Newsletter Volume 8 Number 1 Autumn 2016

Our bi-annual FPNL Conference 2016 is coming up in the next month and we are excited as this conference is the 20

th

anniversary celebrations of the FPNL! This will be a conference with a difference as we are planning to also have some community involvement items on the agenda. We will give the delegates the opportunity to take part in handwork projects, design of special colouring books for children and also to donate all your unused conference bags to a “to be identified” institution. There will also be a voluntary entrance fee of one toiletry item to be donated to an old age home or care facility. The industry plays a major role in the conference as always and we are very fortunate to have not only our loyal partners but also new participants taking part. The conference programme have some very well known leaders who will share their views on leadership, we are looking forward to listen to Mr Brian Joffe, CEO Bidvest, as he will open the conference proceedings and set the

scene for the three days. The panel discussion and follow-up workshop on day 2 with the ultimate goal of preparing a South African Caring Culture document, need the input of our nurse leaders to produce a comprehensive document. The implementation of the changes in the nursing education system and the influence on the nursing profession as well as the nursing manager will be the focus on the last day of the conference. The conference is also the one event where we recognize the nurse leaders in the country, the nominations for the Nurse Leader awards were received and we are all waiting to see who the winners for 2016 will be. Please remember that our FPNL Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at Hilton Hotel Conference centre on 25 May 2016 16:00.

Looking forward to meet all of you at the conference.

Annelie Meiring

Annelie Meiring Chairperson

Forum for Professional Nurse Leaders

March is Human Rights month

March is the month we celebrate human rights. Many of the events focused on the lack of respect for others and the bullying we see everywhere. In particular the cyber bullying and name calling seen during the first part of 2016 have been widely reported in the media.

Social media The social media was overwhelmed by public spats with a multitude of unacceptable utterances, racist name calling and other statements made by individuals from different race groups. Your statements on social media can damage your own image and will be forever traceable on the internet if your name is searched. Employers tend to check on social media what potential employees are saying before considering employment. Disrespect Then there also is the disrespect for others

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Message from the chair …... 1 Human Rights month ......... 1 SDGs ……………...……….. 2 NHI input invited ................ 3 PNT published ...………… 3 Bilingual babies smarter .. . 4 2014 Mortality statistics …. 4 Paying membership fee .... 5 Safe drivers in SA ………… 5 FPNL Diary ……...………… 5 High pregnancy rate ..…… 5 Negativism …..…....……… 6 Celebrating our leaders …. 6 EQ characteristics ……….. .7 Cell phones in OR ………… 7 Super bugs ………………… 8 Cancer prevention ……….. 8 Cancer prevention ………. 8 IND 2016 …………………… 8 2016 Conference …………. 9 Book review ………………. 10

Greetings from the FPNL Chairperson’s desk...

as human beings, seen in so many examples reported in the various public media. This includes the reports on many young women brutally raped and murdered - violence against women and children remains a major challenge in South Africa. But then, in reporting these horrific incidents, it appears that discrimi-nation also reared its head.

Why is this important? As nurse leaders we have to take note of this phenomenon. What is happening in your workplace - are you aware of similar behaviours? If so, how are you managing this behaviour? At the very least as nurse leaders, we have to apply a zero tolerance approach for abusive, disrespectful behaviour. Most importantly nurse leaders have to set the example - practice what we preach, walk the talk. If we do not do this, we will never be able to manage the unacceptable behaviours of others.

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), officially known as Transforming our world:

the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets.

The timeline for the achievement of the MDGs have expired with many targets not achieved. On September 25th 2015, countries adopted a new set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Similar to the MDGs, each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. For the goals to be reached, everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society

and people like each of us. The health sector has one goal, namely Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. It has twelve targets focusing on child health, maternal health and HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria and other diseases. However, many of the other goals have an impact on the health of populations such as poverty, hunger, clean water and sanitation. For more information on the health goal, go to http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/

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All paid-up members who provided a postal address should be receiving a hard copy of the Professional Nursing Today (PNT). The postal address should not be the NEI or hospital address, but a personal postal address. Invitation to publish your articles You are also invited to submit articles for publication in the PNT.

Latest issue available Professional Nursing Today has just published its latest issue at http://www.pntonline.co.za/index.php/PNT. We invite you to review the Table of Contents here and then visit our web site to review articles and items of interest.

National Health Insurance (NHI) is a health financing system designed to pool funds to provide access to quality, affordable personal health services for all South Africans based on their health needs, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. It is intended to ensure that the use of health services does not result in financial hardships for individuals and their families. NHI focuses on ensuring progressive realisation of the right to health by extending coverage of health benefits to the entire population, in an environment of resource constraint whilst benefiting from efficiency gains. Primary healthcare re-engineering Primary Health Care (PHC) is being reengineered through four streams to improve timely access and to promote health and prevent disease:

Municipal Ward-based Primary Health Care Outreach Teams (WBPHCOTs)

Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP)

District Clinical Specialist Teams (DCSTs)

Contracting of non-specialist Health Professionals Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) The OHSC was established to assure quality of health services – it will be key in the certification of health establishments throughout the country. An Inspectorate will ensure compliance with norms and standards. An Ombuds person will enforce accountability and impose corrective measures where necessary. Operation Phakisa Ideal Clinic The implementation of Operation Phakisa Ideal Clinic Realisation Programme is aimed at improving the performance and quality of health services in the PHC facilities. For the proper functioning of NHI, a safe and conducive environment for patients and health workers is essential which include good quality public health

infrastructure complete with bulk services such as provision of electricity, water supply, sanitation and waste management supported by effective transport and communication systems - proper and consistent maintenance plan will be consolidated to ensure sustainability. Health Workforce The health workforce is a key pillar of the health system. Planning, development, provisioning, distribution and management of human resources will be improved to meet the needs of the population. Contracting of private practitioners at the primary health care level will be strengthened. Expansion of contracted providers beyond general practitioners (GPs) will include amongst others practitioners dealing with physical barriers to learning such as audiologists, speech therapists, oral hygienists, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists and optometrists for school going children. In particular the uptake of management responsibilities by nurses have been highlighted as an area of concern and need to be addressed to strengthen the service deliv-ery system. The implications for nursing human resources requirements presents a challenge for a profession already suffering from a shortage. The NHI requires an increase in professional nurses and specialised practition-ers:

Outreach teams – Professional nurse for each team with trained care workers

Specialist support teams (obstetrician, paediatrician, anaesthetist, family physician, advanced midwife, paediatric nurse, family practice nurse)

School nurses These and more items are important for nurse leaders to take note of as the training of nurses and midwives have to make provision for.

Are you receiving your PNT?

National Health Insurance (NHI) All health professionals are called upon to submit their views and input on the content of the White Paper and how

the proposals can best be implemented and achieved. The submission of comments have been extended to 30 May 2016.

returned. Membership card Permanent membership cards are now made available to

members as posting annual membership cards became

challenging. You will still be required to pay an annual

membership fee to access the membership benefits.

This may seem like a dull subject to write about, but in our world the correct details that accompany a payment, will determine if you will be a paid-up member for the current year or not. Why is this important? To be a member of the Forum, you are entitled to certain benefits (free subscription to the PNT Magazine, electronic newsletter, discount on work-shops and conference, etc.), which will be forfeited should we not be able to trace your payment. Your reference is essential The most important information (excluding the banking details of course), is the reference you provide. Please ensure that you give a full reference that consist of either your membership number or your name and surname. Membership form Together with the proof of payment, always remember to send us your application form (compulsory for new members) to update all personal details. Should we not have your updated personal details, we may not be able to inform you of conferences and relevant information in the nursing profession. E-mail addresses are a particular problem as many of the e-mails that are sent out are

Payment of membership fees

LOGO OF BANK INSTITUTE

NOTIFICATION OF PAYMENT

Date of payment: 2015/01/01

Time of payment: 08:29:02

Trace ID: VODS7415RV1

Payer Details: M Viviers

Amount: R 300.00

Payee Details: Forum for Professional Nurse Leaders

Bank Account: 50600162669

Bank: FNB

Branch Code: 251305

Reference: M VIVIERS FPNL001

It is a well-known fact that fluency in more than one language holds social and intellectual advantages because it opens up a world of opportunities. Research published in the Developmental Science Journal

have shown that the positive effects of bilingualism starts long before we can talk properly.

Bilingual babies are smarter

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A study by a group of researchers led by Dr Naja Ferjan Ramirez, Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, found that babies living in bilingual environments see the benefits from an early age - from as early as 11 months. Living in a bilingual household boosts children’s memory, learning capability and problem-solving skills and helps them develop sharper cognitive function than children from monolingual environments. The group of researchers examined a group of 11-month old infants - 8 from

bilingual homes and 8 from monolingual homes. Head sets were used to track magnetic changes in nerve cells to track the babies’ brain activity in response to 18 minutes of speech sounds.

The bilingual babies showed stronger responses in the prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex which is the part of the brain in charge of executive functions. This suggests that bilingualism shapes not only language development but also cognitive development more generally they said.

Gauteng has the highest number of deaths during 2014 according to StatsSA followed by KZN and Eastern Cape. The reason for deaths among males were TB (9.5%) and influenza and pneumonia (4.7%). Female deaths were due to TB (7.1%) and diabetes (6.4%). Since 2010 more people are dying as a result of non-communicable disease than communicable disease. More than half of the deaths during 2014 was as a

2014 Mortality statistics result of non-communicable diseases. Communicable disease was responsible for 36.8% deaths. More than 10% of deaths were due to unnatural causes mainly among males 15 - 29 years of age. Transport and assaults contributed to 12.5% and 11.2% deaths respectively. Total mortality rate has decreased since 2007 and was 3.2% lower than in 2013. HIV related deaths are decreasing but deaths due to diabetes increasing.

Women best drivers

The profile of the best driver in the country is a female from Port Elizabeth older than 60 that do not smoke and drives a blue Hyundai. The profile of the worst driver in the country is a male from Durban who smoke and drives a black Audi.

How was this determined? The findings of the survey done by the motor vehicle insurance division of Discovery Insure were based on how many motorists sharply apply brakes, cut corners and drives too fast. The number of accidents in the city has also been taken into account.

Vehicle brands and colour Audi (10), BMW (9) and Mercedes-Benz (8) are the worst drivers followed by Volkswagen (7), Ford (6), Nissan (5), Toyota (4), Opel (3), Honda (2) and Hyundai as the best drivers. The best drivers were found in blue cars followed by white, red, metal and silver with black cars having the worst drivers.

Cities Port Elizabeth had the best drivers followed by Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and lastly Durban.

Smokers Non-smoking drivers were found in the study to be better drivers than those who smoke.

Age Drivers 60+ were the best drivers followed by those aged 36 - 60, then those aged 26 - 35 with drivers aged 18 - 25 the worst drivers.

Sex Females were found to be better drivers than men.

So what? Some of this we knew, but some of this information is new and rather interesting. Where do you find yourself on this rating scale? Discovery Insure highlights that South Africa has a very high accident rate with about 14 000 people dying annually on our roads costing the country up to R300 billion per annum. These deaths and the cost can be decreased if drivers drive more carefully, keep to the speed limits and are more aware of what is happening in their environments. Improvement of driving ability include not applying brakes suddenly, keeping to speed limits and not driving late at night when sight is poor.

Discovery Insure did a study over a 2-year period to study the behaviour of drivers in the country. 800 million km

later the behaviour of 10 000 motorists were tested.

There still is a high prevalence of girls aged between 8 and 14 falling pregnant. During 2013/14 around 21 000 school girls of which 717 are still in primary school fell pregnant. This is an unacceptable situation because primary school girls are mere children whose life should be filled with fun, laughter and innocence and not with the concerns of pregnancy and labour. It is said that girls reach puberty earlier, there is a lack of sex education at home and school and engagement in sex with older boys who give them gifts or money.

High pregnancy rate among girls

FPNL Events Calendar

FPNL events for members - save the dates and remember to attend!

2016 Programme

FPNL Conference

Theme: 20 year legacy – leading nursing into the future - Hilton Hotel,

Sandton

Save the date! 25 - 27 May 2016

We celebrate 20 years of leadership with FPNL at the 2016 Conference

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This cannot be seen in isolation with the high prevalence of sexual violence against women and children in this country - a culture that assumes that girls and women are there to be exploited and abused. These pregnancies speaks of a nation incapable of protecting their innocent and vulnerable. The endeavours of the many institutions responsible for protecting our children are not achieving their objective. The question must be asked what we as nurses are doing to address this challenge in our homes, our societies and our workplaces?

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We know that dealing with negative colleagues can take its toll. Use these seven strategies to better deal with negative people in your life. 1. Set boundaries Don’t feel pressured to sit and listen to a negative person. If you must be around a negative person, try to keep your interactions short. You can’t control the negative behaviour, but you can control whether or not you engage. 2. Avoid complainers People who complain about everything will never enhance your life. They don’t offer solutions, only point out problems, emotional pity party. Only deal with him or her if you absolutely must. 3. Weed out negative employees Your company culture is a critical part of your brand. One toxic staff member can affect the entire culture of your business. The quicker you deal with a negative co-worker, the quicker you will be able to resolve the situation. Have a meeting, convey your concerns and give the person a chance to change. 4. Choose your battles Don’t engage every time someone irritates you. Rather than argue, try to ignore any negative comments. Control your emotions and prevent the situation from escalating.

Seven strategies for dealing with negative people - a guest post by Jacqueline Whitmore Contribution submitted by Xana Jardine

What to do with negative people

Celebrating our nurse leaders and their contributions

Prof Rachel Vuyiswa Gumbi, a stalwart in nursing, passed away in December 2015. She has made history in many ways in addition to her contribution to the nursing profession. Some of her more prominent positions was as Chief Director, Human Resource Development National Department of Health following which she was a Rector and Vice-Chancellor for the University of Zululand. She was Chair for the Global Advisory Group on Nursing and Midwifery at the World Health Organisation. Prof Gumbi was a Professor and Head for the Departments of Health Education and Nursing Science at the University of Transkei. After retirement from academia she was appointed as the CEO of the Prince Mshiyeni hospital in KwaZulu Natal. She became the first black President of the SA Nursing Council - a position she held from 1995 - 2003.

Walk away from unnecessary conflict. You’ll be respected for taking the high road. 5. Don’t over analyse the situation Negative people can sometimes behave irrationally. You will waste valuable time and energy if you try to make sense of their actions. 6. Develop a support system Build a network of positive friends, acquaintances and professional contacts.. Have the emotional intelligence to recognize when you need help. When you find yourself becoming overly emotional, call a friend or mentor and calmly explain the situation. Oftentimes an objective person can provide you with a different perspective or a new approach. 7. Embody positivity Your happiness and wellbeing are too important to let anyone’s negative opinion or rude comments bring you down or affect how you view yourself. Remain positive and begin to limit your time with the negative individuals in your life. With any luck, your positivity will be repugnant to toxic people and they will gradually fall away naturally.

Reference: http://careforthecaregiver.me/2015/11/22/7-strategies-for-dealing-with-negative-people-a-guest-post-by-jacqueline-whitmore/

The FPNL has a longstanding belief that as a profession we have to celebrate our leaders. A few highlights will be shared in all newsletters. Please share the stories of your local heroes with us so that we celebrate the contribution nurses are making, not only to health and

nursing care, but life and communities in general.

Rachel V Gumbi

Emotional Intelligence In the complex and ever changing healthcare environment where nurse leaders find

themselves, it seems that EQ has become more and more important.

You are difficult to offend.

You know how to say no (to yourself and others).

You let go of mistakes.

You give and expect nothing in return.

You don’t hold grudges.

You neutralize toxic people.

You don’t seek perfection.

You appreciate what you have.

You disconnect to take time off.

You limit your caffeine intake.

You get enough sleep.

You stop negative self-talk in its tracks.

You won’t let anyone limit your joy.

Read more at http://

careforthecaregiv-er.me/2016/03/13/18-signs-you-have-high-emotional-intelligence-a-guest-

post-by-travis-bradberry/

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For decades IQ was seen as the most important success factor. However, people with average IQ tend to outperform those with a higher IQ. Emotional intelligence (EQ) was then seen as the critical factor that sets top performers apart from the rest of the pack. EQ is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage one’s own and other people’s emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. According to Travis Bradberry what follows are sure signs that you have a high EQ:

You have a robust emotional vocabulary.

You’re curious about people.

You embrace change.

You know your strengths and weaknesses.

You’re a good judge of character.

Modern technology can be an asset and a distraction. While technology is a useful tool that is increasingly used to streamline working procedures, once you focus on the screen of your mobile phone you are disconnected from your environment. Legal cases The issue of doctors using cell phones in the operating room came to the media’s attention when it was revealed that a doctor was taking cell phone pictures during comedian Joan River’s recent surgery (according to a federal investigation). An anaesthetist in Texas was accused of sending text messages and emails whilst monitoring a patient. Allegedly the patient’s oxygen levels dropped and it was not noticed by the anaesthetist for 20 minutes. The patient died during surgery. The family sued the doctor. The term “distracted doctoring” has been coined by Matt Richtel (New York Times) for the phenomenon of computers, smart phones and other technology causing distractions from patient care. The challenge is that the timing of Facebook posts, internet access or messages sent on mobile phones, whether deleted or not, can be uncovered in a civil or criminal suit during the course of discovery. Workplace policy There does not appear to be any regulations regarding doctors use of cell phones in the operating room. Many private hospital groups in South Africa have adopted

Mobile phones in operating rooms An article written by Shefali Luthra was posted by Kaiser Health News (a non-profit news service

committed to in-depth coverage of health care policy and politics). The article was titled Do cell phones belong in the Operating Room?

hospital SOP’s with regards to the hospital staff use of cell phones, but there seems to be no guidelines for doctors. Cell phone use in the operating rooms presents other challenges as it can be both an infection prevention issue and a safety matter as a result of distraction doctoring To read the full story click on the links below: http://khn.org/news/do-cell-phones-belong-in-the-operating-room/

OR

http://www.asahq.org/resources/publications/newsletter-articles/2015/april-2015/technology-an-uninvited-guest-in-the-or

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International Nurses’ Day is annually celebrated on 12 May by nurses around the globe. For many these celebrations continue for a whole month, or even longer. The ICN prepared a kit that can be downloaded at http://www.icn.ch/publications/2016-nurses-a-force-for-change-improving-health-systems-resilience/ There is no doubt that resilient health systems are better able to respond to the many health challenges and is key to realising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Globally nurses as the largest single group of health professionals have an enormous impact on the resilience of health systems. The kit developed by ICN highlights the many ways that nurses can contribute to this goal, and in particular how nurses can become engaged in policy matters. By promoting the voice of nursing, nurses can guide improvements in the quality of health service delivery and inform health system strengthening.

In an interesting article, posted in the Sunday Times, written by Claire Ketton, Dr Adrian Brink was quoted as saying "The exponential rise of CRE in South Africa has the potential to become a national crisis." Dr Adrian Brink (a clinical microbiologist) is the co-chair of the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Programme. In the US where cases are increasing, this drug is described as “nightmare bacteria”. CRE is normally found in the gut and can kill up to half of patients when it enters into the bloodstream. In 2012 Ampath laboratories found that 64 patients tested positive for CRE in South Africa, three years later (2015) 587 patients tested positive for CRE (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) at Ampath alone. It is now estimated that roughly one in five patients admitted to state hospitals are at risk of developing a hospital acquired infection (HAI). The

statistic was arrived at by a recent survey involving close to 3000 beds in 13 hospitals across four provinces and conducted under the direction of Professor Adrian Duse, chairman of the South African national working group for the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership. The Gauteng MEC for health said that about 1500 people contracted hospital-acquired infections in Gauteng provincial hospitals from 2012 to 2014 and 20 of these patients died. Academic, public and private hospitals in South Africa are taking steps, including early detection and surveillance to manage the threat of superbugs like CRE. To read the full story click on the link below: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/stnews/2016/02/28/New-superbug-danger-stalks-SA-hospitals#.VtbC-k2qqp8.facebook

New 'superbug' danger stalks SA hospitals

Cancer can be stopped Guidelines on the prevention of cancer provided by the

World Cancer Research Fund International highlights that healthy living can prevent cancer

Remember International Nurses’ Day NURSES: A force for change Improving health system’s resilience

According to the WHO 20 700 men and 20 600 women died of cancer in South Africa in 2014. Most mend died of prostate cancer and women of breast cancer. About one third of the most common cancers can be prevented through lifestyle changes by following a health diet, being physically active and maintaining healthy weight says the British division of the World Cancer Research Fund International. The report states that other than not smoking, healthy weight is the best way to decrease the risk of cancer. Cancer could have been prevented in one of every six patients with cancer. Obesity is particularly risky for liver, kidney and pancreas cancers. The secretion of oestrogen by fat cells can increase the risk of breast cancer and stimulate cancer cell growth. Growth of cancer cells is also stimulated by the

production of growth hormone by fat cells. Body mass index of 18.5 - 24.5 is regarded as ideal. Daily activity for at least 30 minutes per day is essential and we have to sit less. Good diet includes eating not more than 500g red meat per week, avoiding processed foods with lots of fat and sugar, using less that 6g of salt per day, eating lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole wheat. Other cancer prevention advice include breastfeeding babies as long as possible and avoiding alcohol consumption. Cancer develops as a result of damage to the DNS of cells. Alcohol consumption irritates the tissue it comes in contact with allowing carcinogens easier access into cells to damage DNS. Read more at http://www.wcrf.org/int/research-we-fund/our-cancer-prevention-recommendations

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"Inspiration exists but it has to find you working"

- Picasso -

A thought for the season…...

Newsletter Production Team

Annelie Meiring (Chairperson) Suseth Goosen (Vice Chairperson) Madelein Nel (Treasurer) Sonett van Wyk (Secretary) Nelouise Geyer (Exco member)

Address: PO Box 779, Irene, 0062

Tel: +27 825 581 649 0r +27 833 655 277 Fax: +27 86 618 3605 E-mail: info@fpnl.co.za Website: http://www.fpnl.co.za

Book Review by Nelouise Geyer

finally NoNo the pessimist that tries to convince everyone that change is too dangerous for the penguin colony.

Their tale Their tale is one that we are all familiar with, namely resistance to change and heroic action, seemingly intractable obstacles and the most clever tactics for dealing with those obstacles. Fred identifies that the iceberg the penguins are living on is melting and convinces the Leadership Council to take action. A carefully selected team is established that created and maintained a sense of urgency in the colony to deal with a really difficult problem for the penguins. They had to find another iceberg to live on. The team guides the change process required to find a sensible vision of a better future. They communicated their vision to others so that they understand and accept it. They removed as many obstacles to action as was practical and quickly created some success. They never let up until the new way of life was firmly established. Most importantly they ensured that the changes would not be overcome by stubborn, hard-to-die traditions. The most remarkable changes was that many members of the colony had grown less afraid of change and were learning the specific steps needed to make large adjustments to new circumstances. This is a story that we see around us daily in different formats, but the penguins handle the challenges a great deal better than we as humans do.

Changing and succeeding The book is concluded by the authors advising readers to read and reflect on the story - are you living on a melting iceberg? Who are the personalities around me and who am I? It may be useful to read the story more than once to identify the clever methods used by the penguins. The eight steps are summarised as a final message in the book. A worthwhile read for modern day nurse leaders working in an ever changing environment.

Our Iceberg Is Melting is a simple fable about doing well in an ever-changing world. It is a story that is said have helped thousands of people and organisations. It is a short read but require much reflection to benefit from the fable. The reason for writing this up: good stories have incredible power to influence behaviour over time. Background to the story The story is based on Kotter’s research on successful change. The process of change consist of Eight Steps: Setting the stage: 1. Create a sense of urgency 2. Pull together the guiding team Decide what to do: 3. Create a change vision and strategy Make it happen: 4. Communicate for understanding and buy in 5. Empower others to act 6. Produce short term wins 7. Don’t let up Make it stick 8. Create a new culture What it is about The fable is about a colony of beautiful emperor penguins in Antarctica who live as they have for many years. Then one curious bird discovers a potentially devastating problem threatening their home - and pretty much no one listens to him.

The characters The main characters in the story, Fred, Alice, Louis, Buddy, the Professor and NoNo are very similar to people we know and we may even recognise ourselves in one or more of them. Fred is the strange bird who identifies the problem; Alice is the first to listen to him and throughout the tale maintains the momentum of the change undertaken; Louis is the head penguin in charge of the Leadership Council; Buddy providing the support and running around to implement the agreed plan of action; the Professor is the learned penguin who are able to answer the questions but talks to much at times; and

Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter & Holger Rathgeber