Listening, learning and looking ahead: my first 100 days at Macmillan

I joined Macmillan as Chief People and Culture Officer on 1 July. Since then, I’ve spent my first 100 days listening, learning and asking lots of questions. I’ve spoken to colleagues across Macmillan, as well as volunteers, partners and people living with cancer. I’ve heard what people are proud of, what motivates them and where things can sometimes feel difficult.

These are early reflections rather than conclusions. But one thing has stood out: people care deeply about Macmillan and the difference we make. I’ve seen that commitment in other charities, but it burns especially bright here. It’s one of our greatest strengths but it also brings some challenges.

When you care deeply about the difference you make, it can be difficult to decide where to focus. There are so many important things we could do. But trying to do everything can spread our time, energy and resources too thinly.

I’d like us to keep asking: is this the best use of what we have, and could we make a greater difference another way? It’s about being clear about where we can have the greatest impact, because every pound, partnership and hour of our time matters.

Learning must lead to action

In previous roles at Samaritans and the National Trust, I learned to think about listening as a cycle: listen, hear and respond.

Macmillan already has many ways to hear from colleagues, volunteers, partners and people living with cancer. The important thing is what happens next: acting on what we hear, explaining what has changed and being honest when we can’t take something forward. I want people to feel that speaking up is worthwhile, and that their contribution helps shape what we do.

Macmillan is a large, trusted charity with significant responsibilities to the people we support and everyone who gives us their time, money or expertise. That means some of our checks and safeguards are really important. But there are also times when the way we work can make it harder to respond quickly, try something new or work differently with others.

Our strategy asks us to work with others, help shape the wider system and make sure the voices of people living with cancer are heard. We need to find the right balance between consistency and giving people the freedom to act.

Complex doesn’t have to mean complicated

Cancer care and the environment we work in are genuinely complex. But complex doesn’t have to mean complicated.

Some of our own processes may be more complicated than they need to be. If we can simplify where we can, make decisions more clearly and remove unnecessary friction, we can give people more time and energy to focus on what matters most.

I don’t have all the answers after 100 days, and I wouldn’t expect to. What I do have is a growing sense of what makes Macmillan special, alongside some clear questions about how we can work even better. There is a huge amount to be proud of, as well as things we can do better. I’m looking forward to continuing the conversations, listening to more people and being open about what we learn and what we change along the way.

Working differently, listening better: reflections from my first 100 days

I am now just over 100 days into my time at Macmillan and it feels like it has flown by! I have really valued the opportunities to connect with some of you either in dedicated sessions or impromptu conversations in The Forge, Shipley or Edinburgh. I am still learning a lot and there are many more of you I am looking forward to meeting in the coming weeks and months.

I still feel a bit ‘box fresh’ but wanted to share with you a couple of early reflections. Before I get to those, I thought it would be useful to share my top level thoughts about what makes successful organisations tick. I believe the role of a People and Culture directorate covers two things:

• How can we help the organisation achieve its mission?
• How can we help our colleagues have a great experience at work?

These two things are mutually supportive building pride in our achievements, delivering great outcomes for the people we are here to support and enabling our people, our teams and our organisation to thrive in the process (more on this later).

My first reflection is on the shift we are seeking to make. I have always held deep admiration for Macmillan and I know I am not alone. We have built trust and confidence in our work to support people living with cancer over more than a century. However, we also know that the world around us is changing rapidly and as a result of that:

• How people access information, and the quality of that information, is evolving with growing use of AI.
• Your cancer diagnosis, treatment and support can vary based on who you are and where you live.
• That the voices of people living with cancer need to be heard to improve quality of care and experience for the future.

Our strategy faces into those challenges. I am excited by our ambition but equally recognise that it requires us, in some ways, to work differently to how we have in the past. I appreciate that this may feel daunting to some and exciting to others but however you feel we need to work together to ensure we can deliver more benefit to more people in the future. This means that we need to be individually and collectively open and curious about the possibilities of doing things differently.

Listening must lead to action

I have held accountability for colleague voice in a number of roles through my career. My second reflection is that Macmillan already has many ways to hear from colleagues, volunteers, partners and people living with cancer. However, there is more that we could do to act on what we hear, explain what has changed and being honest when we can’t take something forward. I want people to feel that speaking up is worthwhile, and that their contribution helps shape what we do. I believe in a simple cycle Listen | Check | Respond and you will hear more about that from me and my team as we move forward.

I mentioned thriving earlier on in this piece and I’d like to close with a reflection for you. I believe that our working world is made of a series of relationships. The stronger and well developed those relationships the more we enjoy our work, the more productive we are and the more we grow as people. Throughout my career I have seen my key relationships at three levels:

• How am I supported and set up to thrive (ME).
• How strong are my relationships within and across my team? Being aware of what I can do differently to help my colleagues be at their best (WE).
• How I support the wider organisation which will include other individuals, teams and directorates. How can I best support Macmillan to achieve its goals? (US)

I am looking forward to understanding more in the coming weeks about how I can better support my teams to be successful and what all of you and Macmillan needs from me.