Ignite Lab

It was fantastic to witness those incredibly brave men from Chile slowly emerging from their “hell” deep in the San Jose mine.  A great story of hope, optimism and human ingenuity during a time when, to be frank, there is a widespread feeling of fear and  unease in this country as the scale of public service cuts begin to take shape.

Like many others, Ignite believe that the changes ahead, dramatic as they are, do not have to mean the end of high quality public services as we know them.  As teams, organisations and authorities begin to think seriously about their future roles a wide range of creative ways of operating are emerging. 

The lack of national prescription is having a dramatic effect; no longer having to keep up with national policy and comply with imposed targets could prove to be incredibly liberating. Forward thinking organisations are going through a fresh, ‘drains-up’ process of establishing their role in this new future, strengthening their core focus on local need and exploring the best way of deploying their available skills and expertise to the maximum.

The common thread that runs across all those organisations making a success of the current situation is strong leadership and the hope and belief they have instilled in their people.  Public servants have always had passion – the challenge is maintaining it during periods of severe adversity. In the case of the Chilean miners, a dire situation of unimaginable personal despair led to the forming of Camp Hope and all of the associated optimism and belief.  From this flowed the kind of creative thinking and imaginative solutions that ensured a successful outcome against all the odds. 

Human beings are indeed incredible – whether it is rescuing miners buried beneath 700,000 tonnes of rock, bringing back a stricken Apollo 13 from 200,000 miles away, transplanting hearts or splitting atoms, the potential is huge.  We have proven, time and time again, that with the right leadership and amount of belief we can achieve remarkable things.