Dave Caesar
We asked Dave Caesar, National Clinical Advisor (secondary care services) to the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland and Founding Senior Fellow of FMLM, why medical leadership and FMLM Fellowship are so important.
Why is medical leadership so important?
The main reason that good medical leadership is important is that we know that it works. It improves staff well-being and sense of fulfillment, patient experience and organisational performance. John McDonough, Professor of Public Health Practice at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health says:
"One thing we know for sure is that effective leadership and management are linked with strong organisational performance, greater staff satisfaction, and better patient reported outcomes."
How does effective medical leadership improve patient care?
Effective medical leadership brings benefits to the whole clinical team, with improved sense of purpose, communication, staff morale, and feeling of enablement. It improves patient satisfaction, by encouraging compassion, empathy, and improved communication with patients. It develops devolved leadership, improving the ability for clinical teams to resolve local issues and to innovate, and it allows distributed responsibility and trust to permeate the organisation.
What inspired you to join FMLM and how important do you see FMLM in enabling you to fulfil your leadership aspirations?
I was inspired to join FMLM by seeing the difference effective leadership makes, and wanting to be better at it. I have since understood how much that is down to us all as individuals to change our attitudes, thinking and behaviours so that we can be better advocates in what is a challenging arena. FMLM and its resources have given me more confidence to develop myself further, and has inspired me to aim high, but stay grounded!
What motivated you to apply to become an FMLM Fellow and why do you think FMLM Fellowship is important?
Applying for the fellowship was a natural extension of my desire to improve my own understanding and learning, but also role model what I believe is the future of medical leadership - ie impartial external credentialling of leaders in healthcare based on values-based attitudes and behaviours. I am a firm believer in not asking others to do what I would not be prepared to do myself, so the first step of that was taking the plunge with a fellowship application. It was not without apprehension!
Can you tell us about an individual whose leadership has inspired you during your career?
Three "M"s spring to mind.
Robin Mitchell - one of my Emergency Medicine trainers, a close mentor and closer friend - who died way before his time from Pancreatic Cancer. He was relentless in his quest for clinical excellence. A real believer in "attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference".
Richie McCaw - excellent in his trade, a 'rule bender', humble, honest, and achieving an extraordinary ethos in a team of individuals who had every right to be full of themselves.
Nelson Mandela - I visited Robben Island and have been to South Africa during Apartheid. To show such compassionate leadership in bringing together such a fractured country after what he had endured for so long, without a hint of vengeance or mistrust, to achieve a greater good was phenomenal. As he said:
"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is the difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."
Not a bad mantra.
FMLM Fellowship exists at three levels to reflect different degrees of leadership experience: Senior Fellow, Fellow, and Associate Fellow. Read more about FMLM Fellowship and apply to become a fellow.