Archive for March 2010
NHS Cuts, Budgets and That Thing Called Leadership
Leadership needs to be inside out, not back to front.
With the imminent election, and even more imminent budget, the future funding of the NHS, and possible NHS spending cuts is a real hot topic.
In my previous post I highlighted the NHS Confederation’s report on Rising to the Challenge.
I have just been recapping their fascinating series on leadership from Spring 2009.
The fact that there are going to be massive cuts and the need for efficiency drives within the NHS is a given. It is going to be unavoidable, as it will be in any other public sector. What is not clear is how the system, and the individuals within it, will respond to those changes.
It is a time for leadership to come to the fore on a corporate and individual basis.
Leadership needs to be inside out, not back to front.
What is back to front leadership?
Back to front leadership is reactionary knee jerkism. Back to front leadership only looks ahead at what is to come and reacts to it.
It is like reading the last page of a novel and guessing what might happen in the other 250 pages for yourself to fit with the conclusion you have just seen.
It is reactionary and often misguided. The steps that are taken might match the predicted outcome (reduced costs) but may make no sense along the way.
Inside out leadership is different.
It still sees what the big picture is – there is no self deception or self comforting delusion here. However it then works from the inside outwards to ensure that the necessary re-organisation fits the outcome and is consistent and coherent throughout the organisation.
This is much more challenging. It requires the ability of managers and leaders (very different roles by the way) to be able to communicate, reassure, be honest and yet still move the team forward. It takes courage to make those unattractive decisions. There is no room here for procrastination or avoiding tough decisions and the subsequent conflict that will arise.
These leadership traits are not simply required in those we follow or look to for guidance and decision-making. We can all develop leadership qualities ourselves and, as we do so, then we strengthen our own positions within our teams, employment but also within our personal lives and decision making.
Personal leadership also needs to be inside out, not back to front.
As we challenge ourselves to face up to several years of turmoil within the NHS , we have a choice.
We can read the writing on the wall and despair. Maybe some will just give up, or others will keep a low profile hoping not to be noticed in any cutbacks. That is the back to front approach.
The inside out approach to self leadership will be to look at ourselves.
What is it that we do really well?
Where can we improve?
What value and importance do we offer to our clients?
What value and importance do we derive for ourselves from what we do?
What is it that really fires us up?
Where do you want to be in say 3 to 5 years time, rather than where do you think the system will leave you in 5 years time?
These are all internal questions but they will have a profound impact and shape your external presentation.
If you are sure of why you do what you do, and if you have a vision for your career which is rooted to your values then you will be seen as someone to be kept hold of, and even promoted as and when opportunities continue to arise.
People will see you as bold, courageous. You will be called inspirational. People will turn to you for your opinion and guidance.
You become sought after and increasingly central to your team or organisation.
You will not avoid the tough times ahead but will be better positioned to roll with them, take the blows and carry on forward instead of falling into despair. This resilience will, again, position you as a natural leader within your organisation as a result of developing your internal self leadership characteristics.
Here at Harrison Training we are continuing to expand our leadership skills training program for occupational therapists and other health care workers at all levels of seniority. Let us know if this is something that you would like to bring into your organisation, or access personally, to help you and your people rise to the challenges that are to come.
Harrison Training at Health and Wellbeing @ Work Conference
Photo by http://www.twitter.com/shiftstigma
Harrison Training were proud to have a stand at the recent Health and Wellbeing @ Work conference this week.
Susanna Robinson attended together with Jain Holmes, an associate of Harrison Training and owner of The Workplace Health Partnership.
It was a valuable opportunity to get out and about amongst occupational therapists and practitioners in adjacent professions.
Susanna explained that “It was great to catch up with people who we have been talking to for a while. It was also interesting to learn what is driving development and policy in certain services.”
In that regard, face to face meeting and networking works in very much the same way as online networking and blogging.
By establishing a presence online we are able to pull together viewpoints from other practitioners in other service professions and countries. We believe that doing so will enable us to share those insights with the occupational therapy profession and associated practitioners.
Susanna also expressed her surprise at how many occupational therapists find themselves employed in non-OT roles.
“I met people who were in roles such as ‘Condition managers” or ‘Case managers ‘”
All of this reiterates one of the unique challenges that OTs face, that thorny old question of just who are we and what is it that we do… but that is probably an issue for a different blog post.
Did you go the conference and if so, how was it helpful to you?
It is likely that we will be exhibiting at other conferences during the year.
How can we best serve your needs when we are there?
What do you need from exhibitors and how can we help you get the most value from the time that you spend there?
Neil Denny
With thanks to shiftstigma for the use of their photo
