Simplicity is powerful…

I am a big admirer of Andrea Sutcliffe, CEO of the Social Care Institute for Excellence. Andrea is a breath of fresh air. I will never forget the time I was sitting in the basement of the SCIE offices ( a long story, don’t ask…) trying to round up people to do some recordings for the new electronic Whose Shoes?® – Making It Real. Twitter is a powerful tool in these circumstances. A quick DM and, within a very short space of time, Andrea had found me lots of ‘volunteers’ … and, of course, volunteeered herself too.
Let’s just do it! This is a simple example. But simplicity can be powerful because we don’t really n-e-e-d to make everything SO complicated… 😉

Anyway, I was not surprised to hear that Andrea’s early career included some lowly, ‘real’ experiences, working as a cleaner in the NHS. Andrea has written a great blog about this: The Francis Report – what I did in 1983 is just as important today.

Personal take on response to #Francis – let's encourage a culture where a human response is natural & valued http://t.co/Um7Dqnb6JN

— Andrea Sutcliffe (@Crouchendtiger7) March 28, 2013

You need to read the blog itself but here are some quotes I picked out highlighting the difference made by simple, everday acts of kindness and compassion :

“…the impact a kind word, or a smile at the right time, could have for someone at their most vulnerable.”

“I remember one woman saying that I was the only person who had been nice to her all day – I hadn’t done much, but it had meant a lot to her.”

“This is about culture – encouraging and enhancing a culture where a human response is natural, recognised and valued.”

@guystenson I agree – thing is, not to forget!

— Andrea Sutcliffe (@Crouchendtiger7) March 28, 2013

@whoseshoes “simplicity is powerful” – brilliant!

— Andrea Sutcliffe (@Crouchendtiger7) March 28, 2013

— Gill Phillips (@WhoseShoes) March 28, 2013

Simply connecting.
With our core values as human beings. Powerful.
Enough said.