Thinking about leadership with Doctors A session to roadtest an idea for a future LVT session High Trenhouse December 3 rd 2008 Mike Cambray, learning partnerships

The LVT Process I used 5 minutes – solo with five 3” hexagons each, individual responses to the question “What are the leadership competences you need to be a successful Consultant in the NHS” 10 minutes – in newly formed groups of five place your hexagons on a board, and cluster them in ways that make sense to you 20 minutes – consider you clusters and create a sentence for each cluster that captures the meaning of the hexagons in that cluster 10 minutes – present your work to the other group 15 minutes – review of the process

From the review on the day emerged Consider pre-work which would invite the Doctors to interview a number of Stakeholders (patients, Business Manager, Chief Exec..) and use Repertory Grid format. Also invite Doctors to reflect on their own experience of leadership pre-course. Challenge Doctors to go beyond ‘competence’, reframe the question to “What are the features of a highly effective Consultant as a Leader in the NHS”. Use more of an Appreciative Inquiry approach “ When Consultants as leaders are at their best, what are they doing?” Provide texts/references to acclaimed leaders in other fields, and ask what they are doing. Remember to give a fulsome introduction to LVT and the process for the session. Try using the carousel/market way of sharing output (rather than five presentations) Remember to invite people to articulate their thinking when assembling clusters and moving hexagons Consider ways of enabling individuals to work on hexagons that are not all their own (swap boards?)

From my own reflections..... The output from this session can be returned to later in the programme when participants are forming plans for how they are going to be the Consultant leaders they aspire to. It will be useful to type up the boards to facilitate the above. Positioning and setting up is everything, get this right and the rest will flow. Have a go, see what happens!

Session output from the two groups

LVT boards transferred onto software

Lifetime learning & application Be up to date in techniques To be a subject matter expert in my clinical specialism Evidenced track record To be clinically competent & up to date Develop 'Leading' Edge practice To be a perpetual learner Willingness to keep learning (and be seen to) Demonstrate Care Encourage positive emotion To have an appropriate degree of humility To manifest excellent bedside manner Compassionate ruthlessness Act the part Effective communication skills Believability Inspire and develop others Inspire junior staff to care for patients To be an effective coach/teacher of medical students Use other people to make diagnosis Be politically savvy Good networker (butter people up) To interface well with management Good self publicist Be business savvy Be able to balance needs of hospital with patients Avoid risk and -ve events Develop links with private sector To understand the 'Business' of the NHS (e.g. Budgets, Finance, Resources, etc.) Ability to manage boundaries Modelling & mentoring Willing to share knowledge with junior Good patient teacher Ability to set an appropriate example Strategic responsiblity Build strategic relationships to achieve results Develop & manage budgets Be accountable Organise dept/team to meet targets Exude manner of professional gravitas Authoratitive in opinion so not easily challenged Be a decisive expert To trust his/her (RB) intuitive self Show clinical excellence in filed Quickly sees the issue and solution To know when to intervene Managing & Developing your team Be able to delegate Assess & coach team to meet standards To motivate others To bring out the best in the team Resilience Ability to manage self and others under pressure Fast pace of walking, talking, living, breathing Demonstrates a comprehensive repertoire of communications skills Show ability to communicate upwards and down Reassurance to patients in safe hands Communicate effectively up/down/side/int/ext with stakeholders Exemplify good communication with patients The ability to actively listen Be an empathetic listener...and into ‘Word’