Monday Muses 😊 😊 😊

This is how all wonderful journeys start, a point in time immediately we know as a collective that the story teller has

carefully woven and carefully selected words that will be crafted together until the very last page. Mayhaps I am feeling a tad whimsical this Monday as it has been a long weekend here; for me this mid-year long weekend has for many years been a time to revisit Middle Earth and share the journeys of Hobbits and all the others who J R R Tolkien allowed us to wander through his mind to meet. For me the weekend always starts with a simple act of faith. I turn off my phone. (that thud you just heard was Corey hitting the floor, he knows I am loathe to turn off the phone) Each movie dove tails into the next and ends with the simple act of learning what faith and trust and all good journey's are about. Seeing what is important and allowing what is important to just settle into each of us.

and so to today...

I have walked this path before; The Marksman directed me to “write the better mousetrap” I never questioned him, I never asked where the “mousetrap” would go, nor did I question why he directed me to write what so many others had already decided was one of two things

·        Not important and not worth the effort required

·        To akin to The Voynich Manuscript hence it is impossible to decipher or to write a new concept.

As “One” never defies The Marksman I simply set about the task set in front of me, with no place to start no direction to venture in and an unknown size of canvas to fill in.

As a result; Craig’s Table started its journey from being “nowhere” to becoming “now here” a subtle but simple space created ripples that cascaded through multiple levels of the workers compensation “process” 

What is interesting is that many have seen Craig’s Table as being too simple to work whilst at   the same time to complex to understand so maybe the connection to the Voynich Manuscript is somewhat accurate.

I am oft asked about the Legislation that is behind the workers compensation system(s) and how to “fix” it. The implication is that there is “something” wrong with the Legislation. The last time I was asked this question I asked a counter question. “If there was a large hole in the middle lane of the Sydney Harbor Bridge that was causing traffic delays and damaging the under-carriage of every 8th vehicle that went over it would you

·        Would you direct traffic around the hole?

·        Would you seek to stop the 8th vehicle going over the hole out of every traffic sequence?

·        Would you change the traffic legislation to ensure that only sequences of 7 vehicles could cross the Sydney Harbor Bridge at any one time?

·        Would you fix the hole in the Sydney Harbor Bridge?

Naturally the person answered that the first 3 answers were insensible and would not prevent any further damage to the Sydney Harbor Bridge or create massive financial impost and altering the traffic legislation would have no impact at all in regards to the danger of allowing the hole to remain. Thus; the only answer is to “fix the hole”

At every introspection of workers compensation that I have been involved with since The Stanley Report way back in 2002 (yes I still have my copy of the Report) the lead recommendation is to alter the Legislation in the (false) belief that in doing this the altered Legislation will somehow as if by magic shift the algorithms used by the system to “cut cost, reduce churning, return injured workers back to work by earlier intervention”

The very first thing that needs to be understood is the two processes that are in place behind the workers compensation system(s) and then from there work out which direction to go in.

·        Parliamentary Legislation (better known as black ink on white paper) This is the process where politicians debate a Bill that is Tabled and through the process of debate the final document turns into Legislation.

·        Judicial Law is when a section of the Parliamentary Legislation is “tested” within a Court and the subsequent ruling forms a precedent, then that precedent is able to be “used” to replicate another outcome.

In turn the Judicial Precedent is returned to the Parliament and if enough politicians agree then an Amendment of the Act is voted on and carried. (this is a short and most likely oversimplified explanation of what can be a long and complex process).

And referring back to the “hole in the Sydney Harbor Bridge” does nothing to “fix” anything. So at all cost and despite all the eager over-zealous Legislation changers the one and only requirement is to actually step back and “see what is hidden in plain sight”

What is needed is to understand the intention of the Act that forms the base reasons for the Legislation. Once the intention is in place we “fix the hole” everything moves forward (simple explanation follows)

·        Accept that a workplace injury happened.

·        Instigate all the required medical based treatments.

·        Return the injured person to near as possible to pre injury health.

·        Return the injured person to open employment.

·        At all times use and support common sense.

The question remains “where do we go from here?” 

The Marksman's direction remains in place. I was reminded quite "sharply" of this when reading through some of the recommended

reading I receive from Academia was Submission to the National Workers Compensation and Occupational Health and Safety Frameworks by Professor Nicholas Buys . Another colleague (who shall remain nameless) gifted me a document to "borrow" from and combine with Phil Preston's amazing book connecting profit with purpose (side note here, this is a book that everyone who is a CEO or a Board member or studying business or community at every level needs to read)

So engrossed in everything that I was reading I negated to take my note book with me when I went for coffee , so I hastily scribbled the thoughts and concepts onto a brown paper bag.

I spoke with the Marksman about being without my notebook and he just laughed because he has seem me write notes on napkins and even on the back of my hand when needed. Currently I am working my way through Preserving workers' dignity in workers' compensation systems: An international perspective by Katherine Lippel Vocational Rehabilitation in the Context of Business: Motivation, Management and Marketing again by Professor Nicholas Buys and Michael Millington

What I am finding in all of this and all the notes I am taking is that there is just so much common ground that connects Craig's Table in such a manner that it felt like for a short while some of the writers had been peeping inside my mind (My mind can be a scary place that is best not gone to without a security guard 😵) For now I am not sure where all of this is going and that is the exciting part, I am working once more with the intention of the various workers compensations Acts, I am re-reading white papers (admit it everyone loves curling up with a good white paper to read!!!!) and in the process I am "mending the hole in the bridge" using just what I have at hand.

This last week has seen me add yet another book to my collection. The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger It is not a book that is easy to read because it speaks of a time when the world was a horrific and brutal place. My reason for buying this book is simple, I listened to a short interview with Dr. Eger where she describes the choices we all have each day between being reactive and responding to any given situation. What Dr. Eger and her sister lived through and how she took control of her life post the holocaust (although I will never know such trauma) I could hear the same words through the interview that members of the injured worker community speak with me about. I will read the book over the coming week or so and let you know what more I find within its wisdoms to share with you.

For now it is time to get make a cup of tea as I organise some dinner for myself. I still have about an hour of Return of the King to watch before it will be time to clear up the remaining popcorn and close the Tolkien playbook for another year.

Before I go I do need to let you know that this coming Friday Karen Ferris will be speaking with Phil Preston live on LinkedIn start time is around 3pm

I am not sure the exact date but I will get it to you as soon as I can because Karen will also be speaking with Sonia McDonald and that I am sure will be a live LinkedIn presentation you won't want to miss.

Yours in service

Rosemary

 National Outstanding Leadership Dinner that is set for the 4th September at the Royal International Convention Centre (Royal ICC) in Brisbane I hope to see you there.

Comp Laude and Gala