Fiona Alexander, Director of Communications, reflects upon her career journey and how her time as a journalist developed a valuable and transferrable skillset that has shaped her role within healthcare. Fiona shares some great advice on dealing with challenging situations and the importance of getting to know your team personally to ensure their enjoyment and effectiveness at work.
3 Quotes to lead by...
1. Remain cALM
‘I think when you’re dealing with very challenging or fast-moving situations, one of the key strengths is about being calm, is about trying to diffuse the situation, not overreacting, not becoming dramatic .’
Q. As a leader, what helps you to remain calm in challenging situations? How do you support your team?
2. QuESTION AND CHALLENGE
‘I think that being a journalist, you are either instinctively or taught to challenge, to question, to probe, and I think that’s really necessary certainly in the role I do.’
Q. Are you asking the right questions? How can you make your questions more effective?
3. Know your team
‘I think when you work with a group of people that range in all kinds of ages, all kinds of backgrounds, actually being able to understand how the pandemic has affected them, how their lives have been turned upside down and how we can approach the way that they work and some of the personal challenges they are facing.’
Q. How well do you actually know your team? How can you get to know them better?
External Resources
How to demonstrate calm and optimism in a crisis
Questioning Techniques Asking Questions Effectively
How Well Do You Know Your Team Members? Five Questions That May Help You Find Out What Really Motivates Them
