Dear PPMA friends

It’s the day after the most magical 3 days I have experienced in a very very long time. I am hoping all of our delegates will have slept well last night. I confess I didn’t get much sleep – my brain has been buzzing with everything I have learnt over the last few days from our extraordinary speakers. But most importantly, my heart has been lifted by all of you.

There isn’t enough space for me to note down all of my reflections and in truth I need more time to work through the last days, but there are some immediate thoughts I wanted to share with you.

• This time last year, Chris Squires and I were dealing with the very recent deaths of our fathers – Newcastle was a very emotional time for both of us. Chris and I had a quick mention of this to each other after the awards dinner on Wednesday night and I didn’t have chance to say to him that I am sure his father would have been so proud of Chris and team for winning the HR/OD team of the year award. A lot happens in a year.
• I will never forget the joy of our wonderful friends at Basildon who won too. I met Stuart, Angharad and Nicola and our Awards shortlisting earlier in the year and they said to me that they had entered a few awards but never won and they didn’t think they would this time. Well, it just goes to show that excellence wins – I am so thrilled for these wonderful people.
• I was so pleased that Kristine Johnson, Vice President of SPDS joined us. We are working much more collaboratively with our Scottish friends and you will be hearing more from them in future newsletters and PPMA Quarterly Supplements. Kristine had brought a gift from the SPDS leadership team and a beautiful card. It sent well wishes from our brothers and sisters in Scotland and those beautifully emotional awards chimed so much with the spirit of our conference.
• We welcomed many new people to conference (I was thrilled with the number of first timers) but for some people it was their last. I hope to see our first timers back for a second time and we have even more first times next year. For those of whom we won’t see again, I wish you blessings for the future.
• Many of you won’t have known that we had invited Daniel John’s mum and Dad – Denny and Rob to attend conference with Daniel. As you will remember Daniel is one of our joint winners of Apprentice of the Year, alongside the amazing Kirsten Moore. Daniel is on the spectrum, his story has inspired so many of us and it was just incredible and deeply moving to give Denny and Rob an opportunity to see him in our PPMA family. On Tuesday, Daniel found out that he has been given a years role in is current team at South Gloucestershire Council. We are so excited for him. And personally I was so excited Denny won a dinner for 2 in our raffle.

I’ve become even more passionate about ensuring we engage with all of you – our members, sponsors, partners and stakeholders on the back of what we have learned this week. To keep us true to our values and true to our leadership commitment to you, all of you need to keep us honest. You need to weigh in, challenge, engage, share best practice, collaborate and call us out when we fall short. We’re human, so we all need to remind each other to create and participate in the ‘Phoenix Collective’ that I want so very much for us to be. For ourselves, our workforces and the people we serve.

Lemon suckers – there is no place for you anywhere!  Shonette – you rock!

With love, Karen

Hello PPMA members and friends

With the PPMA Annual Conference just days away, this is the final Conference Countdown post. Over the last few weeks we’ve introduced you to our excellent keynote speakers. In addition to those we have many fantastic fringe sessions and of course none of this would be possible without our wonderful sponsors, supporters and partners. So here’s a quick roundup of our fringe activities:

Day one:

Following the opening keynote session and also the PPMA AGM, from 18:30 we are hosting a fun evening of relaxation, food, drink in the High Line New York Bar & Lounge at Resorts World

Day two:

After the morning keynote session from 11:30 to 12:30 there are 4 fringe sessions for you to choose from all based around our ‘Let’s Talk’ theme:

1. Let’s Talk: Evidence with Krystyna Gadd from How to Accelerate Learning— in this practical session you will come away with a clear idea of how to get closer to what the organisation needs as well as how to measure it.
2. This is an opportunity to meet previous PPMA award winners and learn more about their winning work.
3. Let’s Talk: Developing our Organisation with Stuart Hearn from Clear Review. How best to manage employee performance
4. Let’s Talk: Digital – with Yazad Dalal from Oracle. How can HR & OD professional harness ICT to support transformation across our world of work

After lunch from 14:00 to 15:00 there are further fringe sessions around the theme of ‘What can HR do to support’:

1. Forgotten workers: Dr Andrew Smith from Bradford University School of Management will talk about support for low paid workers with multiple jobs and the need for HR & OD professionals to consider the implications of this for our workforce’s.
2. Armed Forces Covenant: Siamha Butt from West Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Assoc. & Caroline Miller from West Midlands Police will talk about what role can we play in supporting our employers to work with and help reservists, veterans and forces families
3. Ex-offenders: Jacob Hill from Offploy will be sharing his experiences of being on the wrong end of the criminal justice system and the inspiring and trans-formative journey he has since taken in creating a charity supporting other ex-offenders.

Between 16:00 to 17:00 you’ll have the opportunity to join in with one of our wellbeing sessions and workshops which will give you a change to unwind and reflect on the days events. These include: Yoga, Meditation with sound baths & Belly dancing— you will need to book if you’d like to attend one of these sessions.

Annual Gala Dinner:  The evening’s festivities begin at 19:00 to 19:45 with a drinks reception followed by the Gala Dinner at 20:00.

Day three:

Following Karen Grave’s opening session, reflecting on days one and two and the first of the morning’s keynote speaker, we have another 4 fringe sessions for you to choose from. These include:

1. ER and legal updates. Mark Greenburgh from Greenburgh & Co. will be sharing the latest legal developments and how we might need to respond.
2. Let’s Talk: Future Workforce –The Future of work is Inclusive with Karen Grave PPMA President and Jessica Dolphine from Leeds City Council. We’ll be taking a look in this session at how we can use the language of inclusivity to address some of the challenges we are experience in increasing the representation of all groups in our workforce.
3. Let’s Talk: You – An audience with our 2019 Talent Management Programme winners, who are: Hayley Camporese & Daniel John – Apprentices of the Year, Kirsten Moore – Rising Star and Steven Berry – One to Watch.
4. Let’s Talk: Transformation – writer and broadcaster Christina Patterson will share how she turned one of the worst ordeals of her professional life into a force for good. Her book ‘ The Art of Not Falling Apart’ chronicles her traumatic experience of leaving employment.

Exhibitors:

The exhibition will be open throughout the conference and our fabulous exhibitors will look forward to seeing you – these include:

Backhug, Boundless, CAPITA, Clear Review, Core HR, Crown Commercial Services, Hampton Resourcing, Iken, LGA, Maria Paviour, Matrix-SCM, MHR, My Staff Shop, Neyber, Oracle, Osborne Thomas, Penna, Public Sector Show, Real World Group, Selenity, SOLACE, The MJ and Tile Hill

We hope that everyone has a successful and enjoyable time and look forward to seeing you all there!

Hello PPMA members and friends

The last in our series of posts from the Apprentices of the Year and One to Watch winners is our 2019 Rising Star, Hayley Camporese. Hayley is HR Consultant at Onesource (London Borough’s of Havering & Newham).

“I have always thought that I am a confident individual, that is able to say her piece in team meetings, guide Directors through procedures and sing horrendously on a karaoke …… but after the first day with the fabulous Leatham Green and coaches Stuart Paviour and Julie Biggs, I realised that there was much more I needed to, and did, learn about my own self-confidence and presenting in front of an audience of peers.

The first day started with all of the finalists getting to know each other and then going through relaxation techniques to help whilst presenting under pressure…..throughout the day we were provided with scenario’s and exercises both individually and in groups, to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and hone our presentation skills. We were given immediate feedback and mentoring from the coaches, which helped immensely with the next stage. It did not feel like a competition at all – everyone was very supportive to each other, and we were encouraged and coached continuously by the team.

Presenting my legacy was quite an emotional experience, it was based around work/life balance and how we sometimes lose ourselves in our work, and miss out on precious time with family and also making time for yourself. I felt very empowered when I stood up and spoke, I forgot about the judges and just gave it my all, bringing in all of the techniques that I had learnt over the 2 days I had been there. All of the other finalists were amazing….. and it was a shock when my name was called as the winner, it really must have been a close competition!

It was an outstanding experience and has made me realise the abilities I have, given me a great sense of belief in myself and also an awareness of my body language – I stand and walk taller now, and it has really made a difference in my confidence and delivery.”

We wish Hayley a fantastic year and look forward to seeing her and the other programme winners at the PPMA Conference, at The Hilton Metropole Birmingham, on 14^th to 16^th May. If you’d like to come along and celebrate with us all, then book your place here.

The theme for our Annual Awards Gala Dinner this year is…Rock the Kasbah. Of course, you can dazzle as usual with your best Black Tie outfit, however if you want to join in with the spirit of the evening but are in need of some inspiration about what to wear, below is a quick guide.

We look forward to seeing you and some fabulous outfits in Birmingham on the 15th May!

Hello PPMA members and friends

We’ve recently heard from Kirsten Moore and Daniel John our joint Apprentices of The Year about what it was like to enter the competition. This week, Steven Berry our ‘One to Watch’ winner tells us about his experience.

“When I was invited to attend the PPMA Rising Star / One to Watch competition I didn’t really know what to expect, although I knew it would be an opportunity to challenge myself and support my personal development.

The two day event started with a masterclass in techniques to support our success. There were then some quite daunting challenges, such as having to answer quick-fire moral dilemma questions in front of the panel of judges and fellow colleagues. However, there were also some fun team challenges that enabled us to get to know each other better and work together towards a common goal.

As the competition progressed, I was able to practice the techniques that we had been shown to help me to cope under pressure and perform better. The final challenge was to present our ‘personal legacy’ to the judges and the group. Considering my personal legacy really helped me to understand myself better. My legacy focused on the fact that I am naturally a quiet, introverted person, but how over time I have learned to push myself out of my comfort zone, which is when I find I perform at my best, and have the most positive impact on others. Speaking about something so personal in front of the rest of the group was surprisingly emotional but extremely rewarding. It was also great to hear everyone else’s legacies, which were equally personal and inspiring.

At the end of the competition I was shocked to be named the winner of the One to Watch category. What was more important though was the connections that I made and the increased confidence and belief in myself that I brought back with me.”

Steven is a HR/OD Specialist at Manchester City Council, leading on workforce health and wellbeing. He has worked within the HR/OD service at the CIty Council for 15 months, prior to which he worked within the voluntary sector in substance misuse services. He has supported with the development and ongoing implementation of the City Council’s Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which aims to create an environment where employees are empowered to be their best selves at work.

We wish Steven an amazing year and you can meet him at the PPMA Conference, at The Hilton Metropole Birmingham, on 14^th to 16^th May, where we look forward to celebrating with him and all of our other talent programme winners. If you’d like to join us, then book your place here.

Dear PPMA colleagues and friends

As we approach conference, our President Karen Grave shares her hopes and expectations for this year’s annual conference.

“Hi everyone, I’m so looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Birmingham. As ever in the run up to conference the team is both excited and anxious to make sure that we haven’t forgotten anything critical! Putting on annual conference is a huge undertaking and before I share my thoughts, I want to say an enormous thank you to Leatham, Kim, Grace and everyone else who makes it possible for us to put this event on. Our focus will be on making sure you have a fantastic conference experience!

I try to take stock of the progress we have made before each of our events. Last year in Newcastle was a real thrill and it was a very personal opportunity for me to return to the place I studied at Uni. This year, I’m looking forward to conference with the same enthusiasm but for a number of reasons:

• We’ve got a great theme ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ ,that always makes me smile just when I think about it. But there is a lot more to this than a happy slogan. We have a real opportunity to increase our learning about the impact of leadership, employee engagement, wellbeing and productivity on our workforce colleagues. I’m fascinated about this link because I think it we can collectively crack this with our colleagues, it will really help us harness all of the potential of our people. It’s good for them but more importantly it’s critical for the citizens we serve. Each year we see more and more external pressure on our ability to deliver services. Finances are a constant challenge. However in my view, there is an increasing and potentially more divisive threat. Our politics are increasingly fragile and it’s harder to see policy proposals being developed that help those of us in public services really address our most pressing challenges. So to overcome this, we need to take our destiny in our own hands – enabling and empowering our people isn’t just a nice to consider – it’s an imperative for all of us. I can’t wait to hear from John, Maria, Beverley, Jamil and Shonette and of course, all of our amazing fringe session speakers. We’re going to learn a lot.
• We’ll be welcoming existing and new members to conference. It’s fantastic to meet old friends again and find out what’s happened since we last met in Newcastle. But it’s always really brilliant to welcome new members to the PPMA family. We’ll be saying a big hello to all of them – but in particular, I’m really chuffed to welcome HR & OD colleagues from all Greater Manchester Local Authorities. They are going to add a fascinating dimension to our community and I hope we will learn a lot from their DevoManc experiences in particular.
• This is also our first national event since our restructure last year. We’ve come a long way since then and we now have appointments to all of our key posts. Our first Extended Board meeting at the end of March was so exciting. Our new Theme Leads and our Regional Chairs brought energy, new ideas and a commitment to our collective future that left me feeling really hopeful.  You will have the opportunity to meet Board colleagues over the 3 days, so please make sure you take the time to meet them. Every single Board member undertakes their role on a voluntary basis – that is a huge commitment but they do it because of a collective belief in the value of PPMA. If you are interested in getting involved in the running of the association please come and talk to one of us. Board members will have a different colour lanyard to conference attendees, so we will all be easy to spot!
• We’ll have plenty of exciting things to say about our membership offering too. I am very proud of the breadth and depth of our offering – it compares very well to other professional associations. Our ability to offering a compelling value proposition depends on the great support from our existing and new sponsors, the commitment of our Board members and all of your ongoing support. You should never underestimate the amount of work that goes into volunteering for Board roles, so I encourage all of you to take advantage of what we offer.
• And last but not least, we will be announcing the winners of our PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards programme. I love this part of Gala Dinner – it’s always brilliant to recognise the efforts of our winners and everyone who takes part. With the pressures of work, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there is a huge amount of innovative, creative and inspiring work being done day in and day out across public service HR & OD. Gala Dinner is our opportunity to reflect on that, enjoy good food and great company and kick back and have fun.

And talking about fun, we’re really looking forward to our Rock the Kasbah theme…….

I can’t wait to see you soon!”

Hello PPMA members and friends

It’s hard to believe that our Annual conference is now under 4 weeks away and as part of our conference countdown, we’re introducing you to our keynote speakers. This week we’re focusing on Maria Paviour, who is an Occupational Psychologist & Founder of Maria Paviour Company.

Maria heads up an occupational psychology consultancy based at the Innovation Centre at the University of Sussex and is a top international influencer, speaker and facilitator on organisational and strategic resilience. For over 25 years, she has studied human psychology, biology and neuroscience, focusing on the importance of engaging employees and gaining employee commitment. She’s also published three books on neuroscience and leadership and has grown a team of coaching professionals, schooled in her own ‘NeuChem®’ methodology.

Her innovative use of technology resulted in three UK Government and EU awards for measuring and managing stress at work. Building on this technology and using evidence based research from the last ten years, Maria has developed a flagship tool – CARI  giving clients the ability to drill right down into the key aspects of wellbeing and emotional engagement at work. CARI provides revealing insights into the barriers that stop employees from engaging in the workplace.

Opening day two, Maria’s session – ‘The Neuroscience Of Work – Zombies, Vampires and Everyday Heroes’ – will provide a fascinating insight into the world of work and how extreme management and target driven cultures can create ‘Zombification’, a process in which the brains of employees literally close down. She’ll also provide guidance on how to overcome the White Collar Psychopaths, Vampires and Zombies that can silently rise and prosper by explaining how to develop a brain friendly ‘work ecology’ and by activating the dormant Super-Hero within who can save us all.

It’s going to be a brilliant session, so if you’d like to find out how to develop more Super-Heroes in your workplace, then pop over to our conference booking page and reserve your place.

Hope to see you there!

Hello PPMA members and friends

Last week our joint Apprentice of the Year Winner 2019, Kirsten Moore shared with us her experience of taking part in the competition and this week we hear from her inspirational fellow winner, Daniel John. Daniel is from South Gloucestershire Council and here is his story:

“I decided to enter the PPMA Apprentice of the Year as the idea of testing my abilities against other apprentices in a competitive environment greatly appealed to me as well as development opportunities to develop my career. I was thrilled to be shortlisted along with 15 other great apprentices from across the country and was looking forward to the challenge.

The morning of the first day was focused around training and development. The emphasis was on developing the core being of who we are as individuals and how to increase our confidence to help us get our message across. We learned different techniques for public speaking such as how to breathe and how to hold people’s attention using silence. I found the morning challenging as it took me out of my comfort zone, although when the competition started I felt confident in applying what I had learned in the morning.

During the afternoon of day one we had to perform a team activity that focused on time forecasting, individually answer questions from the judges, and deliver a short pitch on our legacy presentation that we had to deliver the next day.

The second day consisted of an individual task in which we had to show how well we could cope under pressure and the legacy presentations. For my presentation, I talked about how my passion for improving conditions for people with Autism has been shaped by my life story. My apprenticeship finishes in July and I would like to gain a permanent job which would enable me to make a difference for people with Autism.

Overall, I found the experience wonderfully enjoyable and precious. I found everyone involved to be so friendly and inspiring and I will cherish the memories for the rest of my life.”

Daniel John, PPMA Joint Apprentice of the Year 2019

We hope that Daniel has an amazing year and we look forward to celebrating with him and all of our other talent programme winners at this year’s PPMA Conference, which will be held at The Hilton Metropole Birmingham, on 14^th to 16^th May. If you’d like to join us, then book your place here.

Hello PPMA members and friends

Our annual conference is fast approaching and over the next few weeks we’re going to introduce you to our excellent and inspiring keynote speakers. To coincide with International Day of Happiness, we recently brought you a post from speaker (and also our host for our sparkling Gala Awards Dinner) Shonette Bason-Wood.

This week we are going to be profiling John Higgins who is a best selling author & researcher into Speaking Truth to Power. John has been an active organisational consultant, researcher, tutor and coach for nearly 30 years. This work has resulted in three recent pieces in the Harvard Business Review and alongside colleague Prof. Megan Reitz he has written a challenging new research paper that analyses the dynamics behind truth-telling in organisations. His work will be published as a book by FT Pearson in 2019.

He currently works with a wide variety of organisations including the NHS and other national health systems, where he extensively applies and develops the insights of his long running research into ‘speaking truth to power’. Bringing the undiscussable and ignored aspects of organisational experience into the open, John engages in an active dialogue with individuals and groups, seeking both to influence and be influenced by the exchange. Consequently his work involves intimate and confidential conversations with people from all walks of life, from Archbishops, to CEOs, to homeless people now earning a living as professional actors.

Led by SOLACE and sharing the stage with the amazing Jo Miller, John is our opening speaker at the conference and you can expect this session to bring a fascinating perspective on what CEX’s are looking for in their HRD’s. Speaking truth to power is a challenging topic but arguably the ability of a HRD to speak truth to power is critical for the overall health of an organisation, so this is a session not to be missed. If you haven’t already booked your place, then pop over to our conference booking page now!

We look forward to seeing you in Birmingham in May!

Hello PPMA members and friends

The 2019 PPMA Apprentice of the Year competition was a fantastic event and showcased the amazing up and coming talent we are lucky enough to have in the public sector. We had an unprecedented number of applicants and the 16 brilliant finalists were invited to a 2 day event at Warwick Business School. The judging panel were unable to differentiate between 2 outstanding candidates, so the decision was made to select both as our winners…and we’d like to congratulate Daniel John representing South Gloucestershire Council and Kirsten Moore representing Central Bedfordshire Council.

Below, Kirsten Moore shares with us her experiences from the event and legacy she aims to leave behind:

“I went into the competition not knowing what to expect. I had already felt challenged by the application questions but was excited to see what the activities and assessments would bring. The two days took us back to basics, focusing on self-confidence and presentation skills, as well as working under pressure and group coordination. The judges, coaches and other apprentices created such a safe environment, allowing all of us to try new things and push ourselves. There was so much support from everyone that we forgot that it was a competition! The other apprentices had such interesting, and often moving, stories and great passion for the sector they are working in.

After an intense first day, I stopped just focusing on the competition and instead set personal goals for the experience, ensuring I took all I could from my time with PPMA – and I am so pleased I did, as I feel this is what might have helped me to become joint winner.

Presenting my personal legacy allowed me to reflect on how beneficial undertaking an apprenticeship has been for all areas of my life. Professionally, I am completing a transferable qualification, where I can help to direct my personal development and training opportunities, whilst working. Personally, the security and my enjoyment of the role now allows me to focus time on my legacy: fundraising for Parkinson’s UK, which is a cause very close to me.

It has been great to challenge myself and I have learnt so much about myself, personally and professionally. The biggest thing I am taking away from the competition is self-confidence and the courage to push myself forward more in my development. ”

Kirsten Moore, PPMA Joint Apprentice of the Year 2019

We hope that Kirsten has an amazing year and we look forward to celebrating with her and all of our other talent programme winners at this year’s PPMA Conference, which will be held at The Hilton Metropole Birmingham, on 14^th to 16^th May. If you’d like to join us, then book your place here.