Emerging Leaders

There has been quite a bit of coverage of late in relation to NHS management and how it nurtures talent from within. I guess I am slightly biased in that I have recently been through the process for applying for the NHS Emerging Leaders Programme and I am so pleased that the NHS is looking internally at its talent pool. So often is it the case that Trusts bring external people in to fill a gap in management because they need someone quickly and someone who can hit the ground running as it were. But actually, if they start to develop people with that raw talent for leadership now, they won't be fire-fighting. There will be people already in that organisation, ready to step into the breach. People who are already known, have built up strong and productive relationships and who are in a much better place to develop Trust with the people who use services, staff and stakeholders.


I met with my Chief Executive on Thursday morning to discuss this very topic (prior to my interview). He helped me to think through my feelings of leadership and how, as a leader, I would want to develop and behave. So I thought I would share this with you;


For me, leadership is about managing scales of change, its about building strong and action oriented relationships, its about living my values and instilling values in others and its about building narrative (a story, strategy, whatever you like to call it). So why is good leadership important? Well I think good leadership builds Trust, particularly now when there are so many economic challenges, when things are going to be tough, and when as leaders, we will need to be honest with the public about some tough decisions. How do you demonstrate good leadership? For me its about generating energy and giving guidance, its about building strong alliances to get us through these challenging times and its about making sure that action happens.


The NHS Emerging Leaders Programme is important to me because I know I have the capacity but I want to develop some capability. I am values driven and I have made a promise to make sure that the voice of the people who use health services are heard, considered and used to influence positive change. I want to be able to share my values and operationalise my passion..but I need help in learning how best to do this. So for me, this programme is a fantastic opportunity. Its an investment for the future. Its 'growing your own' in its purest form. So in a nutshell...it is 2 thumbs up from me!