30 Focus
Leadership challenge Rosemarie Sheehan describes her journey through one of the HSE’s programmes designed to develop leadership in the health service
implies leadership is the responsibility of the teams and not individuals alone and is needed across all levels of the service. Prior to this programme I had not under- stood my role in terms of the importance of contributing to public value for its investment in health and improving the health outcomes for the greater good of the population I serve. The third module ‘Making the case for change’ provided me with knowledge on the impact of politics, unspoken agendas, the media and the many other barriers to implementing small- and large-scale trans- formational change. It also provided new approaches and tools to overcome these challenging barriers. I had never considered networks relevant for nursing but now see their importance as a forum for support, growth and learning. They enable nurses and midwives to influence at a higher level and to build alliances and collaborations. Personal growth In the early days of the programme, feel- ing like an imposter, I wondered whether I should be there. I was challenged to re-evaluate my mind-set and some preju- dices that had naturally evolved with years of experience. This personal challenge ena- bled me to realise that a growth mindset is important in order to widen the spectrum of the possible, to embrace the potential of what can sometimes feel impossible. Nursing and midwifery represent a large body of professionals within the health service, we have incredible potential that can be released through creative thinking. The most important message came from something called the learning set. These are teams of fellow participants who you work with on assessing your written work and progress throughout the programme. This
to the programme was a very humbling experience. Programme On the first day of the programme I noticed a large poster with a set of lead- ership behaviours/outcomes that were highlighted to us as the programme learn- ing outcomes. At the time they appeared abstract but I now reference these in my day-to-day work and they have become a real part of my working life and how I work. The programme content was divided into three thematic modules delivered online and in face-to-face residentials. The first module ‘Knowing yourself and others’ was interesting and raised many challeng- ing questions for me about myself, my behaviours and my response to others, as well as an understanding of the response and behaviours of others. A reflective life- line exercise helped confirm the values that motivate and increased my awareness of the necessity to become reflective in my own journey otherwise I would not develop leadership attitudes, skills and behaviours. The ‘Broadening Horizons’ module provided insight and knowledge to help me understand the complexity of the health system and the many difficult chal- lenges in healthcare. A key message was the necessity to use a ‘wide angle lens’ to anticipate the implications of a rap- idly changing landscape in healthcare as opposed to understanding the complexity of the past and the current climate in order to predict the future. Another key message was the need for collective leadership across the service, where everyone takes responsibility for the success of the organisation and systems they work in, focusing on learning and improving quality of care delivered. This
In the summer of 2017, I opened an email at work from my manager with a link to a new development from the HSE, the Leadership Academy, whose stated aim was to develop leaders across the health service to lead transformational change. Two leadership programmes were open to applicants; Leading Care 1, an executive leadership programme and Leading Care 2, a master’s in leadership. As I had previ- ous experience with the Irish Management Institute and an MSc in nursing, I decided to apply for Leading Care 1. Up to this point I had enjoyed a varied career and had extensive clinical experi- ence in the acute children’s services and the private sector. At times I had felt emo- tionally burned out in nursing and felt I needed new energy and time for contem- plation to help me decide the right path for my future, which led me to consider apply- ing for Leading Care 1. Leadership To me, leadership appeared to be an ideal that could be learned through academia. I did not foresee the fundamental change in my thinking that was about to occur. Leadership starts first within, who you are, your behaviours and attitudes, your impact on others and knowledge and skills can be learned to enhance your leadership abilities. This programme is structured to con- tinually challenge you in ways that, at times, can feel unnerving. However, this uncertainty enables you to challenge yourself to reflect, grow and develop lead- ership attitudes, skills and behaviours. The patient is at the heart of this programme and learning aims to ensure patients receive high-quality care by engaged and compassionate staff at every level and in every service. The patient contribution
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