Do you feel you’re doing it on your own?
There are going to be times when your leadership role is going to feel like a heavy burden to carry. The occupational strain of leadership is one of the main reasons why doctors and public health specialists turn down leadership roles or leave them early.
You don’t need all the answers
It’s easy to feel that you ‘should’ know the answers if you’re a Leader, and that everyone is depending on you to know what they are. If you’ve been trained to be the expert that knows the ‘right way to do things’ then it can be especially hard to lead in complexity. In most leadership contexts these days though, there are few right answers and few wrong answers.
You do need a support team around you
A personal and professional support team is something that all Leaders need. It really does ‘take a village’ to raise a Leader.
Who is in your own support team?
Think about who you need in your own support team: its probably a combination of your nearest and dearest, your peers, those in more senior roles to yourself, informal mentors, and professionals such as a public health or medical leadership coach. Take a moment to think about who you need in your own team.
Who’s support team can you join?
It is only through collaboration and partnership working that any of us can survive as humans – in the workplace as well as in our wider life. If we look back through history, this has always been the way…. our ancestors needed the support of the village to survive and thrive, and 21st century Leaders need it too!
Dr Fiona Day (MBChB, FFPH, CPsychol) is an Executive, Leadership, and Career Coach, and former Board-level medical and public health leader. She is the UK’s leading Coach and Chartered Coaching Psychologist for senior doctors, medical and public health leaders. Book a free, Confidential Consultation with Fiona to discuss your medical or public health career needs.