Leading Complex Systems

The Psychiatrist Leader understands and works with the benefits and challenges of the system they work in and proactively advocates for system reform, change and continuous improvement to facilitate positive outcomes for the individuals and community they serve.

Leads and Manages Teams

Leading and Managing Teams emphasises the leader's capability and capacity to inspire, guide, and support multi-disciplinary teams to achieve individual, team and organisational goals alongside supported and supportive high functioning teams resulting in exceptional performance and deliver high-quality holistic care through the demonstration of effective leadership and fosters a culture of empowerment and collaboration among team members, including the lived and living experience workforce.

Leading and Managing Teams includes inspiring, elevating and empowering others, effective communication, conflict resolution, coaching and mentoring, amplifying and leveraging contributions and individual and team strengths, alongside effective resource management and delegation.

Leaders demonstrating this play a pivotal role in ensuring individuals receive optimal care, supporting the professional and personal growth of the team and organisation, and contributing to the advancement of the mental health system.

Skills

Builds and sustains effective and healthy teams, leveraging individual strengths and promoting a culture of trust and cooperation.
Demonstrates accessible and adaptable communication skills, actively listening to team members, providing clear guidance, and fostering open dialogue.
Effectively manages conflicts within the team, promoting resolution and maintaining a harmonious work environment.
Makes informed and timely decisions, considering input from team members and aligning decisions with individual, organisation and systemic goals.
Provides coaching and mentorship, fostering personal and professional growth and development for themself and others.
Delegates tasks and responsibilities appropriately, empowering team members to demonstrate initiative and leadership in their roles.
Efficiently allocates and manages resources and processes, including people, technology, and facilities, to support effective service delivery.

Behaviour

Inspires and motivates team members, instilling a shared sense of purpose and commitment to individual, team, organisation and goals.
Fosters collaboration within and among team members, including lived and living experience workforce promoting shared responsibility and elevating others.
Elevates and empowers team members by entrusting them with responsibilities, recognising contributions, building initiative and promoting autonomy.
Regularly provides feedback and recognition for team achievements, fostering a culture of appreciation and celebration.
Addresses conflicts promptly and constructively, negotiating mutually beneficial outcomes that benefit the team and the organisation.
Role models humility and a commitment to continuous learning.
Holds self and team members accountable for performance and outcomes, taking action when necessary and addressing issues as they arise.
Fosters and prioritises a culture of openness and humility that supports individual and team psychological safety.

Resources

Articles and Websites

Leading Teams Articles (HBR)

The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team (FranklinCovey)

The Work of Leadership (HBR)

A Survival Guide For Leaders (HBR)

What is Adaptive Leadership? (ANZSOG)

Adaptive Leadership (HBR collection of resources)

6 tips for Working Through Conflict in the Workplace (CCL)

Videos

How to Speak so People Want to Listen with Julian Treasure (TED)

Simon Sinek on Empowering Teams (YouTube)

How to Build Your Confidence and Spark it in Others with Brittany Packnett Cunningham (TED)

How to Start a Movement with Derek Sivers (TED)

What Makes the Highest Performing Teams in the World with Simon Sinek (YouTube)

The Power of Kindness with Simon Sinek (YouTube)

Podcasts

Dr Lisa Prior on How to Best Support the Mental Wellbeing of Your Team

Books

The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Clinical Governance

Clinical Governance involves the systematic approach to managing and improving the quality and safety of mental health services, ensuring excellence in clinical practice, delivery of person-centred care, and regulatory compliance.

Leading Clinical Governance includes quality and process improvement, knowledge and capacity to source and interpret evidence and data to inform decision making, managing clinical risk, ensuring consumer and carer safety and understanding clinical governance frameworks and systems.

A leader demonstrating this effectively leads clinical governance efforts, ensuring the highest quality of care and safety for consumers, carers, family and supporters and the community while adhering to professional standards and regulations ensuring that the mental health service remains responsive, efficient, and person-centred within evolving systems.

Skills

Analyses clinical data and outcomes to identify areas for improvement in consumer care and safety.
Develops and implements strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of mental health services.
Actively engages in continuous quality improvement efforts to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
Proactively assesses and mitigates clinical risks.
Promotes a culture of safety, identifying and addressing potential risks and hazards.
Effectively leads interdisciplinary team critical incident debriefs, fostering collaboration, clear communication and improved clinical and consumer outcomes.
Makes informed and ethical decisions that prioritise consumer and carer well-being and quality of care.
Advocates for equitable access to mental healthcare services and works to reduce disparities in service delivery through effective Clinical Governance.
Actively participates in and encourages a culture of continuous improvement, seeking innovative ways to enhance service delivery.

Behaviour

Creates a culture of integrated feedback to drive ongoing improvement and inform clinical governance activity from the workforce, consumers and carers, family and supporters.
Advocates for engagement of consumers and carers, family and supporters in decision-making, ensuring their views, experiences, preferences and values are elevated and respected and directly inform governance and continuous improvement initiatives
Advocates for the best interests of consumers and carers, family and supporters, whilst balancing the needs of organisational, systems and professional needs, ensuring that consumer and carer voices are heard, elevated valued and respected.
Encourages innovation and creative problem-solving within the organisation to address complex challenges and drive improvements.
Ensures that clinical practice adheres to all relevant regulations and standards.
Takes responsibility for the quality of care provided and any clinical decisions made and encourages others to do the same.
Identifies potential risks and take proactive measures to mitigate them.
Promotes a culture of safety within the team, encouraging, reporting and learning from critical events.
Communicates effectively with colleagues, consumers, carers, family and supporters and other healthcare professionals to coordinate holistic care and ensure positive consumer outcomes.
Adapts to evolving healthcare landscapes, embracing innovation and change to improve service delivery.
Takes ownership of service delivery processes and outcomes, regularly monitoring progress and making necessary adjustments.

Resources

Articles and Websites

Victorian Clinical Governance Framework (Safer Care Victoria)

Clinical Governance Resources (Safer Care Victoria)

Clinical Governance to Enhance User Involvement in Care: A Canadian Multiple Case Study in Mental Health

What can clinical leaders contribute to the governance of integrated care systems?

Framework for Effective Board Governance of Health System Quality Whitepaper (Institute for Healthcare Improvement)

Consumers and Health Providers Working in Partnership for the Promotion of Person-Centred Health Services (NIH)

Podcasts

Safeguarding Healthcare Podcast Series (RACMA)

The Clinical Governance Grey Zone (RACMA)

Clinical Governance and the Interface of Health, Law and Digitisation with Dr Melanie Tan

Bringing the Clinical into the Boardroom: How to Converge Clinical and Corporate Governance for Quality Care with Dr Cathy Balding

Strategy and Corporate Governance

Strategy and Corporate Governance describes the leader's ability to shape the strategic direction of their mental healthcare organisation within the broader mental health system while adhering to the highest standards of corporate governance.

Leading Strategy and Corporate Governance includes understanding corporate governance frameworks and systems, financial acumen, corporate risk management, strategic thinking, creating a vision, accountability and results orientation. A leader demonstrating this plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction and ethical framework of their organisations and the broader mental health system.

Skills

Demonstrates the ability to think strategically, analysing internal and external factors to formulate effective organisational strategies.
Develops and implements strategic plans that align with the mission and objectives of the organisation and account for the complexities of mental healthcare.
Adapts leadership strategies and approaches to address the dynamic and evolving nature of mental healthcare systems.
Ensures compliance with corporate governance principles, codes of conduct, and legal regulations, promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical behaviour.
Understands financial management principles, including budgeting, resource allocation, and fiscal responsibility, to support the financial health of the organisation.
Effectively assesses and manages risks associated with organisational decisions, ensuring sustainability and long-term success.
Engages and communicates with stakeholders, including consumers, carers, family and supporters, staff, board members, and community partners, to build support and alignment with strategic goals.
Demonstrates the ability to analyse and understand the interconnected components of mental healthcare systems, recognising how changes in one area can impact the entire system and how that impacts their organisation.

Behaviour

Develops and communicates a clear and compelling vision for the future of the service and organisation, inspiring others to work toward common goals.
Develops and communicates a compelling vision for the future of mental healthcare within complex systems.

Ensures transparency in strategic decision-making, providing stakeholders with timely and accurate information about goals, priorities and outcomes.
Adapts to changing circumstances and wider system changes, adjusting strategies as needed
Holds self and others accountable for the achievement of strategic objectives, regularly monitoring progress and making necessary adjustments aligned to the changing landscape internally and externally.
Fosters collaboration among diverse stakeholders, promoting shared responsibility for strategic planning and governance.
Sets and monitors clear performance metrics and outcomes, taking proactive steps to achieve and exceed established objectives.

Resources

Articles and Websites

Corporate Governance and Strategic Leadership! (linkedin.com)

Leadership and Corporate Governance (SSRN)

The Importance of Strategic Minds for Effective Governance

Strategic Plan Development Tool (AICD)

Good Governance (AICD)

What Makes Strategic Decisions Different (HBR)

Five-Step Model to Strategic Decision Making

Videos

Your Strategy Needs a Strategy with Martin Reeves (TED)

A Plan is Not a Strategy (HBR)

Don’t Start Strategic Planning Without This, Dr Liane Davey (YouTube)

Books

Strategy as Leadership: Facing Adaptive Challenges in Organisations by Roberto S Vasollo and Natalia Weisz

Lead Change

Leading Change requires a leader to understand and manage the complexities, challenges, and opportunities that arise in the fast paced, evolving landscape of mental healthcare and effectively lead and drive positive change within complex and interconnected systems, taking into consideration the systems, people and technology implications.

Leading Change involves the capacity to adapt to evolving workforce and consumer and carer needs, respond to emerging challenges, initiate and guide transformational processes, strategic change management and planning, creative problem solving and stakeholder identification and management.

A leader effectively demonstrating this can effectively lead change initiatives in mental health care settings, driving positive transformation that benefits both employees, consumers and the broader mental health community.

Skills

Leads and manages change initiatives within the organisation, ensuring a smooth transition to new strategic directions.
Develops comprehensive change plans that outline objectives, timelines, and resources required.
Skilfully manages resistance to change by engaging stakeholders and addressing concerns.
Leads and manages change initiatives within the organisation, ensuring smooth transitions and minimal disruption to the delivery of holistic care.
Encourages innovative thinking to identify solutions to complex clinical and operational challenges.
Embraces and leverages technology to improve mental health services and consumer outcomes.
Communicates the vision and benefits of change clearly to stakeholders, fostering buy-in.
Listens to concerns and feedback from team members, consumers, carers, family and supporters and other stakeholders and incorporates them into change planning.

Behaviour

Leads change initiatives with transparency, empathy, and effective communication, guiding the organisation through periods of transformation.
Develops a clear and compelling vision for the future of mental health care, aligning it with organisational goals.
Inspires and motivates the team and colleagues to embrace change and contribute to its success.
Involves a diverse group of stakeholders, including consumers, carers, family and supporters, team members and colleagues in the change process to ensure diverse perspectives are considered and incorporated.
Recognises, values and respects the diversity of the community and tailors change initiatives accordingly.
Adapts in response to unforeseen challenges or setbacks during the change process.
Fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement, encouraging team members to embrace change as a growth opportunity.
Is transparent about the goals, progress, and potential impacts of change initiatives.
Actively seeks feedback from stakeholders and uses it to refine and adjust change strategies as needed.
Sets clear objectives and performance indicators to measure the success of change efforts.