A four-day week. Phew!
1. What goals were met?
This morning (Bank Holiday Friday) I submitted the final version of my first piece of written work for the NHS Leadership Academy Bevan Programme. I’m grateful for the detailed feedback of my learning set peers, who now have to decide whether it makes the grade.
In doing this work:
- I had to reflect on key strands of my values and practice, and the influences on how I lead. I recognise my privilege and the resulting ease with which I have been able to progress in my career, given opportunities that other do not have.
- Based on 360 degree feedback, I have focused on two aspects of the healthcare leadership model – “leading with care” and “holding to account” – and the tension between them.
- I’ve tried to connect my professional practice of user-centred design to how we make a difference to patients and staff, and how digital should serve diversity.
- I’m clear that in order to progress to an exec level, I need to change myself, and become more familiar with the NHS’s expectations of board-level behaviour, as well as evaluating the possible paths to that role that might be open to me.
2. What inspired me this week?
- A good catch-up with David, the designer on the e-referrals service. He showed me a prototype he is working on, using the NHS.UK frontend, and we discussed the development of patterns and standards for systems used by professionals.
- The enthusiasm of volunteers on our NHS Digital leadership programme, who are going to help improve our Digital Services Delivery profession’s communiation and support to people outside the profession.
3. What connections did I make?
- An introductory chat with a colleague who is leaving soon, and handing over some work to me. I’m getting involved on an interim basis with the Building a digital ready workforce programme. It’s a topic I care about a lot, and I’m looking forward to working with people across the different organisations involved.
4. What capabilities did I build?
- A call to learn more about the capabilities of the Pluralsight learning platform. How meta is that?
5. What do I need to take care of?
- With performance reviews coming up, and a change to our line management model, I’m concerned to make sure that everyone has the right person doing their performance review, and that good objectives are set for the next 6 to 12 months.
Happy Easter!
Matt Edgar writes here 