Supporting our leaders
The importance of supporting our leaders during COVID-19 and beyond
Rebecca Buss, Learning and Development Consultant at NCH&C, talks about the importance of supporting leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic and how she has been developing resources to help our leaders to be the best they can be.
“Leaders are the lens through which our teams experience the organisation and they have four times the influence on levels of staff engagement than any other factor. No pressure then!
“Whilst it is possible to interpret these things as pressure, it’s also possible to interpret them in terms of possibility and opportunity. I love working with leaders and it is a privilege to support them in being the best leader they can be, whatever that means for them, in the context of their role.
“Whilst the amount of direct impact they have on patients is likely to reduce the higher they move up the management and leadership ladder, their level of indirect impact increases exponentially.
“As Anna Morgan, Director of Workforce, Norfolk and Waveney STP, told one of the REAL Leader Cohorts she sponsored, she chose to become a Director of Nursing because it meant that she could have a positive impact on a greater number of patients than she could as a hands-on clinician.
“The role of leaders has always been important and never less so than in the midst of a global pandemic. This means that how we support our leaders is important too. Whether we are led by them, work alongside them, manage them or train and develop them (as I do) the way we support and work with our leaders is vital because ‘together we can do great things’.
“As we had to put our other leadership offerings on hold because of the pressure leaders were under and to comply social distancing, our BiteSizes (only available to our staff at the moment on our Intranet) were designed to provide quick and easy access to key tools and approaches that leaders could apply, both in their current situation as well as post-COVID, to support them in their leadership role.
“The ‘Leading in the Context of COVID-19 and BEYOND’ Leadership BiteSizes, and related resources, were created because we wanted, in some way, to counter-balance the added pressure leaders were experiencing as a result of COVID-19.
“They cover topics including trust, change, resilience, influence and types of leadership (situational, remote, compassionate, self-leadership etc.) along with interviews with some of our leaders.
“They are available, along with a range of other resources via the Manager Portal (only available to NCH&C staff via our Intranet). In addition to this, there is access to other leadership resources, quotes, research and information via our Twitter account @NCHC_Leaders – you’d be welcome to follow us, whether you are a leader or not, whether you currently work for NCH&C or not.
“If you have questions about the support available for leaders, please email us LEADTeam@nchc.nhs.uk.”