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6 September 2011
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Does size matter?

The relentless call for clinical leadership to deliver better quality care whilst also cutting costs has intrigued my colleagues at the grassroots. Many frontline clinicians believe that the healthcare system is ‘creaking at the seams’, relying on the goodwill of over-worked staff and needs more investment rather than less.

When pushed, we can all identify things that could improve patient care on a daily basis - often these things are small, but remain unresolved because we become acutely cognisant of the larger, deeper system issues that engulf us and these wider system issues eventually sap away our enthusiasm.

Healthcare leadership, however, should be about driving service improvements, whether they are big or small. The vision of change doesn’t have to be a lofty long-term strategic plan – it can start with any of the everyday barriers to optimal care on your ward, in your theatre or in your clinic. Leadership is about having the motivation to drive that change, however small it is.

Is it even possible to change things, when those around you are sceptical or even dismissive that you can actually make a difference? Maybe a true leader doesn’t ask that question. What do you think?

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Comments

12 years 6 months ago

Nice blog, Piyush. Certainly

Nice blog, Piyush. Certainly we should have lofty ambitions, but this should be tempered by realism as you say. Scale of the project and capacity for influencing change are important things to consider, and although it is laudable to wish to make large-scale changes, incremental change or change in small areas is a good way of achieving "quick wins", developing change management skills, and boosting team morale. Being realistic about one's sphere of influence is important to avoid sapping one's will and energy to improve systems around us. Lots of little wins can be better than one big failure. Pragmatism is a good skill for leadership.

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