Guardiola inspires management style of Oldham social worker
Role models. Most of us have one, and for many our role models are the people who we aspire to be like as we grow into the best version of ourselves.
Yours may be a successful entrepreneur, a leading politician, a well-known celebrity – even someone close to your heart personally.
Whoever they may be, they are the people who motivate and encourage us in life and for Oldham Council’s Nick Booth, his role model is Manchester City’s football manager, Pep Guardiola.
Seen as an inspiration to millions across the world with his managerial magic and achievements, Nick, who has recently been appointed as a Team Manager in Oldham’s Children’s Social Care Services, talks openly about wanting to be like Pep – and for good reason too.
In fact, he admires him that much, Nick once referenced Pep in a footballing analogy he gave during an opening team meeting with his new colleagues.
“Pep is very good at what he does,” Nick said.
“It’s there for everyone to see. But at a deeper level, as a leader, he treats everybody with love and respect and his team repay that approach with their own performances.
“I’m not a Man City fan, but I really value what he does and that’s what I told my team.”
Nick, who actually supports Leeds United, recalls a few members of his team laughing at the analogy with one saying, ‘Are you telling us you’re Pep?’.
“No,” he replied. “But if I could become my role model as a manager, that’s who I would be without a doubt because that’s how I aspire to manage.
“Pep is somebody who recognises he has got a good team, and he works very hard to get them over the line and he wants them to win trophies.
“If we all work together in that same fashion in my team and across the service, as far as I’m concerned, we will win lots of our own trophies in Oldham too.”
Nick’s working mentality is exactly the type of enthusiasm sought after at Oldham, and as a local authority, the council is always striving to recruit strong leaders who will deliver high performance.
Ofsted recently backed this up with comments acknowledging Oldham’s ‘strong and stable leadership team’ during a recent inspection of its Children’s Services. The authority was rated ‘Good’ across all areas.
Councillor Shaid Mushtaq, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “Our children and young people deserve the very best care, and our team of dedicated social workers work incredibly hard to achieve this, as it has been highlighted in our recent Ofsted report.
“But behind our frontline, we have people who also work with and support our social workers to be the very best that they can be in their roles too, and this all builds into our commitment of supporting our residents to have the best start in life.
“As part of our new journey to becoming an ‘Outstanding’ Children’s Services provider, we are looking for social workers who will strive for the best outcomes as leaders and people who will ensure the needs of our most vulnerable are at the forefront of everything we do.
“So, if you have that same attitude and drive, like Nick does with his personal aspirations, we would love to welcome you to our team of social workers here at Oldham Council.”
Despite only being with the authority for a few months, Nick – who is now in the process of making his agency role as a Team Manager permanent with the council – firmly agrees that Oldham can be ‘Outstanding’, and with his leadership, he looks forward to contributing to this journey.
“The outcome here, no matter what, is that we always want to make a difference to the families and children that we work with so it’s a really good place to work,” Nick added.
“I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning, have my breakfast, make my way here, and get through that door to meet warm friendly faces who are ready to work hard – that’s how I know I’ve made the right decision to make my role permanent here.
“As a Team Manager, I see myself as a very open manager who is very approachable and gives strong support to my colleagues.
“I give strong challenge too, but support and challenge go hand in hand because it’s all about getting the right outcomes for the young people we work with, and my colleagues.
“Yes, we can have a laugh and enjoy warm conversations, but we can also have tough conversations and I am confident I can challenge my team on anything, and they won’t take it personally.
“They take it with grace, and we always work together to change what we need to do and with that mentality, I’m confident we will go from being a ‘Good’ to an ‘Outstanding’ authority.”
Before he’d even started working at Oldham, Nick admitted he already had a ‘good feeling’ about the place. That was down to the great first impression he received from the managers who interviewed him.
“As much as I was being interviewed to see what Oldham thought about me, I was interviewing them to assess what they were like too, and I found both managers to be really welcoming and warm,” Nick said.
“They came across as really kind people – the kind of people I like to be around.
“I want to be a leader who portrays that same kindness.
“Yes, you obviously need a bit of firmness in this role but with the support I give, I make sure I’m guiding my social workers, and I am helping them in the best way possible to be the best they can be, not just for themselves but for the people of Oldham.”
The council is currently in the process of recruiting Team Managers with a similar positive leadership approach to Nick.
If you are interested in following in his footsteps, you can apply for one of Oldham Council’s latest social worker vacancies via www.leadingoldham.co.uk/childrens-services.
Also, if you would like to have a conversation about the current opportunities available at Oldham, contact our team today at CSWA@oldham.gov.uk.
