Q&A
Richard Stubbs
Derbyshire County PCT
As a core member of the NHS National Leadership Council (NLC), I have a particular interest in creating a supportive environment for our leaders of the future. I am involved in the Emerging Leaders and Board Development work programmes within the council and I do strongly believe that the unprecedented economic and quality challenges of the next few years will require all NHS leaders to develop new skills that will enable us to manage the NHS through complex and financially difficult times. Credibility is a very important word for emerging leaders. As a new entrant onto the graduate scheme, with no prior experience of working in health care, it can be a very daunting time, and the need to establish credibility with your teams and peers is very important. Similarly on the Breaking Through Top Talent Programme, participants are working in placements at a much higher level of responsibility than they have previously enjoyed. Emerging Leaders at all levels have a requirement to equip themselves with credibility that will appeal equally to managers, clinicians, patients and staff. Much of the work that I am involved with for the NLC is looking to support emerging leaders in their aim to be credible leaders of the future, through mentoring, support networks, briefings on key issues, networking events, board exposure and more. I am particularly interested to hear from future emerging leaders on the kind of support structures that they think they require, and to answer questions on establishing yourself within the NHS and understanding how to equip yourselves for the future challenges that will come your way.
Posted by Pesh Doubleday
Hi Richard
thanks for your blog - I am very interested to hear you talk about credibility and that you are interested in supporting emerging leaders to gain the credibility they need. I am currently on the NHS Management training scheme which I joined after having worked in the NHS for 3 years. I am very keen to develop my skills and a leader and in particular to be a credible leader. The only thing is, I am not sure that I really understand or know what credibility looks like. I was wondering if you could shed some light on this?
Through feedback from colleagues and my line manager, I have been told that I need to be more assertive, do you any advice on what support is out there for developing assertive skills?
Just so you know I am female and black.
many thanks
Posted by Richard Stubbs
Hi Pesh,
I'm not going to claim to be an expert on any of these issues but happy to tell you my thoughts. With regard to the credibility issue I think that there are two things that MTS trainees in particular need to be prepared to do: immerse themselves in their specific role as quickly as possible, and be prepared to admit when you don't know the answers. In the longer term, some senior managers will often advise that you need to "earn your stripes" at the coal face of the NHS with a tough operational role, and for them, this gives you credibility. Others advise that management roles in the NHS are changing so rapidly that it’s the transferable skills that you acquire that will prove the most useful. I tend to side with the latter group.
In terms of assertiveness development, I'd propose that you ask your Learning and Development team within your organisation as well as your Schemes Manager. Once you've identified a development goal such as this, coaching is an excellent way of helping you to achieve your objectives. The NHS Institute has a group of coaches that you may be able to find funding for. Just remember that you can use your colleagues and line manager to continue to give you feedback as you start to use your new skills. In most cases people are generally willing to help.
Posted by Zeenat Butt
I have been recently qualified as an AAT Technician and very keen to take a challenging role as a Trainee Management Accountant. My ambitions are to develop new skills and establish myself within the NHS organisation. Please could you tell me how do I enter onto the graduate scheme? And if there is a fee for this? and How much is it?. Where does this scheme take place at college? Who is it run by?
Thank you.
Posted by Richard Stubbs
Hi Zeenat,
Thanks for your question. The shortest way for me to answer is to point you to our website 'www.nhsleadtheway.co.uk'. Here you'll find lots of information about the three main management programmes that are run by the NHS Institute:
- Breaking Through Programme
- Graduate Management Training Scheme
- Gateway to Leadership
Breaking Through is for those who are already employed within the NHS at a fairly senior level. The Graduate Management Training Scheme is primarily for new entrants to the NHS and typically recieves applications from undergraduates or graduates who are working outside the NHS. Gateway to Leadership is similar to the Graduate Management Training Scheme in that it is for people outside the NHS but Gateway applicants have to demonstrate that they are already capable of working at senior levels in the NHS.
Applications for all three programmes are run on an annual basis. Recruitment begins in the autumn and concludes with a gruelling assessment centre. There is no fee! If you are lucky enough to earn a place on one of the programmes then you are paid a salary commensurate to the level of that particular programme. All these programmes also feature educational elements that are run at a variety of facilities such as the University of Birmingham and the Kings Fund in London, and they are all managed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (www.institute.nhs.uk).
Hope that helps.
Richard