adults, groups, teenagers and secondary school children during particularly challenging times. We regularly help clients work through anxiety, depression, phobias and many other mental health issues. ​ You may feel anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, overworked, confused, angry, worried, frustrated, scared or are experiencing specific difficulties with changes in living and/or working arrangements. Asking for help can be the hardest step to take in this rapidly changing world. The initial consultation is free and sessions are now being conducted via telephone and/or video conference, in line with Government & public health advice. Get in touch!

In these challenging times, we wanted to reassure our clients that we are acting responsibly and have contingency actions in place so that we can keep providing our essential services. What we are doing We continue to monitor all official advice including that from the Government, Department of Health & Social Care, Public Health England (PHE), World Health Organisation (WHO) and local authorities (SKDC and LCC). The health and wellbeing of our staff, associates and clients is of paramount importance so we have taken the following steps: Counselling and Therapy In addition, we are monitoring the latest advice from relevant authorities including the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) who have issued guidelines on how to proceed with counselling, aligned with the aforementioned WHO and local authority guidelines. As practitioners, there is an ethical duty to prevent harm to clients, whilst also ensuring a balance is achieved between taking appropriate precautions and not causing undue concern to clients. We recognise that this is an anxious time for many of our clients and we wanted to reassure you that we have taken measures to maintain safe practices during this time. All our Counselling and Therapy sessions will be conducted via video-conference or telephone for the foreseeable future to ensure support remains in place at a time of heightened anxiety. Consulting As knowledge workers, we firmly believe that consulting is about outcomes and that the majority of our work can be undertaken remotely with the support of our fine array of digital tools including GSuite, O365, Slack, Zoho, Zoom, Trello, Xero, Salesforce and Evernote. Consequently, we have advised all our consultants to work remotely for the foreseeable future in line with Government advice. General Advice As per the advice issued by PHE, the following precautions remain the best way of preventing people from catching and spreading Covid-19: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze. See Catch it, Bin it, Kill it put used tissues in the bin straight away wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available. See hand washing guidance try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean If you are worried about symptoms, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment. We also urge everyone to #BeKind, #BeResponsible, reach out to others in your local community to offer support, and to avoid panic buying in supermarkets. Thank you and stay safe Esther and Mark Hastings Directors, i-10 Limited

In these challenging times, we wanted to reassure our clients that we are acting responsibly and have contingency actions in place so that we can keep providing our essential services. What we are doing We continue to monitor all official advice including that from the Government, Department of Health & Social Care, Public Health England (PHE), World Health Organisation (WHO) and local authorities (SKDC and LCC). The health and wellbeing of our staff, associates and clients is of paramount importance so we have taken the following steps: Counselling and Therapy In addition, we are monitoring the latest advice from relevant authorities including the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) who have issued guidelines on how to proceed with counselling, aligned with the aforementioned WHO and local authority guidelines. As practitioners, there is an ethical duty to prevent harm to clients, whilst also ensuring a balance is achieved between taking appropriate precautions and not causing undue concern to clients. We recognise that this is an anxious time for many of our clients and we wanted to reassure you that we have taken measures to maintain a safe space by reconfiguring our counselling rooms to ensure a 2m distance between client and practitioner. We also recognise the importance of enabling clients to continue their sessions in the event of self-isolation or travel lockdown, so have set up facilities to ensure sessions can continue either as structured telephone or online video counselling. Consulting As knowledge workers, we firmly believe that consulting is about outcomes and that the majority of our work can be undertaken remotely with the support of our fine array of digital tools including GSuite, O365, Slack, Zoho, Zoom, Trello, Xero, Salesforce and Evernote. Consequently, we have advised all our consultants to respect the advice of each of their clients whilst working remotely as much as possible. General Advice As per the advice issued by PHE, the following precautions remain the best way of preventing people from catching and spreading Covid-19: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze. See Catch it, Bin it, Kill it put used tissues in the bin straight away wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available. See hand washing guidance try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean If you are worried about symptoms, please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment. We also urge everyone to #BeKind and reach out to others in your local community to offer support, and to avoid panic buying in supermarkets. Thank you and stay safe Esther and Mark Hastings Directors, i-10 Limited

Who are you? Outside of work I’m husband to Esther and father to two kids - Max (11) and Isla (8). I love skiing, golf, travel, Leeds United and England Rugby. Inside of work I’m the Founder and Director of i10. What's your background and how did you get here? Having graduated from Loughborough University, I started my career on the Ernst & Young graduate development scheme (called the Consultant Development Programme) - part of E&Y’s Management Consulting Services practice. I enjoyed a great 4-5 years there getting a really good grounding in consulting and consultancy skills. When Cap Gemini took over I applied for voluntary redundancy and used the money to travel around Eastern Europe and head out to Whistler where I did my ski instructor qualifications. When I got back I decided I needed to earn some money so reached out to my network and took a short term contracting gig. Shortly after I initially set up i10. What inspired you to set up i10 in the first place? Inspiration came from a personal development course that Ernst & Young sent me on called 'Breakthrough to Peak Performance', which was delivered by Speakers International (subsequently RogenSI). I was fascinated by Peak Performance, which had its routes in Neuro-Linguistic Programming. At the time I was doing a project in the Lean Manufacturing practice at E&Y. Lean Manufacturing talks about ’the 8 wastes’ - one of which was ’the waste of human potential’ which really troubled me and got me thinking. Bringing these concepts together, I studied NLP and became an NLP practitioner and life coach, setting up i10 originally to design and deliver training and personal development courses to maximise human potential. That’s where i10’s roots are. Indeed the name is all about the individual ('i') being at their best ('playing from a 10’: a phrase that stuck with me from the Peak Performance course). That was 16 years ago now. How has i10 evolved in that time? The early days were good - designing and delivering some great training courses and delivering them to Vertex fast-trackers - earning really great feedback - particularly around the impact (no pun intended) of the board break! We subsequently designed and delivered other great courses for Barnardo’s, HMRC and HSBC - again which were really well received. However, it soon became apparent that filling the pipeline was a challenge - the financial crisis meant that budgets for this kind of work disappeared so we had to go in a different direction and iterate i10’s offer. Having delivered project management services to London Borough of Lambeth, we first got involved the delivery of programme management services in an organisational transformation programme for the former State Veterinary Service, subsequently renamed AHVLA (now APHA). Leading teams of client, contractors, IBM, Pega Systems and Sogeti in multi-disciplinary teams delivering waves of core systems and business change, this large (£120m) programme was our first delivery of digital, data and technology transformation. We’ve been active in this space ever since: subsequently providing programme delivery services to Defra, Home Office, Cadence Innova and Rainmaker Solutions. It was through our work with Rainmaker Solutions that we first developed our business development service offering: successfully bringing-in almost 30 new clients over a 4 year period and helping to triple Rainmaker's revenue. During this time we expanded our experience across a broader range of sectors - adding Central Government, Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs), Local Government (at County, City and Borough level), Policing, Housing, Healthcare, Banking and Professional Services to our pre-existing sector-range covering Aerospace & Defence, Insurance, Telco, Manufacturing and Automotive. In parallel, we have invested in developing our Counselling and Therapy offer both for private clients and organisations: delivering Occupational Therapy. Additionally we’ve further added to our Training portfolio through this lens. We also started to develop our first web/digital portfolio, working with Linear Diagnostics (part of Abingdon Health) and have branched-out into developing a Non-Executive / Board Advisory services capability. Where next? I recently saw some stats from Fundera.com that 20% of small businesses fail in the first year, 30% fail in their second year, 50% fail after five years and 70% fail in their tenth year! i10 is 16 years old this year - so we must be doing something right! So now we’re at the start of i10’s journey to move to the next level: it’s now time to build the brand, grow the company and do more for clients by weaving together our unique experience and compelling offering. I do think the time is right - there is a significant focus on mental health and wellbeing at the moment (rightly so) - and I believe i10's roots in human potential, experience in major programme delivery, organisational transformation and occupational therapy expertise offer a unique proposition to clients. I believe that a consultancy small enough to care, smart enough to shape, and responsive enough to respond offers the best outcomes to clients. And that speaks nicely to our values and how we do business: always focused on making a difference to our clients and doing things in the right way - as illustrated by our commitment to the Tech Talent Charter - driving diversity and increasing inclusion. To do that we’re developing our brand, increasing our social media presence and expanding our capability through a network of associates. We’re identifying opportunities to bid for new work via the Crown Commercial Frameworks we’re on (GCloud and Digital Outcomes & Specialists) and are developing partnerships with some really interesting companies. More on that soon! #Transformation #MakeADifference Mark Hastings is Founder and Director of i10 Limited, providers of Personal and Professional Transformation Services. Consulting | Board Advisory | Non Executive Director | Counselling | Coaching | Therapy | Training.

Inspired by a post by a post on LinkedIn, in response to an article by Dr Radha Modgil, here’s a couple of thoughts on decisions and decision-making. Decision-making is a vital skill for everyone in all walks of life. But one which all-too-often creates inertia as people are worried in case they make the wrong decision. As Richard Bach, the American author said "Bad things are not the worst things that can happen to us. Nothing is the worst thing that can happen to us!” The irony is that good decisions come from experience. And experience comes from bad decisions! You may lose an opportunity but you gain an experience. And there is merit in both. In other words, we either win or we learn (a phrase I first heard from Martin Coburn, Founder of Natural Direction): both are good outcomes. Clearly some decisions have a greater impact on your life or business than others. And Dr Modgil rightly points out that you need to be in the right frame of mind before making them. She offers some advice: keep your bandwidth clear have the right sort of fuel inside you and never be afraid to phone a friend who wants what’s best for you. This is sage advice. To my mind there are a couple of elements to point 1: don’t sweat the small stuff (as espoused by Richard Carlson in his book by the same name) and make time to think by giving yourself bandwidth for the really important choices. Dr Modgil explains that it’s all to do with removing the small choices in life so that your brain can focus on the bigger ones: “When he was in office, Barack Obama removed one decision from his daily life: what to wear. It was always a grey or blue suit and white shirt, because he knew the science behind decision-making, and that by wearing a kind of uniform, he’d save bandwidth for the really important choices.” Simon Wardley does something similar - he has two wardrobes: one called ‘hot’ which contains about 15 short sleeved shirts, the other ‘cold’ which contains about 15 long sleeved shirts. All with an identical design. Whether Obama copied Wardley or Wardley copied Obama I couldn’t say! Having created the bandwidth, my advice is to take the time to understand the landscape (Wardley calls this ‘situational awareness’ and uses pioneering technique Wardley Mapping to make sense of the landscape). Situational awareness is critical to effective strategic decision-making, but it’s important to understand that there is no such thing as having perfect information - all anyone can do is make the best decision they can with the information available to them at the time. And that’s fine. On Modgil’s final point is essentially about bouncing thoughts and ideas around. She suggests speaking to a friend who isn’t afraid to tell you what they really think: “An objective friend can help you identify the best decision because they’re not weighed down by the fear of what could be lost. In the end, the decision is always yours, but it helps to seek this kind of advice.” In the business context, this is where the use of an Advisor, who may have the experience you’re lacking, or a Coach, who can help you to come to your own conclusion, can really help. Walt Disney once said “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” It is critical to understand that bad decisions are fine - indeed I would argue that they are better than no decisions (remember the worst thing that can happen is nothing). The issue comes in doggedly sticking to a bad decision. Instead you need to be self-aware enough to recognise when things aren’t working, be brave enough to change course and adapt so you can quickly turn a ‘bad decision’ into a ‘good decision’. There really is nothing to lose! You’ll either win or you’ll learn! Mark Hastings is Founder and Director at i10 Limited, providers of Personal and Professional Transformation Services. Consulting | Board Advisory | Non Executive Director | Counselling | Coaching | Therapy | Training

Originally published in OpenAccessGovernment Mark Hastings offers public sector leaders some thoughts on how to accelerate their digital transformation journeys Very few of you would argue against the seemingly irreversible trend for digital technologies and applications to reinvent and shape the way we work; the way we live our lives and the way we deliver public services. The reality is, we can’t ignore it. We are being challenged daily to deliver better services, despite limited money and resources. Getting there requires departments to think and behave differently. But success will never be achieved through a one-off transformation programme. If you are coming to the end of a long-term contract with a large Systems Integrator, or if you are wanting to use digital technologies to help deliver better services for less, here are our top five areas to focus on. Understand where you are: Every department will be starting their journey from a different place and with differing levels of digital maturity. We have learnt that situational awareness is a critical step in any transformation journey, but one that is often neglected. If you don’t understand where you are, you can’t begin to plan how you are going to get to where you want to go. This is why we co-create visual maps of how users, processes and technology components interact to meet the organisation’s needs. It is these maps which help the department understand the environment in which it is operating and which will highlight how opportunities for strategic change may be exploited. Understand where you are heading: Every department needs a clear articulation of its vision; one that describes its desired future. To spell this out is to provide an aspirational destination for the organisation to head towards. Without clarity of vision and purpose, ambiguities are more likely to arise on the journey, leading to expensive changes of direction and increasing the time it takes to deliver. Vision statements must be co-developed by listening to the views of those within an organisation, not simply imposed from the top without consultation. Done well, they will unite key stakeholders and provide a clear governance framework to support transformation delivery. Focus on the user: At the heart of all transformations are people, not technology. Successful transformation starts by understanding user needs, pain points, user journeys and personas. It requires a service design approach to ensure that the services being designed meet those user needs. This involves working collaboratively across disciplines, engaging users and citizens to define, develop and embed transformation. Too often, we see tools, systems and programmes being implemented without conducting sufficient user research, also known as ‘technology-led change’. This results in services which aren’t fit for purpose and which causes users to disengage from the service as their needs have not been met. In short, user research is essential. It crystallises the understanding around what users need to be able to do their jobs more easily or use a service with less effort. It means we are able to deliver more fundamental transformation by re-imagining services, rather than salami slicing existing services and cutting them to the bone. Define a roadmap: The quickest route to failure is to try and fit new technologies to existing ways of working. In the long-term, it simply doesn’t work. True transformation must also address culture, workplace skills, leadership, governance and supplier relationships. It must be able to adapt to changing business requirements and changing user needs. Having taken a user-centric approach to understanding where the department is and where it is headed, a transformation roadmap helps the department explore the path it needs to take to achieve its vision. They help it understand the way its people, processes, data and technology should combine to deliver value to its users. They inform decisions on where to act and why. Iterative delivery: Collaboration is key. We like to call it ‘working out loud’. This is vital if transformation isn’t just to be ‘for Christmas’. It encourages all stakeholders to buy into the transformation plan, creating a culture which adopts digital at its core. It ensures the plan can endure ongoing iteration as circumstances change, whether due to market forces, product availability, organisational vision, performance or changing user needs. It is through a detailed understanding of the department and its users, combined with a map of how their needs connect with technology, that we are able to work together to create a change in mindset, embedding digital change and transformation. Sometimes the answer will be ‘Agile’. Sometimes it won’t. But we start on that journey on day one and begin making real differences from the outset. Flexibility: In a world where departments need to iterate constantly, a more flexible model for investing in technology and skills is needed. A framework that can respond to a more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. Gone are the days of large outsourcing contracts, often single vendor arrangements, lasting from five to ten years. They no longer represent value for money and they constrain departments from achieving their visions. Using proven partners and ‘as a service’ type models, which provide rapid access to skilled resources and the ability to scale according to the roadmap, can be a powerful way of achieving required outcomes. They allow departments to benefit from knowledge transfer in key skills like user research and analysis, agile project management and financial modelling. They avoid departments having to risk large investments in specialist in-house skills that may become irrelevant. If you hire a group of .NET developers, then they’ll see everything as a .NET development problem, whether that’s the right solution or not. Conclusion: Most often, success stems from leadership teams who are prepared to question the status quo. From leaders who want to reimagine service delivery and ways of working. From leaders who want to challenge target operating models that are out-of-date as soon as they are implemented. #Transformation #MakeADifference Mark Hastings is Founder and Director of i10 Limited, providers of Personal and Professional Transformation Services. Consulting | Board Advisory | Non Executive Director | Counselling | Coaching | Therapy | Training.

Public sector procurement is crucially important as the contracts involve vast sums of taxpayers’ money and support the delivery of essential front-line public services. At present the public sector is dealing with a range of difficult challenges: Reducing budgets. Growing population (upwards cost pressures / increased demand for services). Increasing expectations of users. Instability and unprecedented events such as Brexit. Technology, and the possibilities it offers to transform services, is changing at a rapid pace and will never evolve this slowly again. These issues create significant uncertainty and highlight the urgent need to continuously adapt and evolve at pace. The public sector ought to consider fundamentally re-architecting itself and its processes to ensure that critical services can continue to be delivered. Out with the old (guard) We also know that huge contracts with large systems integrators such as Capita only serve to further constrain public sector organisations at a time when they need to transform rapidly. In addition, disasters such as Carillion demonstrate the risks of relying heavily on large suppliers in trying times. No single organisation, no matter how large or established, can solve all the current challenges, despite their claims to the contrary. The modus operandi of many large suppliers is to land and expand, focusing on making a difference to their bottom line and shareholders rather than making a difference to the citizens accessing vital public services. This means that the public sector needs to totally transform itself to deal with and thrive within a volatile and uncertain world. And that’s where a diverse range of specialist suppliers can really help. Since the launch of GCloud almost a decade ago and DOS in 2016, we have seen thousands of suppliers, many of which are SMEs, working with government to bring a refreshing blend of new thinking, innovative approaches and real experience. These developments make the current government marketplace incredibly exciting. A multi-supplier approach However, many SMEs continue to feel unable to make a sufficiently significant impact that would allow them to win major public sector contracts. The majority of these programmes are still awarded to larger suppliers who bring scale and corporate case studies without necessarily having the ability to staff the project teams with people who possess the relevant experience and skills. Frustrated by this, we’re seeing SMEs really starting to evolve that market with different models of multi-supplier engagement that provide public sector clients with control, choice, innovation and value. Here are a few that we've been involved in recently: Acting as a technology-agnostic partner working in collaboration with the public sector client, identifying specialist suppliers to deliver services whilst bringing critical thinking back in-house. This included central and local government disaggregation programmes that have delivered savings as high as 40%. Working as one of multiple suppliers collaborating on discrete pieces of work for a local authority, leveraging the best of the SME market to rapidly develop services. A large, arguably single piece of work broken down by the client and tendered to multiple suppliers (in this case SMEs) in order to leverage key specialisms, where Rainmaker and four other suppliers worked collaboratively as one team with the client.Forming a consortium to really embrace a client’s requirements to act quickly and scale dynamically and innovatively. The future Multi-supplier delivery is becoming recognised as not just a viable, but essential alternative to the large systems integrator / large consultancy delivery model. Still, a multi-supplier contract does bring a different set of challenges. To manage multi-supplier teams effectively requires clear goal setting from the outset as well as a strong central presence. It is also crucial to focus on cultural fit during the tender stage as suppliers need to be able to act as one and become intertwined. With the right planning and management, multi-supplier delivery works incredibly well and provides viable alternatives to forward-thinking public sector organisations who are fatigued with archaic, expensive and inflexible large suppliers. Indeed, after the success of the last Crown Commercial Service digital buying community meet-up, multi-supplier delivery is one of the topics recently discussed at the community of practice event in Manchester on 2nd May 2019. This highlights the growing interest in the topic and the potential it brings to significantly enhance public services, deliver exceptional value to citizens and open doors for UK SMEs. #MakeADifference #multisupplier #transformation

So, inspired by a number of other retrospectives I saw on Social Media towards the end of last year, I decided to write my own decade retrospective! Turns out it wasn’t an easy task (with a memory like mine), but it was a really rewarding exercise going back a re-remembering everything that had happened! Turns out it was a lot! Kudos to LinkedIn and Apple photos for jogging my memory! Here goes. Let’s start with the important stuff! Ten years ago Esther and I were engaged and planning our wedding at the fantastic Stubton Hall which happened on 25th September 2010 — I know this because Esther has had it engraved on my wedding ring and 2 bracelets! And my first achievement of the decade is not forgetting our wedding anniversary! My second big achievement is staying married to my wonderful better half! Of course a wedding means a stag do which was in Liverpool! I still have strangely fond memories (if a little hazy) of playing beach cricket dressed as an 8ft penguin! The rest of the stag do is not for public disclosure! We also went to a load of weddings too, notably my sister and Dan, Rachel and Rob, Alex and Rosa in Spain, my brother Andi and Lindsey, Adrian and Romana, Vix and Laurence, Alison and Dave, Vanessa and Dan. Birthdays were a big thing in the 2010s with Max having ten of them and, with the arrival of Isla in 2012, she had 8 of them! Seeing the kids grow into the fabulous people they are has been a real pleasure. Of course we have also experienced landmark moments like their first days at school, plays, sports days, concerts, matches and everything else! They’ve also fully engaged the services of mum and dad’s taxis being ferried to rugby, golf, cricket, tennis, dance, acro, swimming, football, hockey, netball … and several other activities that I’m sure I’ve left out! As we end the decade it’s astonishing to think that very soon Max will be leaving primary school and embarking on secondary school … with Isla not far behind! I can honestly say that they fill me with pride every single day, get on like a house on fire and I can’t wait to see how they develop over the next 10 years. Truly amazing pets. We’ve spent the whole decade very happily in the same house which has transformed brilliantly as our needs have radically changed! We’ve converted the double garage half into an office and half into a utility room. We’ve moved the kitchen from the wrong end of the house, built a fabulous extension, created a lounge for mummy and daddy to escape to (essential), added a boot room, opened up the garden to create a play area complete with a putting green (for the kids obviously!) and we’re part way through re-roofing the place. Probably about time we moved then! It’s not all been plain sailing though — we’ve had our fair share of challenges with my dad (stroke), mum (cancer and double mastectomy) and sister experiencing health challenges. Happily all have come through brilliantly — a real credit to them all and the strength of our family. Sadly however we did lose Esther’s dad, Miguel — a truly great chap with a real lust for live. He is still sorely missed today. As a result we moved Esther’s mum, Marie-Carmen over to the UK — I’m yet to decide whether that counts as good or bad news! We’ve also been robbed twice (shed break-ins rather than the house) including just before Christmas. In happier news, we’ve had some amazing holidays — starting with an incredible honeymoon — a 3 week road trip around California taking in San Diego, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, Carmel, Cambria and Santa Monica! We didn’t do as much skiing as I would have liked but we did at least introduce the kids who really enjoyed it. We’ve spent loads of time in Spain, a couple of weeks in Centre Parcs, been to Florida twice, New York, Lapland, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Liverpool, Stamford, Stubton and Samoens along with lots of fab weekends away around the UK with both friends and family. In that sense we’ve been truly blessed. We’ve also met some fantastic people who will be friends for life. We’ve ditched some dickheads too! Professionally, 10 years ago I was managing a large organisation transformation programme at what was then called Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) — it’s now APHA. I spent the first 4 years of the decade doing that … before moving to Defra for a short stint consulting on a number of programmes. I then moved across to managing a major programme at the Home Office before moving to Rainmaker where I spend the last (just over) 4 years. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great people and, in the last 4 years, a really diverse range of clients from across Central Government, Local Government, Healthcare, Housing Associations, Third Sector, Policing and the Private Sector. It also turns out that I can turn my hand to developing businesses as well as delivering programmes having successfully worked with over 30 clients. I’ve learned loads and am looking forward to a really exciting next decade professionally! Esther has also launched her Counselling and Coaching practice too and is doing brilliantly — making a real difference to people’s lives — I couldn’t be prouder. We’ve also done some great stuff too. I had the privilege to help one of my dad’s lifelong ambitions come true by taking him to play the Old Course at St Andrews — what an amazing experience that was! We’ve also really got into Secret Cinema (I think we’ve been to the last 6!) and seen some great concerts including Robbie Williams, the Radio 2 Christmas Party (Chris Evans’ leaving do), Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra, War of the Worlds, the Kaiser Chiefs (at Elland Road!) and Take That (don’t judge me). Other notable events include a couple of Leeds United matches at Elland Road (not enough), England rugby several times at Twickenham, England football ladies and mens at Wembley, England cricket at Lords (thank you Simon), the Tour de France, Rugby World Cup, the Olympics and Leicester Tigers — including having the privilege of seeing Max play there. And finally, as a family we’ve raised thousands for good causes. #family #worklifebalance

Originally published in PublicTechnology.net Mark Hastings applauds the Government’s guidance on Whitehall IT disaggregation, but argues that it need not take anywhere near as long as the four years suggested. For many government departments, outsourcing IT services to large systems integrators has simply not worked. The result has been contract lock-ins, higher prices because of reduced competition, large capital spend on infrastructure that quickly goes out of date, and an inability to take advantage of new technologies. In that context, it was encouraging to read the Government Commercial Function’s (GCF) recent guidance to organisations on the principles to follow when exiting large expiring IT contracts. GCF is right to claim that disaggregation can give organisations better visibility and control of systems and substantial cost savings. They are also right to warn that disaggregation can be complex. But they are wrong to suggest that disaggregation typically takes longer than anticipated, often up to four years. And what about guidance for the large number of departments with an annual IT spend of less than £20m? Our experience is that the principles for IT disaggregation are the same, no matter the size. And that, by following clear ground rules, disaggregation can be accelerated, with delivery in as little as 18 months. Ditch static target operating models The government’s guiding principles are sound, and pick out the significance of dealing with disaggregation as a transformation activity, rather than just a transfer of technical services. But they fall into the trap of dealing in the currency of target operating models (TOM). Although aligning a static TOM to the department sounds like a sensible plan, it risks defining a set of requirements based on a set point in time. By the time disaggregation is delivered, the department will be lumbered with technology that is already out of date. To deliver successful disaggregation, departments need to adopt an iterative model, totally focused on delivering the organisation’s objectives and meeting user needs. Technology must be seen as an enabler of the vision, not simply as an end in itself. They must manage the risk of moving to new procurement models by understanding early what they will bring in house, and what they will rely on the market to deliver. The technology marketplace for services is becoming more commodity-based, and that's a really good way to minimise cost and deliver common, proven services to users. Mindset is as important as skill set Just as the technology environment needs to evolve, so do workforce skills. Most departments are not well equipped to deliver services that were once handled by third parties or multiple suppliers. There needs to be a commitment to rapidly gaining the new skills needed to take overall control of the disaggregated environment. But this is also about developing the right mindsets and the approaches required to deliver and control the new service delivery model. Departments need to adopt a more agile ‘win or learn’ mindset when building services that are novel, and a more controlled and measured approach to commodity and utility delivery and management. This is done by recruiting entrepreneurial people who are willing to try new ideas and fail fast. But also by finding a delivery partner who commits to ‘working out loud’ and transferring knowledge - a partner that can add burst capability where needed: user research, service design, architecture, commercial, delivery, change or service management. The end result is a department that can challenge, drive and demand better services from suppliers, at better prices, that meet user needs. It means the department doesn’t need to rely on consultants and delivery partners to control IT systems and infrastructure in the future. Manage complexity and risk The complexity of the current technology provision is a big factor in influencing the pace at which disaggregation may be delivered. The challenge is to keep it as simple as possible. Organisational mapping is hugely powerful. Mapping helps deconstruct complex landscapes so that appropriate decisions can be made for the different parts of the department. It allows clear identification and management of supply side risks as well as on-site risks, mitigating their potential impact. The maps help influence sourcing options, providing the necessary firepower to engage the market and find solutions to the department’s challenges, rather than prescribing what the department thinks it needs. It’s an engaging way of working with the market, resulting in better solutions delivered at pace. The benefits Delivering at pace doesn’t equate to a reduction in benefits, actually it accelerates them. Typically, we’re seeing disaggregation programmes deliver modern, flexible IT solutions, that benefit from market-leading service packages, and which align better with user needs. Departments are better equipped to take control and ownership of their own services through greater personal and collective empowerment, by using the right management and sourcing techniques for each service. And by reducing contract lock-in, lowering the barriers of entry for new suppliers and leveraging market innovation, we are seeing savings of up to 40% on current run costs. The government is backing disaggregation - the benefits and savings are real, no matter the size of the department’s annual IT spend. But department’s shouldn’t be deterred by perceived complexity or expected timescales. A focus on vision and user needs, building in-house capacity, minimising risk through mapping, and the effective use of market solutions will deliver the hoped-for benefits more quickly than expected. #clientsatisfaction #disaggregation #transformation #MakeADifference Mark Hastings is Founder and Director of i-10 Limited, providers of Personal and Professional Transformation Services to Individuals and Organisations. Consulting | Board Advisory | Non-Executive Director | Counselling | Therapy | Coaching | Training