Tweets of the Week, 15 January 2021

The Horizons team features many influential Twitter users. This curates a wealth of insights, knowledge, and information about transformation in health and care from other thought leaders across the world. (Tip: to read an article or watch a video mentioned in a tweet, click on the blue text. To view the original tweet, click on the image).

#OurNHSPeople

The impact of Covid-19 is weighing heavily on all #OurNHSPeople, with many dealing with loss throughout the pandemic, as well as unprecendented work pressures.

An important thread from NHS Chief People Officer Prerana Issar about the formal support that's available, and the informal support that we can all offer one another.

Wellbeing

January's #Caring4NHSPeople session focused on caring for your team without burning out yourself. If you missed the session don't worry, the recording is available here.

We spend a lot of time looking after other people: we need to think about what we need to look after our own wellbeing, too. Creating a wellness action plan (WAP) can be a useful way of doing that.

Why we should always be gentle with people:

Hope and Change 

If you're wanting to make change happen, start with a beacon: a small, tangible win that builds the momentum you need to move from a little change to a big transformation.

When people ask Helen "What's the most important thing to remember in making change happen?", this is her response. Even though planning & data are critical aspects, we have to start with a connection with values, through emotions. It's why telling stories is so important.

Leadership and teams

Successful pilot projects rarely lead to successful scaled implementations. Rather, than "rolling out the pilot", create the conditions that allow individuals/teams to adapt the solution to their unique circumstances & make it their own.

One aspect of our response to #Covid19 that we need to build on is our ability to work in agile ways; testing, learning & changing things more quickly & effectively. There's a way of thinking & a whole set of methods that can help us with this.

People are coming together, face to face or virtual, to do important work together in the pandemic. We know when we have found our people. People bring different gifts but our team has common purpose. Even though things are tough, the others are there for us.

#VirtualCollaborate

Some people think that having to work virtually is killing creativity. However, Kellogg School researchers suggest that virtual can be more creative than face to face. The restrictions in communication it creates can stretch people beyond usual thinking:

Virtual working: Excellent article on negative side-effects of virtual & practical actions to avoid or overcome them. I'd include this in a resource list for managers & leaders, especially as we move to virtual for the long haul.

It's great that the Academy of Management has "Bringing the manager back into management" as the theme for its 2021 annual meeting. Managers are playing such a key role in the #Covid19 response & it's time to focus on growing & supporting them.

From McKinsey: "To better organise for a post-pandemic future, leaders should embrace nine imperatives that collectively explain “who we are” as an organisation, “how we operate,” & “how we grow”: Aimed at private sector companies but more widely relevant.

I'm in many discussions discussions about the changes we want to see beyond #Covid19. This is a good thing provided that the change is connected to a bigger goal or higher purpose. It's making me think about this quote from Peter Fuda. Change isn't the goal, the goal is the goal.

If ever there was a time for hope, it is now. Hope is different to optimism. Optimism is a general feeling that good things will happen in the future. Hope is about how we plan and act to achieve what we want. Five ways to cultivate hope.

The QI evidence update is a great source of articles & blogs related to improvement in health and care. The January edition is out now: It's complied by NHS people for others in health & care.

Opportunities

Helen shared that one thing she's learnt over the years is that in order to do a great job in a specialist improvement role, you need to work somewhere with a great improvement team. Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of those places. This is a really good opportunity to develop a careerin an improvement team.

And finally...

Helen shared this wonderful graphic, saying she will try not to be the person on the left this weekend! Thank you Mieke de Vreede