Emotional Intelligence: For the Leader in Us All

Recognizing the Importance of Leadership: A Recent Graduate Develops a Corpsman

There is a growing interest in leadership development within the field of medicine both within the military and the larger medical community. Recognition of the importance of leadership training during graduate medical education has grown, but many residents and faculty still argue that residency training should focus on clinical skills and medical knowledge. Most graduates of training programs in the military quickly find themselves in formal leadership positions or they must informally lead in their clinical practice. As these new graduates enter practice, they quickly realize the need to be able to effectively lead. In order to highlight some of the leadership challenges that junior military physicians face, Military Medicine is starting a new column called "Leadership Lessons from the Field." This article is the first in the series and discusses a recent graduate's experience in dealing with an underperforming corpsman. The article reviews the importance of emotional intelligence, feedback, and goal setting.

An evaluation of a leadership development coaching and mentoring programme

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to determine the value and impact of the Leadership Development – Coaching and Mentoring Programme at Counties Manukau Health and understand how the skills gained are applied.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixed-methods approach including surveys of programme participants and senior staff and semi-structured interviews with programme participants.

Findings

The survey response rate was 24.4 per cent for programme participants and 30 per cent for senior staff. Eight programme participants participated in semi-structured interviews. Of the 70 programme participants, 69 utilised their learning from the programme; 45 of 70 changed their approach to managing staff; and 40 of 68 programme participants reported that meeting with peers for triad group coaching was the most challenging aspect of the programme. Key themes identified through interviews included: working with others; not owning others’ problems; professional support and development; coaching and mentoring; future participants.

Practical implications

The majority of participants changed their leadership behaviours as a result of the programme, which has resulted in improved communication, a more supportive culture and distributed leadership. These changes contribute to better patient care.

Originality value

There is a paucity of evidence in the literature about the impact of coaching and mentoring programme on leadership development and how the skills gained in such programmes are applied in practice in a healthcare context. This evaluation helps to address that gap.