While I understand that no-one goes to work to deliberately do a bad job, oftentimes merely turning up with good intentions is enough to cause an awful lot of inadvertent damage. There’s nowhere this applies more than in the healthcare sector. Everyone I’ve ever met there is passionate about making a difference. But all too often they fall into the trap of thinking their energy to do the right thing will carry the day.

We’ve seen a terrific example of thst this week from the very top of the NHS. Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies has been telling the nation that obesity is a bigger problem than terrorism or climate change. The majority of her message was aimed at women in the mid30s to mid 40s (over 50% of whom are overweight or obese), and women in their mid40s to mid50s (nearly two-thirds of whom are overweight or obese).

Following the news headlines, I’ve overheard several conversations involving the target group, the gist of which seemed to be a fairly consistent, ‘this makes me more inclined to pile on the pounds’.

Whether the obesity issue is as dangerous as terrorism or climate change is difficult for a sane person to gauge I think. But what does seem clear to me is that, while Dr Davies’ comments were no doubt made with the very best of intentions – obesity is a big problem – she’s completely failed to understand her intended audience.

A lot of which comes down to understanding generational differences. When a 66 year-old Baby Boomer tries to tell Alienated Generation X’ers what to do, it comes across as sanctimonious, holier-than-thou haranguing. Especially as she is clearly not overweight herself.

Generation X ‘Nomads’ are a contrary bunch. The archetypal cut-your-nose-off-to-spite-your-face generation. They don’t respect what Moralising elders tell them because it was the very same elders that abandoned them as kids and declared them to be ‘slackers’ and ill-educated when they grew up. All their lives they’ve learned not to trust Boomers. When a Boomer says ‘white’, a Nomad immediately sides with black.

Had Sally Davies understood this, she might well have said what needed to be said differently. Or, better yet, got a Nomad colleague to convey the message instead.

It’s not rocket science. It’s having the humility to recognize that your lifetime’s accumulation of wisdom and best intentions might be interpreted others in entirely the wrong way.