In a couple of recent email exchanges with my step-mum, we have been bemoaning how little change for good people in organisations seem to be able to achieve. We are both full of examples in politics, business, religion and community groups (there’s my residents association sitting right on my doorstep!) where passion and a willingness to put oneself on the line, instead of sitting around whingeing, appears to get squashed under a mantle of esoteric waffle. In fact, in watching those around absolve themselves of the responsibility to achieve anything with great alacrity and frequency, one’s energy seems to become more absorbed in deciding whether to throw oneself on one’s sword for the cause or adopt a pragmatic ‘hands in the air’ retreat.

I attended the launch of a white paper yesterday on the future of my profession and was dismayed at the lack of ‘way forward’ that the professional body, of which I am a member, was standing for. The big multi-nationals are used time and again to show examples of where good practice delivers results – but not everyone works for a multi-national or for that matter a SME (small-medium enterprise) so that leaves a rather significant group in the middle ground…those who haven’t been made redundant, that is…whose needs are not being served.

I have always been one for sticking my ‘money’ (so to speak) where my mouth is so I’ve recently become the Treasurer for one of the Institute’s new Member Interest Groups and am determined to champion a more pragmatic approach (to the IG) as part of this. But will sticking my chin out again just result in it being an easy target for the ‘right hook’ of esoteric waffle and the ‘upper cut’ comfortable apathy? Only time will tell…