Feedback on the talk by Childnet - January 25
Protecting Children Online

"I'm better informed and educated now about my boys and the Internet." "It was a very professional presentation. I don't have children but this was very helpful for my nephew and niece who I'm very fond of. I'll be talking to them and their parents about what I picked up."

Nigel Williams travels around the world promoting access to the Internet and highlighting quality content. But on top of that, Childnet International's focus is on helping children and parents acquire net literacy skills and stay safe online.

As examples of best practice Nigel showed us the opening pages of this year's top children's sites in the English-speaking world - fascinating. He then went on to tell us that many children spend more time in virtual chat rooms than on best practice websites! He explained the pros and cons of chat rooms and offered valuable tips on how children can use them safely.
See: http://www.chatdanger.com

FYI, Childnet's main web address is: http://www.childnet-int.org

Feedback on Inter-Office Quiz Night - February 27

16 teams entered - a record in this, the third year of the competition. A good time was had by all - laughs galore and there was a very tense finish. Standard Life had won the Quaich on both of the previous occasions. Who would win this time?

Believe it or not, it was a tie for first place between two teams playing under assumed names, so there was a sudden death play-off with just one question: What in feet and inches is the width of standard gauge railway track in the UK? The winning team won by being just 2 inches closer to the right answer than the runners up. And FYI, the right answer is 4 feet 8½ inches!

And who were the winning team? Top Cats 1, alias Turcan Connell, the law practice up there in Princes Exchange. Like me, you probably feel sorry for the runners up. But to nearly everyone's astonishment that team, under the name Magic Darts, was in fact also from Turcan Connell!

So no hard feelings.

Final surprise: I've learnt since that the Top Cats 1 team had no idea of the true identity of the Magic Darts team until the final round. Can you believe that?! (Yes, at a big Quiz Night involving 16 teams it is possible to hide your identity, even from your colleagues!) Enjoy the Quaich, Turcan Connell, and the well-earned lunch at the Sheraton.

Feedback on 02 Fun Run - June 5

8 teams of 4, making 32 energetic and intrepid men and women in all, met up on a cool and rainy evening to belt round Princes Street Gardens. Each person covered a mile, and the consolation was that, thanks to the inclement weather, there was no need to weave in and out of dogs on leads, prams, pushchairs, courting couples or sozzled imbibers. There wasn't even a camera-clicking tourist to avoid!

So although it was slippy and there were slopes and some sharp corners, the 5 fastest runners covered the mile in 5½ - 6 minutes. FYI they were:

1. Iain Drummond of Burness
2. Chris Wilson of Burness
3. David Forrest of McClure Naismith
4. Brent Haywood of Biggart Baillie
5. Paul Dicker of Turcan Connell

"Well", I hear you asking, "was this a lawyers-only event? Surely lawyers couldn't be so fast as to outpace other companies and organisations?!" In fact, also taking part were teams from the great Standard Life, the Edinburgh Disability Benefits Centre and, er, David Chalmers! [another law firm].

Fastest team was Burness, followed by Biggart Baillie, then Turcan Connell, then the Edinburgh Disability Benefits centre. Four very happy Burness runners enjoyed a lunch at the Caledonian Hilton, and will proudly display the Quaich which Standard Life were good enough not to monopolise for a fourth year running.

A great time was had by all and lots of money has been collected for the Scottish Community Foundation, the National Asthma Campaign, Cancer Research, Maggie's Centre Western General, Diabetes UK, and Cunningham House Hostel in the Cowgate.

The team that raised the most sponsorship money was Edinburgh Disability Benefits Centre (and just like the fastest team dined out at the Caledonian Hilton). The Fun Run trophy went to them at our Christmas Carol Service on 17 December.

A very big thank you to Adrian Scott who was our expert timekeeper. He came to us from Run & Become, 66 Dalry Road - an excellent shop for all your jogging and marathon needs! Thank you, all participants, supporters, well-wishers and sponsors - also the St Cuthbert's folk who helped out at registration, on the course and with the delicious catering. (Rarely has a warm cuppa been so welcome!) We look forward to seeing even more teams take up the challenge and enjoy the fun and refreshments next year. We'll be sure to avoid a bank holiday and schools holiday week!

Feedback on Karen Palmer's talks on helping people suffering from depression - June & September

One MD present emailed: "Thought today was first class." Karen gave a very helpful overview of what depression is: an illness that goes on for a minimum of a fortnight and follows a recognisable pattern, a biochemical abnormality which usually responds to treatment.

She looked at the causes and the symptoms. The final cause can be a relatively small thing coming on top of stressful and/or traumatic events- "the straw that breaks the camel's back". Symptoms can range from reduced concentration to poor sleep.

How to help? First, don't say things like "Just pull yourself together." They would if they could! Treat gently. Since the sufferer will often lack energy, we can do their chores for them. Above all, we can listen and e.g. patiently help with decision-making. At work - and yes, some people suffering from depression are able to be at work - make allowances for them, avoid being critical, and help them recover their confidence.

If a person talks of doing themselves harm, take this seriously of course. Don't however feel you should change the subject: there is no evidence to show that, if you talk about it, it will in some way or other influence them for the worse and possibly push them into doing something dramatic. So don't shy away from bringing up or discussing this issue if you think it may be a real one for the person.

Karen mentioned that the leading self-help group to note is Depression Alliance Scotland, 3 Grosvenor Gardens, Edinburgh EH12 5JU - 467 3050 and see http://www.depressionalliance.org

Feedback on Antonia Swinson's talk on life / work balance - June 26

Antonia was as scintillating as ever, insightful, amusing, informative and provocative. Her "take" on this subject was that of a business journalist and almost social philosopher, Charles Handy-style.

She urged us to look at the systemic economic forces that drive us to work more and more and short-change notably our families, but also ourselves. We work the longest hours in Europe. She suggested our British over-balancing in favour of work may stem from what Richard Donkin in his book "Blood, Sweat and Tears", a history of work, refers to as our attempt to combine the American market style with what can be said to be a still feudal social system. (If you thought that a trifle radical, Antonia did warn us at the start that whatever else Jesus had made her for it certainly wasn't for a sunbeam!) Our over-balancing on the side of work may also be a consequence of our debt culture. Getting into debt is accepted, and even thought to be desirable, but can make us become the lackeys of 21st century capitalism.

We need to stand back, have a real think about our values, desires, aspirations and prized relationships and do an audit. Very prosaically, if we are a dual career couple, are we working our backs off and paying out far more than we really want for childcare, food, dry cleaning etc than we would like to admit?

More philosophically: what social capital (colleagues, friends, networks, community service, faith) do we have, and do we aspire to having much more of this? Since "9 -11", a lot of people have realised that relationships and family really do matter to them. They are asking themselves why they are working. Also where they should draw boundaries between work and life. Thinking about such issues and becoming assertive can only be a good thing.

All in all, folk have got a chance to "get a life!". They can wrest back control. Will those overworking among us take the chance and take back control? As for helping those around us on this topic of work / life balance, our own example will speak more than our well-meant advice.

PS Antonia recently wrote an article in Life and Work, the monthly magazine of the Church of Scotland. The article talks about "the coy unwillingness so many Christians have in connecting business and Christianity". She goes on to mention "one of the most exciting, innovative projects" - OASIS! To find this article click here.

Report on Dr McCann's talk on helping people suffering from an alcohol problem - July 10

It was evident to everyone who attended this excellent presentation by Dr Margaret McCann that serious dependency on alcohol is an ever-increasing illness in modern day society.

It was therefore all the more reassuring to know of the outstanding in-patient facilities available at the Castle Craig Residential Clinic for people suffering from both alcohol and drug dependency problems. The Clinic is situated in the Scottish Borders, close to Peebles and the River Tweed, and only half an hour from Edinburgh and one hour from Glasgow. The treatment approach used is usually referred to as the Minnesota Model, so called because it was pioneered in a clinic in the USA in the 1950s. It provides a 12 step abstinence-based treatment plan based on the disease concept of alcoholism. In following this approach the Clinic places emphasis on the quality of the treatment provided under medical direction, on complete confidentiality, on the pastoral care of patients and their families and on providing follow-up support to patients who have completed the course lasting 4 to 6 weeks.

While the excellence of the treatment offered at Castle Craig has long been recognised by Health Insurers and Companies who fund the referral of patients on a private basis, it was reassuring to know that the facilities of the Clinic and the expertise offered by its staff are equally available to NHS patients who, provided there is a clinical need, can be referred after approaching their GP.

Visit the Clinic's website at http://www.castlecraig.co.uk for more information including a full postal address and contact telephone number. Other useful resources and reading are:

Think about drink: Health Education Authority, Customer Services, Marston Book Services, PO Box 269, Abington
Drinking Problems: Information and Advice for the Individual, Family and Friends. Chick J and Chick J Optima 1992

Alcohol Concern: http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk

Alcoholics Anonymous: Main number 0141 221 9027
Alanon: 0141 339 8884
Alcohol Focus Scotland: 0141 333 9677 (formerly Scottish Council on Alcohol)

Feedback on Jim McNeish's talk on Leading in Chaos - October 16

"That was so refreshing and entertaining. You hardly noticed the man's multi-disciplinary erudition, and he was so funny with it."

"What impressed me was the way he showed us that we all flourish when we are all able to make our unique contribution to the group we are working with and for. We seem to have been designed to work in groups, not on our own."

"I have never heard a management consultant talk about humility"

"Wasn't he deft about addressing what is frankly just being opionated?"

"I hope we'll see more of him. When are you going to get him back?"

"How do you bottle a tornado? More easily than one could ever summarise the energy of the intellectual storm that moved around the offices of Turcan Connell as Jim McNeish swept us from cultural change to quantum physics through depth psychology to leadership styles for 21st century business."

Perhaps the core message of Jim's talk was that business agendas come and go like bouncing bombs across the workforce - values, stakeholders, transparency, appreciative enquiry, strategic plans and the "triple bottom line". They are all good, but they do not work. They miss the core skill of "conversation on the issue". Talk, listen and think together. We find better mental health as a contributor rather than as a consumer! His last words to those of us who have to lead in chaos were "You need humility, curiosity and to welcome interruptions to your way of thinking."

To see the full report on this talk click here.

Report on the Post-Enron interview which was subtitled "the ethics of profitability" - November 13

Some excerpts from Ian Percy's talk:

"One cannot serve God and wealth," says the Bible. That comes to mind when I start thinking about Enron and WorldCom and Marconi. And in today's world turmoil, I remember too Paul's letter to the Galatians when he told them, "to love your neighbour as yourself"; and "if you bite and devour one another take care that you are not consumed by one another". And of course Jesus told us to, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

In my everyday working life I have two rules when making a decision that affects people and these are, "Will this decision pass the Daily Mail test?" and "Can I explain it to my family without being ashamed?"

So why am I reflecting like this at the present time and why am I here today? The last year has seen two mammoth crises which have forced the world to sit up and think about its ethical values and how people treat people. I have the privilege of being a member of the Treasury and DTI Co-ordinating Committee pulling together the lessons to be learned to make improvements.

The first crisis of course was September 11th which shook the world as an act of terrorism on a scale that many had never contemplated, and we are still seeing the ripple effect in our newspapers every day. The second crisis - which has had a greater effect on many individual lives - is the demise of Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen and many other companies. Their demise has hit the pride of the US capital market and lies behind the difficulties in this country in Marconi, the dotcom companies, British Telecom and, in recent times, the split capital investment trusts. Nobody would have believed even three years ago that the Stock Market would fall from a height of 6,900 to below 4,000 in a short space of time and that the world's largest company and one of the world's most rated accountancy firms would virtually disappear overnight. These financial disasters make Robert Maxwell look like petty cash. As I understand it, every pensioner in this country has lost over £3,000 because of them.

That all sounds a very gloomy picture and it would be very easy for us to stop and leave here in a depressed state, but those of us who believe in the resurrection also realise that every cloud has a silver lining and that change for the good only comes out of crisis. We have to recognise the opportunity for change in our own business, take steps to re-instate our values and be alert to care for our neighbours sometimes in distress.

If I was to sum up in three words what gave rise to those business crises in the last ten years and the most recent ones, I would suggest that the phrase "Breaches of Integrity" would encompass the problem. The way some Chief Executives have paid themselves has been one such breach. Remuneration now comes in many forms. The old days of it being a salary and bonus based on annual performance are over and we now have - in addition to salary and bonuses - share options, complex performance criteria based on earnings per share and other mechanisms tied to capital growth. The idea is that executive remuneration is tied to increased shareholder value. The issue is: the incentivisation of manipulative behaviour by those who seek power and influence, and how companies directors hold the reins to stop it happening.

A classical case study is the executive who is seduced into using financial instruments and methods of accounting which can be seen at the time to quite properly improve earnings per share and performance, but which of course in the long term become like a noose around the company's neck when stock markets become depressed. [Ian described how one dubious practice can follow another and lead to a highly questionable state of affairs and sometimes downright fraud.]

So what can you and I do if we find ourselves being forced to carry out transactions or to act in a manner which is not in concert with our own personal values? One of the things that we are trying to encourage is the concept that in every company there ought to be a Senior Director who is available to listen to individual concerns. However, in some organisations such an open management style may not exist and I think this is where OASIS comes in. OASIS could become a broker setting up a network of relationships where, if people are in a difficult position, they know there is someone experienced whom they can talk it through with on a confidential basis. I know for instance in the City of London there are ministers and people like myself who are continually being talked to by Chief Executives and management about issues. OASIS could become the broker of the listening ear. As a start, I know that Tom Cuthell at St Cuthbert's and Peter Neilson [of OASIS and St Cuthbert's] intend to set up a vestry hour [a time in the week when any one can approach them on any issue - the Wednesday lunch-hour]. I can assure you it is never a weakness to share a problem with someone else. I often do and it gives me strength.

[Ian went on to say that he and Gavin Gemmell would be happy to offer themselves as individuals to whom concerned executives could turn for a listening ear. Ian concluded by saying he was keen to help ensure that the problems he had spoken of would never emanate from this square mile in Edinburgh.]

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