Tending the Vineyard: What Champagne Can Teach Us About Workplace Culture and Active Bystandership

A couple of weeks ago I was driving through the Champagne region of France.  As I did i noticed the vines being tended to by many people. I knew it wasn't harvert time and after tasting some great champagne at a local house I asked what was happening. The lady there simply said "we need … Continue reading Tending the Vineyard: What Champagne Can Teach Us About Workplace Culture and Active Bystandership

When Strength Becomes Silence: Masculinity Contest Cultures, Policing and the Power of Active Bystandership

Policing needs to talk more about its men. In likes of policing and other male dominated workplaces 'Masculinity Contest Cultures' play out daily. These are environments where men feel pressure to prove toughness, dominance and endurance. Vulnerability and help seeking are viewed as weakness. Unhealthy competition is the outcome. Left unchecked such contests work to … Continue reading When Strength Becomes Silence: Masculinity Contest Cultures, Policing and the Power of Active Bystandership

More Than a Cake: What Black Forest Gateau Teaches Us About Culture in the Police and Military.

I’ve just spent a week in the Black Forest of southern Germany.  Ancient Romans found the thick forest here both mysterious and inaccessible.  Today it’s a haven for hikers, cuckoo clock enthusiastic and cake lovers.  Personally, I like the odd hike, I’m not much of a clock fan.  I like cake.  The Back Forest Gateau … Continue reading More Than a Cake: What Black Forest Gateau Teaches Us About Culture in the Police and Military.

Looking After Our Own: Why UK Policing Must Be Self-Sustaining to Serve the Public Better

Let me get straight to thew point - Policing requires to become more selfish.  It’s an idea that can feel counterintuitive at first: for policing to better serve the public, it may need to become more focused on itself. Not in a self-protective, closed-ranks sense, but in a deliberate, disciplined commitment to looking after its … Continue reading Looking After Our Own: Why UK Policing Must Be Self-Sustaining to Serve the Public Better

How active bystandership can support a multi-agency partnership.

Active bystandership is like the immune system of a workplace, team or partnership: when people step in early and constructively, they prevent small problems from becoming a major crisis. The benefits ripple outward in ways that touch everyone, not just the direct “targets” of intervention. Many child/adult safeguarding failures are due to poor communication or … Continue reading How active bystandership can support a multi-agency partnership.