Mary Mallet, vice-president of Socpo and HR director at Kent County Council
Publications Daily Telegraph; straightish news coverage, OK
financials and have read it for so long navigation is easy. Local Government
Chronicle has the best gossip on the sector and I’d recommend it to anyone
wanting a window on local government from elsewhere.
Sadly I have no personnel publication allegiance, although I tend to read
the law/case reports and employment law stuff. Interestingly some of KCC’s own
publications are crucial to me – economic trends and strategic planning data
are fascinating and fundamental while Disability Matters a witty newsletter
from our disabled staff group is compulsive reading.
Books My husband was a management development and organisational
development specialist so I’ve read and used all the core academics. Particular
favourites remain Blake & Moutan, Hersey & Blanchard, Edgar Schein;
latterly Srivastva & Cooperrider, and Beverley Alimo Metcalfe have been
influences. I’m afraid Tom Peters and the guru brigade leaves me cold.
My first degree was in English so I read massively – this gives me a book in
common with most people and escape from workload reading. I am currently
reading Antonia Fraser’s Marie Antoinette and Lorna Sage’s Bad Blood.
TV Sorry, not a regular TV watcher although I’m enjoying the re-runs
of Inspector Morse for the first time and Absolutely Fabulous was a must for
women of my age.
Radio Enjoyment and choice tend to dictate Radio 4 with local radio
back-up for traffic and local headlines. Classic FM is perfect for midnight
paperwork.
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Advertisements Virtually none. Most are over-engineered, drowning in
cliché and hype. That said, the recent ones for Hackney looked simple and
stylish, but did they get a result?
Internet Socpo’s and straight to government websites for White Papers
and so on. My PA uses it extensively on my behalf for up to the minute data. I
use e-mail exhaustively to keep in touch with fellow HR directors. It acts as a
wonderfully effective ‘time lapse’ phone call which is perfect for hard-pressed
people with hectic meeting schedules.
