Picture Source: 16 Personalities
Brian started these leadership blogs with some of the key passages from the NMC Code, in particular:
"Throughout their career, all our registrants will have opportunities to demonstrate leadership qualities, regardless of whether or not they occupy formal leadership positions.”
Given how important we think leadership skills are for nurses, midwives and nursing associates at all stages of your careers when Brian asked me to contribute a blog, I felt honour-bound to say yes!
There’s a lot written about leadership with analysis of different types – Brian and Dann Gooding in their blogs have highlighted some of the key ones, I’m sure you’ll find one that works for you.
But, I’d like to invite you to do something a bit different and consider your own leadership style using the letters of your first name. It’s a little bit of fun but I’ve found it gets people thinking about what kind of a leader they are or want to be. It can also help you work out what you may need to do to achieve your leadership goals.
I’ll share mine based on the first presentation I made to colleagues who were wondering what I’d be like when I started at the NMC.
A is for Active – leaders can’t lead from behind a desk or sitting in an ivory tower. You’ve got to get out there and connect with the people.
Last year I had great fun meeting registrants from across the four UK countries, in nearly every setting you could think of. I learnt a lot and hope I made the NMC feel a bit more accessible and human.
I was also pretty active within the organisation, hosting Town Hall sessions, joining team meetings and making sure I got involved in different events. You can also discover a lot about an organisation chatting in the canteen queue!
Covid19, lockdown and working from home has changed all that – I’m still active but in a different way, virtual meetings, webinars and homemade videos are my friends and in a funny way I’m connecting with lots more people, albeit via a screen. I do miss the human contact though and can’t wait to get out and about a bit more!
N is for Natural – you’ve got to be authentic as a leader or why would anyone trust you? I don’t stand on ceremony and I’m very happy to start a conversation with cats, films, football, whatever it takes to make people comfortable to then talk about more important topics or concerns.
Being inclusive and celebrating our diversity is also important to me – it’s all about being able to bring your whole self to work. I need to do it and I need to set an example that it’s okay for everyone else to be themselves too. For example, over this last year, I’ve shared some of my personal stories about being bereaved by suicide and miscarriage. It’s not easy to do but I know it’s helped colleagues share their own stories of loss with each other and get the support they needed.
D is for Determined – I remember many years ago having one of those conversations “if you were an animal, what would you be?” and a colleague describing me as Bambi with a rod of steel running through. I think it was meant to be a compliment! But they were spot on about the steel – I like to get things done whatever the challenges.
Over the last couple of years, the NMC has made substantial progress, but as our 2020 - 2025 Strategy makes clear, our To Do List is still quite long. Leaders need to show they care about delivering on their promises and supporting their colleagues to do the same. This is going to be really important as we recover from the initial crisis stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. Across health and social care, plans were put on hold and the NMC was no different, but now’s the time to show that determination and get ourselves back on track.
R is for Responsive – no leader has a monopoly on wisdom and insight or can have all the answers. Listening, learning and responding to what people tell you as a leader is vital. As we developed the new strategy for the NMC I made sure we heard from as many different people as possible so we could understand their concerns, what they wanted us to do better and how they wanted us to work. Our strategy is so much better because of their input.
Being responsive is also about being prepared to have uncomfortable conversations and using them to make a difference – colleagues at the NMC have spoken to me about their lived experience of being black, Asian or from other minority ethnic backgrounds, how that’s made them feel and what we need to do to address their concerns. The courage people have to share their stories needs to be honoured with a proper response.
E is for Enthusiastic – I firmly believe that leaders need to be positive and upbeat. Yes, acknowledge the challenges but give hope that they can be tackled. Fortunately, that fits with my enthusiastic personality!! I love my role, the difference we can make and the people I work with and I hope that helps to inspire others.
A is for Ambitious – not for me but for the organisation; for the NMC to be a fantastic place to work; for nurses, midwives and nursing associates to be supported by us to provide great care; and for the millions of UK citizens who use health and care services every day and deserve to have the safest, best care. That ambition gets up out of bed every day with a smile on my face and a spring in my step – why be a leader if you don’t enjoy it?!
So, that’s Andrea – Active; Natural; Determined; Enthusiastic; Ambitious. What kind of a leader are you?
Andrea is the Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Andrea is a Consul via the 16 Personalities Test.
Picture Source: From Andrea herself