Guidance for leaders

Your Wellbeing
As leaders we are often focused on the wellbeing of others which can mean that we neglect ourselves. Working through COVID-19 has also been a demanding time for leaders and we may have made sacrifices to ‘get the job done’ which have challenged our wellbeing too. 

Remembering that you are human too and finding ways of prioritising your wellbeing are important steps for any leader. You may be familiar with the Trust's wellbeing offer (below) and you may well have recommended and signposted it for your staff. Have you considered whether you could benefit you?

All of the offer is available for leaders and we would encourage you to access any aspects that you feel would be helpful for you right now. If you aren’t sure what would be useful or would like to discuss any aspect further please contact jamiebroadley@nhs.net .

Your Development
Leading through and beyond COVID-19 is unlike anything you may have experienced before. Effective leadership and teamwork are now even more critical so it’s important we have a hand to help us develop our leadership style and techniques.

NHS England/Improvement have created 10 principles for ‘Leading with Compassion’ to support leaders in their approach to manage their teams and take care of their own wellbeing.

Some of you may be following these principles already but would like to refresh your leadership skills and approach. For others this may be new and therefore they may want more insight and information and to further develop as a leader. The following are linked to these principles and will support you to develop your leadership skills and offer you tips and ideas on how to lead your team through and beyond COVID-19.
 

Self-Reflection
A good place to start is to reflect on your own experience during the COVID-19 period.  Self-reflection is a great way to review what happened and how you dealt with the situation. Think about your skills, what did you do well, what have you learnt about yourself, what positives have come out of this experience?  Take time to stand back and reflect, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is it about this time that has brought out your strengths?
• What have you done differently over this time that you don’t want to lose?
• What has this time allowed you to learn about how you want to build your leadership learning and development?
• What else would you have liked from your leader (line manager)

Share your reflections at your next one-to-one with your line manager. How might you replicate this moving forward?

 
Leadership Schwartz Rounds
We all need space to think and talk about how we are feeling, now more than ever. Leadership Schwartz Rounds provide a structured forum where leaders can come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social impact of working as a leader within the Trust.

Leadership Schwartz Rounds provide you with a safe space to reflect on your experience and to share with other leaders within the organisation who may be feeling the same way. The purpose is to understand the challenges and rewards, not to problem solve but listen and reflect. For more information please contact ruth.bailey8@nhs.net 

Leadership Circles
Leadership support circles are short, themed, on-line sessions created from evidence-based principles for leading compassionately through and beyond COVID-19.

They are interactive spaces for leaders at all levels to come together, share their experiences, be heard and sometimes work through complex challenges.

They provide an interactive, peer to peer approach, giving you the opportunity to connect with leaders across the Derbyshire Health and Social Care system and share your experience. They are similar in approach to Schwartz Rounds and Care Circles but provide the opportunity to discuss and work though challenges with a peer group.

Leadership Circles are themed around the following four areas:

The National Leadership Academy is running a further round of Leadership Circles.  
Circles are designed to give leaders a safe space to talk and be heard on a variety of themes which are relevant to you right now.  
To register your interest please click here. 

For more information about Leadership circles and dates contact the Leadership Development Team at dhcft.teamderbyshireleaders@nhs.net.

NHS England have also been running leadership circles open to leaders across the UK. Information about the national circles can be found at https://people.nhs.uk/events/ 

Coaching
Our coaches are offering telephone and Microsoft Teams coaching to support leaders with the challenges they are facing at the moment. Coaching provides a confidential safe place for you explore issues, areas for development, discover strengths, learn from mistakes and find solutions to current challenges.

The focus of the coaching conversation is decided by you and what actions you would like to take. If you are interested in accessing one of these then please contact Linda Kiernan at linda.kiernan@nhs.net in the first instance to discuss your needs
 

Across the world, millions of people have moved to homeworking and remote working. Many people are suggesting that this might represent a permanent shift to alternative models of work and study practice.

Tips for effective remote working
Widespread homeworking is a huge challenge for the individuals affected and for those having to supervise their performance and help them be productive.

It is vital to continue to have regular face-to-face time, albeit this will probably be aided by technology. Meeting up virtually with peers and colleagues will help you maintain morale all round. It is possible to stay focused while working remotely, but it requires active guidance and management. Here are some top tips:

Establish a sense of structure and framework for communication

• Diarise a daily check-in with your line manager – ideally by phone or hangout - not by email or chat - where you can cover off the questions you might usually ask in person throughout the day.
• Diarise a weekly (or more frequent) team meeting via video call where you all attend.
• Remember to ask ‘how are you?’ of your colleagues. This period will put a strain on many.
   

Adopt real-time collaboration apps
There are many options for online meetings, chat and collaboration. Some of the best are: Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Skype, Zoom, ezTalks Meetings.
Then there are apps such as Trello and Asana that can facilitate collaboration. Just be wary of operating too many different systems; if individuals are keeping an eye out for messages on Teams, you don’t want them to miss out on the critical message that came through on the group WhatsApp.

Establish virtual drop-in hours
This is important for line managers or subject matter experts. Set up a virtual office by using video conferencing software that allows people to pop in and out to have live conversations with you.

Keep up personal contact
Talking in person retains connections and replicates the in-person conversations you would normally have in the office. Generally, if you want to avoid feelings of isolation, picking up the phone or using hangout beats email.

Schedule time to blow off steam together virtually
How about scheduling a ‘coffee hour’ via video link to join other colleagues to talk about all those work and non-work related things you would normally discuss in the office.

Maintain a virtual structure
To stay focused on your work, try to adopt ‘working practices’ while at home or working remotely. Continue your regular daily routines and working hours.
Set up a dedicated work space if you can. This could be a spare room or kitchen table. Get dressed (don’t wear your pyjamas all day!).
 

Keep your calendar up to date
Keeping people apprised of your availability, even if it’s to step away to grab lunch, is especially important when you are not in someone’s direct line of vision.

Know when to step away from your desk
Everyone needs a break from their screens at some point; step away to recharge and return ready to take on the rest of the day. Again, adhering to regular working patterns and taking lunch and coffee breaks is a good tip.

Figure out how to focus best
Whether you need music to cancel everything out or complete silence to concentrate, change your environment accordingly.

Honour end of work time
Working remotely can make it hard to set boundaries between work and home. When the day is done, close your laptop and walk away.
Here are some helpful hints to ensure your home and remote working environment is as safe and comfortable as possible...

• Set up a clear and comfortable working space.
• Always make sure there is enough space to work in comfortably.
• Ensure your chair is at a comfortable height
• Make sure your screen is raised so that the top of the screen is at eye level.
• Free your working area of any objects that may be a hazard.
• Make sure your work space is well ventilated (open window for fresh air), and has good lighting.
• Take regular, short breaks. Move around for five minutes every hour

Reduce the volume of threats by separating the perceived threats from the real ones.
There are very real threats associated with Coronavirus, however, there are also perceived threats that may not be real – most of these are related to questions around what actions leaders will take in response to changes e.g Will I be forced to work above my normal hours? Will I be able to take a break?

Recognize that ambiguity is one of the greatest sources of anxiety and reduce ambiguity where possible.
Individuals under stress are very responsive to the uncertainty that can hide threats. Leaders can reduce uncertainty by, for example, clarifying what changes are in scope, what process will be used to make decisions, what expectations will be revised, etc. Even where answers are unknown, simply recognizing them as unknowns can reduce the level of anxiety tremendously. It enables a team to ground itself in the common denominator of not knowing and the knowledge that it is not just you who is being left out can prevent our social anxiety from being triggered.

Inspire confidence through seeking input and demonstrating calm decision making.
While we know that all staff are leaders, in time of crisis there is a desire from team members to see more command and control leadership. By opening channels for two-way communication, leaders can ensure they are getting real time information from as many people as possible and are providing clear direction based on this information. A leadership team may believe they are communicating consistently and adequately about an emerging situation, not aware that employees working remotely to them are experiencing that communication as infrequent and inadequate. Find different ways to get messages out to your team, asking them how they would prefer to receive information and ensuring you stick with it.

Take time to listen and give feedback
Make sure your team members feel heard, and that you acknowledge how they are feeling. Expect some ‘blowing off of steam’ and show kindness and care in your responses. Tell them about the examples of amazing work you see them doing and give specific thanks for their efforts.
Most importantly, take good care and be kind to yourself; this is a challenge for us all, regardless of our experience.

Identify the stress triggers

The first step is to identify the stress triggers. For some it may be COVID-19 itself, for others it may be their increased or decreased workload, and for others it may be working in environments not conducive to productivity or concentration. It’s important to pin the trigger(s) down and then talk about them with someone – whether that’s your manager, partner, or housemate. If you’re not physically with them, tell them via video call; being able to read each other’s facial cues will help enormously during this conversation.
Sometimes, just identifying and talking about the problem will help. When we’re spending more time indoors or alone, it’s very easy to dwell on problems and build them into enormous structures in our mind.
Simon Blake recommends having daily check-ins with teammates and colleagues, and ask the following questions: How are you and what are you doing to look after yourself? These questions, he says, can help to identify any changes in behaviour or mood, which you can work on together. “If on Monday they were saying you were getting out, they were going for a walk, they were feeling good about things, but by Friday they’re saying they haven’t been able to leave the house, haven’t seen or spoken to anyone - you can spot the trends.” Then you can check in and ask them directly how they’re feeling.

Exercise

If you’re feeling isolated or cooped up, there are many online workout videos you can utilise: Yoga with Adriene, HASfit, or BeFit. As well as those on YouTube, many gyms are now hosting videos on their website or app in response to their buildings closing. Working out will also bring some sound and energy into the house. Just be careful to move any breakables out of the way before you get going!

Adjust your priorities
If you’re feeling stressed by your workload, ask your manager how they can support you. If you have a sudden decrease in workload and think having more of a focus and structure to your days could help, ask if your skills could be used elsewhere in the business where they’re feeling the pinch.

If you have too much work, ask if there are any tasks that can be put aside while you focus on your immediate workload, or ask if any project can be split out among your team. It is important to talk to your manager and tell them that you’re feeling overwhelmed by the situation or your workload, so you can work together to solve the problem. Simon says he sometimes asks employees to rank how they’re feeling on a scale of one to 10, and together decide what number they need to get to to operate: “If a five is good enough to operate on, we aim for a five, not a 10.”
If your new remote working environment is causing you stress, there are practical ways you can deal with it. In our article, ways of making homeworking work for you, we outline practical ways you can adjust to being part of a now-virtual team. You could also make a personal development plan during this time.

Blow off steam - indoors
For many of us living in apartment buildings or in inner city areas, we don’t have access to a garden or outdoor space. Fear not! We asked around for fun ways people are taking their minds off work and COVID-19:

• Make a craft to-do list. One person we spoke to made a ‘lockdown bucket list’, where activities for her and her housemate include designing and creating their own deck of cards, redesigning movie posters for their favourite films, and creating bunting to decorate their flat. These are fun ways to use the supplies you already have in your home and get some non-screen time to switch off.
• Have virtual games nights. Another person we spoke to is hosting a games night online , and will host a What Do You Meme? competition.
• Do something productive. While we all love watching a movie and catching up on our reading, an activity that has a purpose is a great way to take our mind off stress. This could be anything from creating a to-do list for personal goals to tidying the house, creating a motivational Spotify playlist, cooking or baking.
• Spend (virtual) time with other people. Many people will live with families or flatmates, but even if you live alone a little face-to-face screen time will do you a world of good. If you feel yourself going down a stress rabbit hole, pick up the phone and distract yourself.
   

Find the 'good stress'
One theory is by Hans Selye, that plotting pressure and performance can help us define ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stress. Where there is low pressure and low performance we are in ‘hypo-stress’, characterised by boredom and restlessness; as both elements increase and we reach the peak, we are in ‘eustress’ which is characterised by excitement and satisfaction; as the curve begins to dip in favour of pressure and as productivity falls, we enter ‘hyperstress’ which is when we’re overworked and overloaded; finally, the dip decreases to reach ‘distress’.

Selye’s model may help you to plot your own area of ‘eustress’. Armed with this, you may be able to formulate a stress-management action plan for yourself and your team. When you’re managing multiple people at this critical time, ensure that everyone is on the same page about team objectives, timelines, and expectations; check on their workloads to make sure no one has too little or too much, and spread across the team as you see fit. As well as finding your own ‘eustress’, you need to help your team find theirs by finding the sweet spot of pressure and performance.

New! Resilient leadership sessions now available to book on ESR

The aim of this 2 hour workshop is to enable you to have some time to explore and understand yourself as a manager and leader. It allows you to consider what is meant by these terms and to explore key issues you may find useful in any management or lead role including, understanding your own leadership style, why influence and integrity are important assets in leadership, what is meant by the term being resilient and how and why leaders need to develop resilience.

Available dates – 

• 16/11/2021      09:00 - 11:00

Please note these sessions will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. To book on the course, please go to ESR and search 383 People Management - Resilient Leadership or email dhcft.teamderbyshireleaders@nhs.net 
 

We are offering leaders a series of webinars on a number of subjects: 

• Managing remote teams 
• Managing behaviours remotely 
• Responding in the recovery phase 
• Skills for Communicating & Meeting Virtually 
• Managing and Prioritising Time 
• Managing Teams Relationships 
• Dealing with New Demands  

To access the shorter 'Bite size' and longer webinars, please click here.  
 

You might be hearing some difficult stuff from your team members right now. Please click here for a great guide on active listening when faced with a difficult situation.

Our NHS People: Understanding different bereavement practices and how our colleagues may experience grief. This resource will enable line managers to be able to confidently start conversations with staff who have experienced loss in a more compassionate way, as a result of gaining a deeper understanding of the different ways in which our colleagues may experience a bereavement, noting the varying practices different religions and cultures may follow.

The Midlands Leadership Academy are starting to look forward and direct their work to provide a high standard of leadership development. Click here to find out more. 

• Decision making under pressure - Envision Business Psychology
• Energise your virtual team meetings - Envision Business Psychology
• Kotter's 8 step change management model - Suzanne Madsen
• How to turn strangers into a team - Amy Edmonson - Ted Talk
• Compassionate leadership in crisis
• Self awareness
• Looking after your team through COVID-19
• Team working
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Change - getting people behind your ideas