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| 5 minute read

Tweets of the Week, 9th October 2020

The Horizons team features many influential Twitter users. This curates a wealth of insights, knowledge, and information about transformation in health and care from other thought leaders across the world. (Tip: to read an article or watch a video mentioned in a tweet, click on the blue text. To view the original tweet, click on the image).

#Caring4NHSPeople

A Covid-19 well-being initiative from NHS England and NHS Improvement recently won an award for the 'Best Wellbeing Initiative' at the occupational health & well-being awards. It's fantastic to see recognition for the incredibly effective support delivered by the People Directorate, of which the monthly wellbeing virtual sessions are a part. 

October's wellbeing virtual session is about planning for the future and preparing your staff. We hope you can join us for the live session on Wednesday 14 October at 4pm. Joining details will be available here.

Virtual Working

Physical events don't always translate directly to the virtual space. This has particularly been the case for Team away days and time out / offsite. Helen shared some insight into how to adapt these sessions for survival in the virtual world.
Organisations and teams have adapted differently to remote working, and there are reports of successes and challenges. Check out this framework Helen shared for evaluating an organisation's capacity for remote working. Hint: there's more to reaching remote working Nirvana than mastering the mute button!
In Horizons we talk a lot about the benefits of asynchronous ways of working, but what does this mean in practice? See this great article on 'Asynchronous Meetings' for more information on how to embed this into your team's practice.
It's also likely that any job interviews you take part in are also online. Making positive impressions online sometimes takes a few additional measures to face to face situations, so check out these tips shared by Helen for additional ways to prepare for virtual interviews.
Ever find you're getting video conferenced-out by the end of a long day of meetings? Some research shared by Helen suggests that visuals aren't always everything when it comes to building relationships remotely. Telephone calls can make a great break from your next Teams/Zoom call and give you an opportunity to stretch your legs too!
Here's an article to help you to make this change in your team.
Here's some more great well-being content from our friends at Scriberia. It's one of 12 illustrated backgrounds you can use on Teams / Zoom. Great if you think your colleagues might value a change in scenery!

Inclusion

What does exclusion feel like in the workplace? This blog suggests that what we often think of as 'imposter phenomenon' may actually be 'testimonial injustice'.

October marks Black History Month in the UK. Twitter users can promote celebrating the event as well as encourage conversations about diversity through adding a Twibbon to their profile picture. Head here to add one to your profile.

Kathryn shared with us the book she's currently reading, "100 Great Black Britons". Black history month is a time to share stories and retell the contributions that black colleagues have made towards the NHS and our country. Check the book out and share with us what you've been reading for Black History Month using the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth.

Managing Ourselves

Working from home has shaken up the way that we manage our time. Whilst it provides some opportunities for more flexible working, there are some things we can do to make sure that we continue to use our working time effectively.
The way we manage our time is a very personal thing, though. There is lots of great reading out there to help us make the best choices about how we use our time to be effective and happy. Helen shared a list of some of the best reading out there to help you test what works best for you.
People who work long hours don't necessarily have bad health and wellebing outcomes, and they should be differentiated from workaholics. See this article Helen shared for more.
Some interesting findings to change (or continue for some) the way that we use our emails. It suggests that filing them is wasted time.
Managing our time is one thing, but how we use our time to be most effective is something that many people will have been forced to question because of Covid-19. This fantastic sketchnote and article give us some tips for "managing oneself" and reminds us to be reflective about how we work in tough and changing times.
Helen shared this fantastic quote which questions the concept of a 'new normal'.

Managing Change

The Centre for Creative Leadership recently released this article on '3 Steps for Successfully Implementing Change in an Organization'. There is some great info to help you recognise if you have a organisational problem with change, and how to overcome these.

One problem we can fall into as change managers is placing too much emphasis on the idea, and not enough on its implementation. This can be a problem in hiring too by favouring 'geniuses' over 'butterflies'. Check out this article for tips on how to avoid this.

For a fantastic case study into making change happen, you can download this report here on 'Mobilising and Organising for Large Scale Change in Healthcare'.

Also check out the latest thinking in scaling change and systems innovation here in these slides from the Systems Innovation Paris Hub.

The divergence / convergence diamond is a regular feature in change processes, but knowing when to do either can be the key to success. See this really useful tool to help you play to your team's strengths in the change process.

Leadership

Helen shared this great resource on how to boost our emotional intelligence and our ability to help others develop it.
There's also a free webinar coming up on Tuesday 13th October on leadership during Covid. Head here to register.
The Open University is currently offering scholarships for potential future leaders. Head here to find out more!

And finally...

Last weekend the Horizons team ran an asynchronous London Marathon 'relay' to raise money for the British Red Cross. It was a great way to get outside and have some fun as a team despite all being spread across the country.