Leadership Stories 2019

Dawn Casey, Macmillan Lead nurse for Cancer Services, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

How have your life experiences helped make you the leader you are today?
Life is about developing good relationships, and I believe leadership is the same. As a children’s nurse I realised that a genuine desire to help and support children and their families, was essential in building a good relationships, along with humour and honesty. These elements are core to how I lead, with the essential addition of always supporting and developing others, so they can achieve their goals.

What have been your proudest moments since taking up your leadership role in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board?  
Every time I get a new post funded or a new service off the ground, I am proud, as I know this will have a genuine positive impact on patients, their families and my colleagues. I am equally proud when I enable a service or professional to implement a change that they are passionate about. Finally, I have raised the profile of cancer services, in the organisation, and given them a voice.

What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these times and from working with your colleagues?
Be willing to stand up for what you believe in or feel is needed

People need to feel valued

People are key in everything – build good relationships, with everyone

Communicate clearly and regularly

Think laterally – there is always another way….

Be tenacious – don’t give up

The people around you have the answers, my job is to help them find them and use them!

Tell us about a time or two when you have had to display courage in your leadership role
When working to introduce additional posts, there is a sense of urgency, as the needs of the patients and demands on the service are great. It is important to find a permanent, sustainable solution, a temporary fix would be damaging to all. I am courageous, tenacious and patient to achieve this. My role is about implementing change and evolving services, that requires courage, both mine and that of the teams.

What do you think are the biggest leadership issues facing us in Wales in 2019?
Universally the political uncertainty and instability brought about by Brexit is a wide scale challenge. However, for the NHS the ever-present challenge of trying to do more with less is an ongoing challenge. The imminent retirement of numerous cancer nurse specialists is also challenge. They are a highly specialised workforce, often working alone. The recruitment and development of the right individuals in a timely way is key.

Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
Jean White (Chief Nursing Office Wales) – Always considered in her responses and interactions, insightful and intelligent

Vaughn Gething (Cabinet secretary for Health, wellbeing and sport) – A passionate and genuine person, who is a good and inspiring orator

Maria Battle (Chair of Cardiff and the Vale UHB) – A committed individual, who is perceptive and challenging, but inclusive and warm

Cath Lindley (programme manager ‘Time to Change’) – Fantastic ability to build a team and value them, gentle and warm, sense humour

What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Connecting

Julia Heslop, Operations Section Head, Aberthaw Power Station, RWE Generation UK

How have your life experiences helped make you the leader you are today?
Throughout my life many people have encouraged me to believe that I can achieve amazing things.  Moving to the UK as a young university student was a huge challenge for me and gave me a strong drive to push myself outside my comfort zone.

My current role was a big step up to leading a large team. I have been inspired to believe in myself and lead with empathy.

What have been your proudest moments since taking up your leadership role with RWE Generation?

• Delivering a complex change project with my team. This included head count reduction, and role and work pattern changes. After completion, the teamed pulled together to deliver our Capacity Market proving runs.
• My team working together under very challenging conditions to keep the plant on load during the 2018 Beast from the East. We provided much needed power during extreme winter conditions when many other plants failed.

What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these times and from working with your colleagues?
The power of teamwork and the amazing things that can be achieved by a team pulling together. The importance of embracing diversity, knowing that everyone has something valuable to contribute. Having empathy for what my team are experiencing and enabling them to succeed are key.

It is important to be brave and face challenges head on whilst not being afraid to show my vulnerability to continue to learn and grow.

Tell us about a time or two when you have had to display courage in your leadership role
During the recent change project I had to be courageous. I made the decision to involve my Shift Managers. This involved sharing sensitive information and working together to deliver the change. I also shared plans with peers and worked with them to resolve conflicts when the less courageous option would have been to protect my own department. This resulted in successful delivery of the project and brought us closer together.

What do you think are the biggest leadership issues facing us in Wales in 2019?
Strong leadership of change is needed in our country to deliver economic growth whilst we transition from an industrial heritage to environmentally sustainable and digital technologies during a time of political uncertainty. It is also vitally important that our leaders integrate health and wellbeing into decision-making. Leaders that can inspire and enable their teams to be creative and deliver improvements while truly caring about people are needed.

Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
The leaders that I admire are those that have had a great impact on my life and enabled me to succeed. The supportive colleagues that I work with at RWE Generation, leaders at my daughter’s nursery and those who have encouraged and inspired me through my sport of coastal rowing.

What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Empathy.

Nia Brennan, Head of the Joint Legal Service, South Wales Police and Gwent Police, South Wales Police and Gwent Police

How have your life experiences helped make you the leader you are today?
My parents worked within the public sector and I inherited their work ethic and public service ethos.  I was always encouraged to be authentic and true to my core values. A career that has included both private and public sectors has taught me to be adaptable and to understand what motivates people. I have always been positive and resilient but personal life experiences have provided perspective and greater empathy.

What have been your proudest moments since taking up your leadership role with Gwent Police and South Wales Police? The establishment of the first collaborative legal team within UK police at a time of increasingly diverse and challenging demands and reduced resources – developing this model to provide dynamic and responsive legal support to our client organisations and national units. The model allowed us to grow our own talent and to develop new expertise. Helping to establish charitable trusts in both forces, advising major events and during national police reform.  

What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these times and from working with your colleagues?
To see potential opportunities in times of challenge and that people are the most important asset for any organisation – it is possible to achieve transformational service improvements, particularly when we think creatively and work together. To understand the business and to learn from experiences to make improvements. To be patient as it can take time to achieve change – ‘dyfal donc a dyr y garreg’.

Tell us about a time or two when you have had to display courage in your leadership role
I have challenged traditional service delivery models within police procurement, developed new collaborative structures and advised upon a new governance framework at a time of national reform to the police service. Additionally, the evolving nature of our work means that we must continue to be innovative in the legal solutions that we offer.

What do you think are the biggest leadership issues facing us in Wales in 2019?
Recruitment and retention of staff. We need to develop our own talent and provide them with development opportunities. There is a need to explore new technological and collaborative opportunities. To be creative in the way we deliver our service, particularly within the public sector where there is a need to make financial savings whilst ensuring that the service continues to evolve to meet changing demands.

Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
I have the privilege to work with exceptional senior leaders in both my force areas who have provided calm leadership during times of significant operational threat and crisis, who inspire confidence in encouraging innovation and transformation and have always remain steadfastly supportive of me and my colleagues.

What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Understanding.

Lynne Thomas, Project Manager, Community Gateway, and founder of hyperlocal news service, Inksplott, and co-founder of resident volunteer group, Keep Splott Tidy

How have your life experiences helped make you the leader you are today?
Growing up on a council estate in South Wales was challenging but also rewarding; I developed a strong sense of community but also learned the importance of individuality.  As Head of Department for Canllaw Online, a national, bilingual youth information charity, I developed a keen passion for engagement work and co-production, based on the principles of the five pillars in Youth Work in Wales:  Educative; Expressive, Inclusive, Participative and Empowering.

What have been your proudest moments since taking up your leadership role with Community Gateway, Cardiff University?
My role with Community Gateway enables me to help people bring their ideas to life; I support projects from conception through development and delivery.  It is a privilege to enable and empower others to achievements which benefit themselves and the wider community.  My proudest moments were leading a £1.5m fundraising campaign to redevelop Grange Pavilion into an inclusive and accessible community-led centre and encouraging residents to establish a charitable governing body.

What have been the most helpful things you have learnt from these times and from working with your colleagues?
I have learned that we are much stronger together; partnership working is key to long-term sustainability of community-led initiatives. Diversity and difference should be celebrated and encouraged, enhancing social inclusivity and integration.  Trust is essential when encouraging and empowering other people and to build trust you must be open, honest, genuine and present; consistency of commitment and visibility within the community is crucial to developing a level of trust required for a mutually beneficial relationship.

Tell us about a time or two when you have had to display courage in your leadership role
Leading the funding campaign for the redevelopment of Grange Pavilion community centre was terrifying!  Grangetown is a ward of 20,000 people and to fail would be to fail each person.  With the weight of community expectation, and no background in fundraising, I believe it was courageous to volunteer to lead the project and to establish a brand-new Grange Pavilion CIO to manage the project within five years.

What do you think are the biggest leadership issues facing us in Wales in 2019?
Ensuring that political uncertainty does not result in a loss of strategic, long-term development and the advance of short-term ‘fixes’, hesitancy or inertia.  Our challenge as leaders is to work through political uncertainty, economic austerity and potential social division to ensure the continuity of existing projects, to continue to initiate new ventures, to not lose momentum, to promote equal opportunity and to, crucially, not lose trust with community partners.

Which other leaders in Wales do you admire and why?
I admire Cardiff University’s Mhairi McVicar for her strategic vision, deep belief in community engagement and co-production philosophy.  Mhairi is a globally recognised champion of University-community partnerships, with trust and equality of opportunity central to her methodology.  Mhairi’s commitment to embedding community engagement in core, every day, university business is inspirational.

What is one word that sums up leadership for you?
Encouragement