Leadership article (website) - Skills for Care

?Leadership – it’s all about people, relationships and valuesTowards the end of the Top Leaders progamme in 2018 facilitated by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), the participants used a large group intention technique to develop their own thinking about key leadership attributes and this is what they discovered.Social Care Leadership – the importance of giving time to yourself and othersSocial care leaders over-riding goal is to achieve outcomes for the people they work for; that is people in need of care and support, not the employing organisations that pay our salaries! As a group of social care leaders who participated in the Top Leaders Programme, we would like to share our thoughts about what managers and leaders like us need to think and do to achieve that. Leadership is fundamentally about people – working with others, getting the best out of them and ourselves. Our behaviours and actions impact on those around us – not just their personal wellbeing but also their perception of us and our organisation. So we must be self-aware and model good leadership behaviours. Central to this is the importance of authenticity. A leader has to be comfortable with themselves, know their vision and values, and always stay true to them. If you do not believe in what you are trying to achieve – you cannot be an effective leader. This does not mean being intransigent. Be flexible (within parameters) in responding to the world around you, but be consistent in how you respond, the values you transmit and how you behave towards others. This will result in others being confident you are authentic and remaining loyal to your purpose. A common failure amongst leaders is how they respond to criticism and challenge. Sometimes this can be by being resistant and confrontational. Conversely, that criticism can be so challenging that it causes leaders to lose confidence and hide away from difficult situations and decisions. Leaders need to hear that we have got things wrong. Listening to it is not a sign of weakness. It is important to manage ourselves and how we react to uncertainty. We need to stay strong whilst being open to doing things differently. We all need personal strategies to keep things in perspective and, whilst listening and responding to valid criticism, have the confidence to hold on to our vision (coproduced with those we work with/for) of how to achieve better outcomes for and with people. Leadership is fundamentally about relationship building. Progress is achieved because partnerships are developed with other people and organisations. Some of this is informal and low key. Do not forget the importance of informal conversations - show an interest in others. Relationships are built on trust, so do what you say you are going to do. The most important aspect of relationship development for leadership is probably that of building social capital - the networks of relationships that you can draw on (in a reciprocal manner) to achieve the outcomes you need. So, as a leader, seek to understand your social capital – who is it that you need to build relationships with. Work out why you need them, what they can offer you and what you can give back in return. The best way to build social capital is face to face. These days we use IT too much. Step out of your comfort zone – commit time to going out and meeting new and different people, network regionally and nationally, go and meet people who might not immediately seem to be totally relevant to your work. You will learn new things and develop different, valuable connections. Finally, leaders have to look after themselves. Being conscious of our own wellbeing and self-care strategies and then investing in personal time, including a sensible work/life balance, are crucial parts of being an effective leader. If you/we are not turning up to work ready to go, committed to what we are doing and feeling positive about life and work, others will very rapidly see that, and our ability to achieve things with and through them will be drastically reduced.Leadership is about people - you, your colleagues, your connections and, most importantly, the people whose lives and care and support we are concerned with. THE SKILLS FOR CARE/NDTi TOP LEADERS PARTICIPANTS 2018Brian JamesCarolyn WoodsCarolyn BallChris DunneGraham Farrington-HorsfallJo CarmodyJulia BrownLarry GradyLibby SmithMel SaywellRachel StoreyShelley HeadTracy WardVal PerrinsVictoria WilsonJade VallanceFacilitated and supported by the NDTi Team of:Rob Greig, Jacqui Sjentizer and Jenny Pitt ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download