Rob Callister

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, Declan said:

If I’ve understood the letter to the CM (and I maybe wrong since it’s so badly written) but this seems to be the situation-

Department has just been found to have a Toxic culture. Neither of the previous two ministers were surprised. 
 

Rob is a new minister and has approached the role with a wide eyed vigour and a focus on patient outcomes. 
 

It’s seems he’s been boisterous in his approach with officials. And in the atmosphere he’s inherited this has caused concern. 
 

The officials rightly raise concern with the dept members, who in turn raise in with the CM. Maybe they could have raised it with Rob as colleagues but didn’t feel they could. 

If they can’t have a quiet word with Rob telling him to wind his neck in, or if they have and Rob’s refused or gotten on his high horse. It seems right to raise it with Cannon as his line manager. 
 

Wouldn’t most line managers in this situation try and manage the situation? There are many options here - coaching, mentoring, bollocking, formal warning to fix the issue before sacking. 
 

This looks like poor management to me. I also wonder about Crookhall’s resignation after a month at Enterprise. Was he, like Rob, told to resign? 
 

Of course Rob’s spoilt child act is very amusing and he clearly needs to reflect on his part in his downfall but this episode is beginning to look like it’s down to Cannon’s failure  

 

 

Of course anyone who has ever witnessed an organisation with a toxic culture will know that whenever the culture is challenged, the first people to start complaining that their feelings are being hurt are those who have behaved the worst.  This is less hypocrisy than that they are so self-centred that they see everything they do as perfect and any challenge to it as against all civilised norms.  You only have to look how Ashford and others reacted over the Ranson case - they saw themselves as the martyrs.

It's made worse by a general political/civil service culture where the fact that something has failed can never be admitted.  Even the most obvious blatant disasters - the Liverpool landing stage, the Love IOM card, the Green grants, the Prom are maintained to be successes in some sort of way, despite everyone outside the little huddle seeing them for what they are.

Cannan has now referred the whole matter to the Tynwald Standards Committee, saying he shouldn't be "sitting here passing judgements" even though of course that's exactly what he did in sacking Callister.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Roger Mexico
Missed negative

[Steady Eddie]

15 minutes ago, slinkydevil said:

You know when you pause and remember the millions of fallen soldiers... nah I would still make sure I chuck in a paragraph about me and my feelings.

Stevie Wonder and Smokie Robinson called it in Tears of a Clown. 

“Smiling in the public eye
But in my lonely room, I cry the tears of a clown
When there's no one around
Oh yeah, baby”

 

[quilp]

10 minutes ago, Two-lane said:

The use of the word "amicable" is an indication that the authors of the document expect gov. business meetings to be carried out in a certain style - that everyone has to be friendly and nice and chatty and best mates an no-one tries to grab all the chocolate bourbons. This is unrealistic.

If an organisation is in trouble, things are going tits-up, and it is because of the actions of members of the organisation (rather than acts of God), I would expect there to be a lot of harsh words, and worse, said in these meetings.

Over the years I have been in quite a few project meetings. At the start of the project the meetings are always amicable. But when the project got behind schedule , the meetings became a lot less than friendly - that is the way things are in the real world when things go wrong and a penalty clause is in the contract.

 

You are the ghost of Dennis Easthope and I claim my 5amps...

[Mr Helmut Fromage]

Little Bobby Onchan’s Bride works in the Hansard Office - imagine her pride at committing today’s shit to the official records - I'm pretty certain Mrs Callister had a poor day when the cost of a letter question was preserved for posterity however she’s got 3 working days left this week………

[Harry Lamb]

My guess at the scenario. There's not much left of the department, and those who remain had to keep the show on the road with no CEO and ministers changing like traffic lights. The new no-bullying ethos then collides with cueball mouthing off about stuff he doesn't understand and hasn't bothered to learn about. The other 3 politicians can see the whole thing going tits up because of a buffoon so they snitch on him. Alf has no people skills so instead of advising, he sacks him. Cueball starts a pity party and the old people in Onchan who keep electing him spew sympathy over Facebook. It was always going to be too much for RC - the job's been a graveyard for politicians from Bernie May on. Oh, and Alf is totally unsuited to CM - JPW would be a better bet.

 

[Ham_N_Eggs]

11 minutes ago, Mr Helmut Fromage said:

Little Bobby Onchan’s Bride works in the Hansard Office - imagine her pride at committing today’s shit to the official records - I'm pretty certain Mrs Callister had a poor day when the cost of a letter question was preserved for posterity however she’s got 3 working days left this week………

Not according to LinkedIn or the Tynwald website.

[Holte End]

13 minutes ago, Mr Helmut Fromage said:

Little Bobby Onchan’s Bride works in the Hansard Office - imagine her pride at committing today’s shit to the official records - I'm pretty certain Mrs Callister had a poor day when the cost of a letter question was preserved for posterity however she’s got 3 working days left this week………

I don't think Mrs Callister works in the Hansard office anymore. You don't see Mr Callister "Hear Hear" anymore.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Holte End

[Ham_N_Eggs]

6 minutes ago, Harry Lamb said:

My guess at the scenario. There's not much left of the department, and those who remain had to keep the show on the road with no CEO and ministers changing like traffic lights. The new no-bullying ethos then collides with cueball mouthing off about stuff he doesn't understand and hasn't bothered to learn about. The other 3 politicians can see the whole thing going tits up because of a buffoon so they snitch on him. Alf has no people skills so instead of advising, he sacks him. Cueball starts a pity party and the old people in Onchan who keep electing him spew sympathy over Facebook. It was always going to be too much for RC - the job's been a graveyard for politicians from Bernie May on. Oh, and Alf is totally unsuited to CM - JPW would be a better bet.

 

According to Callister JPW went along with AC to force him to sign the prewritten resignation letter.

[cissolt]

7 minutes ago, Harry Lamb said:

My guess at the scenario. There's not much left of the department, and those who remain had to keep the show on the road with no CEO and ministers changing like traffic lights. The new no-bullying ethos then collides with cueball mouthing off about stuff he doesn't understand and hasn't bothered to learn about. The other 3 politicians can see the whole thing going tits up because of a buffoon so they snitch on him. Alf has no people skills so instead of advising, he sacks him. Cueball starts a pity party and the old people in Onchan who keep electing him spew sympathy over Facebook. It was always going to be too much for RC - the job's been a graveyard for politicians from Bernie May on. Oh, and Alf is totally unsuited to CM - JPW would be a better bet.

 

I hear Alf and JPW work very well in intimate situations.

[Roger Mexico]

9 minutes ago, Mr Helmut Fromage said:

Little Bobby Onchan’s Bride works in the Hansard Office - imagine her pride at committing today’s shit to the official records - I'm pretty certain Mrs Callister had a poor day when the cost of a letter question was preserved for posterity however she’s got 3 working days left this week………

She moved to MNH about a year ago, where she's now 'Corporate Services manager, whatever that means.  (Rob stopped being a Trustee at about the same time)

[Declan]

47 minutes ago, Gladys said:

I kind of agree, if it wasn't the most important department for all of us.  The softly, softly approach may be the right one, but perhaps, just maybe, it needs someone who is a bit more forthright?  

Perhaps putting everyone on their mettle is what is needed, there may be some sweaty times, but the outcome may be beneficial.

Putting a very simplistic spin on it, if the bullies are the ones complaining, then is that not a good thing?

BTW no fan of RC, but really, someone needs to go in and be supported to really change things. 

I have a lot of sympathy for this point of view. However you don’t stop a culture of bullying by giving the bully a Chinese burn and threatening to nick their dinner money. 
 

But if you’re right and Rob has merely been assertive then that’s still reflects badly on Cannon for sacking him. 

[Gladys]

Just now, Declan said:

I have a lot of sympathy for this point of view. However you don’t stop a culture of bullying by giving the bully a Chinese burn and threatening to nick their dinner money. 
 

But if you’re right and Rob has merely been assertive then that’s still reflects badly on Cannon for sacking him. 

No, I accept I could be dead wrong, but something is amiss with the number of Ministers who have gone in there. 

Not suggesting giving the bullies a Chinese burn, btw, but it is often the bullies who kick against someone stopping them from administering the metaphorical Chinese burn. 

What is very surprising, given the history, that what we seem to have ended up with, yet again, is some kind of internecine power struggle. 

What would be interesting is whether the alleged bullying in Noble's was known, or perpetuated,  at the administrative DHSC level.  When Manx Care was created, at what point did the head of the serpent become detached? 

[Apple]

41 minutes ago, Harry Lamb said:

The new no-bullying ethos

When does that start.....?

[Steady Eddie]

27 minutes ago, Declan said:

But if you’re right and Rob has merely been assertive then that’s still reflects badly on Cannon for sacking him. 

The incredible thing here is that Rob, a grown man, seems to be having a hissy fit and claiming that he’s been picked on by three women. 

[Apple]

24 minutes ago, Gladys said:

What is very surprising, given the history, that what we seem to have ended up with, yet again, is some kind of internecine power struggle. 

I'm afraid so, and it seems to be happening at different Ievels and in different areas. 

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Apple