We last spoke to Louise in April 2021, when this programme first launched and she was Deputy Director of Nursing for Emergency Care. Now Deputy Director of Nursing across QE, she reflects on how her leadership has developed over the past five or six years. She explores what happened when she asked colleagues how it felt to be on the receiving end of her leadership, why making feedback easier matters, and how she balances being open and visible with giving others space to lead.
3 Quotes to lead by...
1. MAKE FEEDBACK EASIER
‘The second reason is about inviting feedback and making feedback more comfortable. Within the NHS as a whole, we’re a bit shy of giving feedback and receiving feedback, and I think that probably comes from, you know, we come into these jobs in the NHS because we’re driven by people and because people matter to us. And so, for somebody to tell us that they might need us to do something differently, or we’re perhaps not behaving in the way that gets the best out of people, that can feel quite personal, can’t it?’
Q. How easy have you made it for colleagues to tell you what they need from your leadership, especially when the feedback may feel personal?
2. NAME THE PRESSURE
‘I still don’t show that stress because that’s not natural to me, but I make sure that my team know that this is quite difficult, isn’t it? You know, even just that conversation of, “Things feel a bit tough right now. I find it a bit chaotic. Are you all right?” It just opens that different dialogue that allows people to think, “OK, it’s not just me. Things are difficult right now. I’m not dreadful at my job because I find it stressful and you don’t find it stressful.”’
Q. When work feels difficult, what could you say aloud to let colleagues know they’re not the only ones feeling the pressure?
3. DROP YOUR POSITION
‘It’s probably really important as you develop your leadership to drop your position. We’re all, I suppose, guilty of thinking that either you know the right way to do something, your thoughts on a scenario are right or your way of doing something is right. […] If we remain too positional, we really close off other people’s perspectives of what might be true. One of the ways that I like to look at things is actually trying to drop whatever my thoughts are on a particular scenario and focusing on: What are we trying to do? What are we trying to get to? And how do we get there?’
Q. Where might holding your own position less tightly help your team find a different route towards a shared goal?
External Resources
How to give and receive feedback effectively
Top tips for supporting the psychological safety of staff
The practice of collaborative leadership across health and care services
