FEATURE Leading with Humility
Jim Thomas, Head of Workforce Capacity and Transformation at Skills for Care discusses how to be a compassionate leader and why it’s important.
I’m humbled by the stories I hear from across social care about how people have supported each other during the pandemic and how they continue to support each other.
One thing I’ve seen gain recognition is the importance of having a focus on how we support the wellbeing of our workforce and the need for more humility in how we manage and lead our teams.
So, what can managers and leaders do to be more humble and support wellbeing, and what must they avoid?
Firstly, these are three things to avoid.
Don’t make it difficult for workers to share mistakes
The more difficult it is for people to share mistakes, the greater the level of stress we create in those workers and the more likely it is that we’ll find that those mistakes become ingrained in the way people work.
Don’t allow workers to come in sick
It can be difficult to turn workers away when they’re ill and still come to work but it’s something we need to do. If staff come in sick, it’s likely that others they work with will come down with the illness— and the people they support will get it too. Also, when people come into work ill, the likelihood is that they will recover slowly and will eventually be off work for longer.
Don’t take away workers’ autonomy
When workers have no say about how they work and no control over what they do at work, they can very quickly become demotivated - the less motivated they are, the more likely it is that this will impact on their wellbeing, and in particular their mental wellbeing.
So now to look at the positive actions that we must take to support the wellbeing of the workforce.
Set up a programme of supervision
Proper supervision focuses on listening to what the worker needs to discuss. It focuses on enabling them to problem solve and build confidence in who they are and how they support people.
Develop a workplace culture that sees time away from the workplace as being
as important as time in the workplace People who come to work when they’re tired, will never do their best. Presenteeism is not good for anyone. If shiſts are
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part of our work, then shiſt patterns need to be designed to give people enough time to be with their friends and family.
Embed access to learning and development
into every part of people’s work Learning and development helps people to constructively explore how they work. It also motivates people and ensures that they don’t become stuck in ways of working that are demotivating not just for staff but for the people that they support.
As a manager and leader, I oſten try to put myself into the shoes of the people I’m working with. This is about making sure I can see how, from their point of view, the work we’re doing can be applied in their practice. By understanding the context of how our teams are working, and taking the time to understand the pressures and demands of their daily working lives, we’re better placed to anticipate issues that might impact on their wellbeing. This is about demonstrating our humility and recognising that our work status does not automatically mean that people have to respect us. If we can’t operate with a degree of humility, how can we expect others to follow us?
Looking aſter the wellbeing of our workforce isn’t an optional extra. The better we are at looking aſter our workforce, and managing and leading with humility, the better our workforce will be able to look aſter people who draw on care and support.
www.skillsforcare.org.uk www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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