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5 June 2015
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Kind acts of leadership

By Jane Povey

Having combined General Practice with a range of medical leadership and management roles over the past 20 years, I am now embarking on a new venture and further diversifying my portfolio career.

I have established a social business in Shropshire with the purpose of growing individual and collective wellbeing and resilience in the area in which I live through the creative arts. Creative Inspiration Shropshire is an excuse to bring together my passions for music, health, care and leadership, and a great antidote to the limitations of delivering and shaping a predominantly medical model of care as a GP and medical leader.

At an inspiring but scary event earlier this week, at which I was being interviewed for the School of Social Enterprise (SSE), I met a range of past and prospective students and associates who run the course, and I came away feeling energised and heartened by these people.

As a social entrepreneur I am completely out of my comfort zone and regularly feel I really don't know what I am doing. Also, I often question why I am not just getting on with the ‘day job’ of being a doctor. However, yesterday I was made to feel that my values and ideas are valid. I emerged believing that although there will be ups and downs ahead, Creative Inspiration could flourish over time with my leadership, an evolving team and support from those with more expertise –  hopefully via SSE if I get a place!

This made me reflect how kind acts of leadership can make a huge difference to our ability to lead with skill and resilience and to enjoy the journey. Yesterday was a serious process, including a briefing and interview, but people were encouraging and the atmosphere was upbeat with leadership, clearly in the shape of vibrant networks rather than rigid hierarchies.

The next step in the application process is a pitch to a panel of six, including two bankers who are sponsoring the programme. There is nothing soft about this programme. However, when I asked my final question to the business associate interviewing me – what her tips were for my pitch – she said "you will do fine, just be yourself as you have today" and followed that up with a few helpful and specific tips. I left feeling realistic about challenges ahead and confident I can take them on.

Perhaps we could all benefit from giving and receiving more kind acts of leadership to help us and our NHS on our way?

 

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About the author

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Jane Povey

Dr Jane Povey is a GP in Shropshire and her medical management experience includes roles as Primary Care Trust and Strategic Health Authority Medical Director. She then worked as Clinical Engagement and Leadership Director Nationally for Sir Professor Bruce Keogh and Dame Barbara Hakin supporting the design and implementation of the new commissioning system in England.

She now combines working as a GP with a number of local and national strategic roles with the aim of strengthening professional leadership in health. Over the summer of 2013 she has worked, with Dr Tariq Siddique, on a consultation through which to better understand the needs of current and potential GP leads in order to evolve a strategy as to how the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management might meet those needs.  She has (in October 2013) been appointed as a Deputy Medical Director at the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management.

Dr Povey firmly believes that collaborative, multi professional, inclusive and distributed leadership is the way forward to improve patient outcomes and improve the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve. She also has a particular interest in how the creative arts can be more widely utilised to improve health and wellbeing.

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