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Jeremy Hunt Reading Can We Be Great Again? – Leadership, Politics, NHS Reform

Great again

I’ve been reading Jeremy Hunt’s new book; ‘Can We Be Great Again?’

Is it any good?

Let’s deal with that, right from the off.

Yes. It’s clever. 

It has;

  • Enough biography and gossip to make you wanting more.  
  • Enough data, graphs, facts, figures (over 500 references) to make it a valuable resource and, more than…
  • Enough philosophy to tantalise you into wondering if it’s really about rolling-the-pitch for another run at the leadership of the Tory Party.

Students of world events, trends and ‘thinkin-about-stuff’ will do what I did… romp through it… don’t be put off with the politics.

Remember; the mind is like a parachute… works better when it’s open.

I record all this because I want to refer to something Hunts says, early on in the book. In terms;

‘… [there has been]… a big decline in our national self-confidence… [people proud of Britain] has fallen from 86% to 64%… over two thirds of the population now think the country is in decline…’

Wherever you are on the political spectrum and no matter who you want to blame, (and Hunt is very willing to shoulder his share) the fact is; we are where we are… and it ain’t good. 

Hunt is clear…

… the political strategy of the incoming Labour government has made it worse. Like all incoming governments it’s blamed its predecessors. With great relish they told us how bad things are, how near to skid-row we are and how their ‘official policy’ was…

…. everything’s broken.

They’ve no idea of the real-world consequences of statements made by ministers.

For all its electoral momentum, Labour revealed a striking lack of governing experience. Few ministers have ever managed a payroll, balanced a commercial budget, or led a large organisation through change. 

Instead of offering steady leadership, they opened with a chorus of crisis.  

The NHS, ‘broken’. The country teetering on the edge of collapse. This may play-well in the Commons or red-top headlines but it does little to inspire public confidence or stabilise morale among public servants already stretched to their limits. 

In their eagerness to contrast themselves with their predecessors, they’ve forgotten a basic rule of leadership: when you tell the country it’s on its uppers, people will believe it.

As a result, we have Lencioni’s pyramid; ‘5 Dysfunctions of a Team’, playing out for real;

  1. People lack trust… worried about their jobs. As a result they…
  2. Fear conflict and won’t say anything, ‘keep yer head down’ and that leads to
  3. Lack of commitment and people who
  4. Avoid accountability and wont take on responsibility
  5. As a result they stop caring about results.

If that’s not the NHS right now… tell me what is.

History offers Labour better lessons. When Tony Blair entered Downing Street in 1997, he inherited a weary public realm and underfunded services…

… but his tone was of optimism, not despondency. He spoke of renewal, not ruin. His government understood that confidence is currency. People needed to believe change was possible.

By contrast, today’s Labour ministers dramatise collapse, rather than demonstrate control. By declaring the NHS ‘broken’ they’ve lost the long game of national confidence. 

It’s inexperience that’s led to Streeting turning to system redesign. Focussing on structure… rather than the NHS’ one job. 

That job? To create peace of mind. That’s all. 

However trivial or desperate our plight… peace of mind is all we want. Illness can’t always come with a cure… but we do want the peace of mind of knowing someone, somewhere is doing their best for us.

That is why this week’s 9.5yr plan must recreate enthusiasm and give hope. No vision blah.

Peace of mind that the future is secure, achievable and common-sense ‘doable’, with the time and space for people to become the change agents that will be needed. 

If it can, we could have a healthy nation, a more productive nation and a nation that can fund its defences, take care of its kids and old people and transform its place in the world…

… so yes, Jeremy Hunt; we could be great again.

News and Comment from Roy Lilley
Contact Roy – please use this e-address roy.lilley@nhsmanagers.net
Reproduced at thetrainingnet.com by kind permission of Roy Lilley.

Jeremy Hunt,

NHS Reform,

British Politics,

Leadership and Confidence,

Labour Government.

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