Leadership is in the moment. Building the momentum and trust of a followership depends on everything else going on in the lives of followers. It is influenced by the culture around them. The leader’s characteristics must fit local expectations of leaders, but exceptional leaders rewrite these expectations. I’m moving to Boston next month and […]
Medical Leadership in the Foundations
Book Review: Being an NHS Chief Executive
Dr Hannah Laidley reviews Being an NHS Chief Executive: What they never told me (or if they did I wasn’t listening) Lisa Rodrigues is former chief executive of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Her 13 years running this mental health trust and experiences of depression led her to fight against the stigma associated with […]
“Crisis? What Crisis?” – UK politicians and Brexit
by Dr Rebecca Acres, Honorary Fellow, University of Leicester Whether or not it ever actually happens, Brexit is the defining political and leadership challenge of our times. As I write this the Prime Minister of our supposedly sovereign tiny island nation, our “Perfidious Albion” if you will, is presenting to the EU 27 a […]
‘Long Walk to Freedom’: Leadership lessons from Madiba
By Dunni Adeleye “I wanted first of all to tell the people that I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances” This is how Nelson Mandela felt delivering his first speech to the citizens of South Africa upon his release from imprisonment […]
Social movements and the next phase of healthcare improvement: The View from 2004
What do NHS leaders do when they want to start a grass roots movement? Well, according to Bate, Robert and Bevan, they get 15 policy makers together and hold a colloquium. These authors reported the outcomes of this colloquium in “The next phase of healthcare improvement: what can we learn from social movements?” This […]
Patient Time
It has been quiet up here for the last few weeks. We’ve been occupied by essays and e-learning for the Mary Seacole Programme and the Postgraduate Certificate. It has been really productive and promises to generate some exciting posts over the coming weeks. But time has been an issue. Time is an issue […]
The NHS Long Term Plan: It’s Ambitious
Earlier this month the government launched its 10 year Long Term Plan for the NHS. The document outlines lots of plans – including changes to adolescent mental health, early cancer diagnosis, and a technology revolution – but we await details of how they will be implemented. This is the first 10 year plan […]
The Gillette Advert: The Power of a Story
I can’t believe I’m going to write about it. That’s exactly what they want me to do. The new Gillette Advert is fantastic. For those of you who have managed to avoid the controversy, let me explain. Last week the razor makers launched a new advert, replacing the old slogan “The Best A […]
Technology and Leadership
In the last post, Dr Hannah Laidley outlined the obstacles to using technology on hospital wards. I was really challenged by the way Hannah took pride in that unglamourous dimension of being a junior doctor: getting the jobs done and getting the results back. So often we think all that matters is the way […]
Digital Frustrations
By Dr Hannah Laidley There are plenty of articles complaining about how awful IT is not just in the NHS but in healthcare around the world. I recently read one by Atul Gawande who invoked research suggesting one of the strongest predictors of burnout is how much time an individual spends doing computer documentation. […]
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