Last night, I was trying to put my turkeys to bed, and it didn't go well. They don't like sharing a house with the chickens. The pigs got involved, and everyone was running around in circles. I found myself saying, 'Oh, this is worthy of Clarkson's farm.' Although I have tried to resist it, this part of popular culture has become my lexicon, influencing my behaviour.
Jeremy Clarkson used to present a successful program called Top Gear, which was ostensibly about cars but popular because it appealed to our Department of Masculinity. Grayson Perry coined the term when he described some of the worst aspects of human nature. I want to find a term that doesn't involve gender because we all have one.
Clarkson is now showing a more sensitive side in his new show, Clarkson's Farm. While he brands himself as championing the plight of farmers and is widely celebrated for doing so, he is also appealing to our worst instincts in an industry dependent on collaboration, interconnectedness and reciprocity.
The same thing is happening in the NHS, where we associate strong leadership with the ability to appeal to our sense of authority and control. The voices of GP leaders who belong to The Department are becoming the accepted voice of our profession. This was the only GP voice in the Darzi report, a comprehensive review of the NHS.
The NHS needs collaboration and reciprocity. When we make decisions, we need to consider the impact on all parts of the system and all the available information, not just listen to the loudest political voices. There is a vast diversity of opinion in primary care. GPs who want to do things differently have often become disconnected because going up against the Department of Masculinity is isolating and exhausting.
We genuinely need leadership that encourages GPs to connect with their communities and teams, understand their needs, and be willing to meet them in a highly productive and flexible way. We need GPs who can recognise when they need a break and take one.
Clarkson's farm-type voice resonates much more quickly than the voice of people who would like to do things differently. We must put the necessary effort into fostering an environment where all voices are heard, respected, and considered when making decisions.
After my initial haplessness, I waited for 20 minutes and returned to find the turkeys had put themselves to bed. It has taken three months of patiently showing them what we want them to do, and they have finally gotten it.
There is much to learn from the turkeys about what it takes to change cultures and behaviours. It takes time for people to adapt. We may need to show them many times. Showing them with our behaviour works better than telling them. We should be better at recognising when they have got it and not interfere.
For another day, I will leave the similarities between co-housing turkeys and chickens with PCN development.
Favorite memory? When I joined farmers and had a supervisor that hardly put time in to teach and grow our team. Hardly approved items which seemed intentional - later to see he then got moved down to a field position and being moved to another team where I realized , I wasn't provided any adequate training . My favorite memory -hearing a supervisor say " farmers owns us and owns everything " in a weekly team meeting. - and to further follow - it shows in the work force. My favorite memory?- how farmers promotes the statement of amazing work culture- however it's the worst place I've ever worked. Not organized- toxic work dynamic and thr training is below mid . My favorite memory? Being told I'd be terminated for letting home owners use our preffered vendors because it doesn't follow the metric of closing a claim in 24 hours which is disgusting. A memory? The hand fulls of customers who said to my face they will be dropping farmers due to the poor customer service of adjusters closing their claims with a guessed payout and then having to deal with proving they should be having more covered when the claim shouldn't be closed unresolved like this period and being told i was their best adjuster because I actually cared.