Too often when we talk about "leaders", we focus on people who have "manager" or "director" in their job titles. We can end up undervaluing the role of informal leaders - team members who influence outcomes by the tone they set, their conduct & how they interact with others in the team. They often play an outsize role in how teams perform. In this article from @HarvardBiz, sporting superstar @TomBrady & Harvard Professor Nitin Nohria distil seven behaviours from the best team leaders (informal & formal): 1) Put the team first, even in situations where you don't get the outcomes you want personally 2) Show appreciation for unsung colleagues 3) Set the standard and support others to do better 4) Recognise that each teammate is unique & work out their motivations & preferences 5) Understand and complement the style of the formal leader 6) Recognise & counteract the external forces that can cause selfish behaviour 7) Create shared experiences with other team members outside the daily work environment hbr.org/2024/09/tom-brady-on…. I paired the article with a quote from Margaret Carty.

It is well known in psychology that modeling is highly effective, especially from people with authority. Having an unmasked public health official warn of the increased spread of a highly contagious airborne virus is ineffective. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modeli…

I think if everyone working in the NHS had access to regular reflective practice/supervision it'd be a game changer. But I dont think it should be mandated- it needs to be an ethos, a spirit of valuing the time & space- role-modelled from the top, & just part of 'normal' culture.

facing a new chemo regime as the last treatment has done it’s best. There are new wee spots of cancer appearing in my abdomen. My CA 125 is in the thousands. I’m lucky we have not run out of options. I don’t know how I will react to the new chemo but I do know this is now my life