Tag: personal-development

From Self-doubt to Self-belief: My journey into leadership by Cerys Jones

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From Self-doubt to Self-belief: My journey into leadership

I completed my A-levels in the summer of 2023, I remember going to pick up my results with my mum and dad, hoping I had done enough to secure a spot on the course I so desperately wanted to begin. Later that day I received an email from Swansea University saying that I had secured a place to study Children’s nursing. I remember feeling overwhelmed with happiness and excitement to embark on my new adventure. Despite the excitement of starting this new chapter, feelings of impostor syndrome crept in. 

What if I am too inexperienced to handle the responsibility? What if I don’t fit into the healthcare environment? What if I don’t ‘make a difference’ like I’m supposed to? Self-doubt undermined my confidence; however, I knew this was the path I was meant to take. My mum and dad are huge role models of mine and my biggest supporters. My Mum qualified as a mental health nurse in 2024, while my Dad currently works as an EPRR manager for Swansea Bay Health Board, having spent most of his career as a paramedic in the Welsh Ambulance Service. Watching their hard work and dedication growing up has profoundly influenced me and shaped me into the compassionate and ambitious person I am today. Surely this is what I am meant to do? 

My new adventure began on the 18th of September 2023, my 19th birthday. Shortly after starting the course, I was introduced to Beryl Mansel, who presented a lecture on the Student Leadership Academy. I was immediately captivated by her approach to leadership, which emphasised that it is not necessarily about being in a position of authority, but rather about guiding others, serving as a role model, and demonstrating kindness. But what did I know about leadership? Beryl spoke a lot about compassionate leadership, explaining that compassionate leaders lead with respect for their colleagues, empathy, and are active listeners. Beryl spoke about compassionate leaders having emotional intelligence. I began to reflect on whether my past experiences, like being head girl at comprehensive school, or my continued dedication to netball since childhood, could be considered examples of leadership. Perhaps I already had the qualities of a leader all along, without even realising? 

A few months later, to my surprise and excitement, I received an email notifying me that I had been selected as a successful applicant and had secured a place on the student leadership academy. The conference was held on the 9th and 10th of March, 2024. There were students from various health professions, and it was insightful to talk to other students studying for different courses, all with a shared interest in leadership. The conference welcomed guest speakers who spoke about their personal leadership journeys. I found these people to be truly inspiring, and I loved listening to their unique paths that led them into leadership. I was particularly captivated by Dr Sarah Tobin’s talk on the importance of compassionate leadership. She emphasised that compassion should be a priority in every aspect of our work as nurses, which felt particularly important to me. She emphasised the importance of kindness, not only with patients but also with our team to create a supportive environment. I left the conference feeling motivated by such inspiring people, hoping to become a leader in the future. 

At the conference, Beryl encouraged us to apply for the Council of Deans of Health’s National leadership programme, named #150 leaders. This programme was an incredible opportunity that offered leadership development through role-modelling, networking, reflection and coaching. I considered applying for some time, but felt hesitant as I had less to offer compared to more experienced applicants. Nevertheless, I applied with what I did have- ambition, courage and a strong desire to grow and better myself. 

A few months later, I received an email to say I had secured a place on the national leadership programme. I could not believe they had selected me to take part in such a prestigious programme. I was over the moon and felt so lucky to be given this opportunity. The event took place in Manchester on September 19th. Embracing this newfound independence and the idea of spending two days away from home, surrounded by unfamiliar faces felt daunting. However, the moment I walked in, I felt totally relaxed and welcomed by everyone. The conference was held over two days, the structure of the programme was very similar to the leadership academy I had attended at University. Guest speakers from many different professions came to speak to us about their leadership journey, while encouraging us to see ourselves as future leaders too. We also worked together in groups to pitch an idea for a new project, which really challenged me to think creatively. The #150 leaders programme was an immensely valuable experience that encouraged me to step beyond my comfort zone and had a profound impact on my confidence. From the many experiences I have gained throughout my leadership journey so far, the most consistent message I remind myself of is to embrace every opportunity and just go for it!

When I began my nursing journey at Swansea University, I made a promise to myself that I would take every opportunity that came my way. I will soon be reaching the end of my second year as a student paediatric nurse, and I have kept that promise to myself. Swansea University has offered me a range of incredible experiences that have truly enriched my student experience and provided me with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Last summer, I took part in a summer abroad programme, where I spent two weeks volunteering at a marine and wildlife programme in Sri Lanka. This was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had, and I have memories that will last a lifetime. This year, I plan to take part in the programme again and visit Nepal on a community development programme. If someone had told me in the summer of 2023 that I would put myself forward for all these opportunities, I would have found it hard to believe. I have gained so much confidence during my time as a student, but I would have never discovered what I was truly capable of if I hadn’t taken the first step and tried. 

Throughout my leadership journey, I have been fortunate to be guided by coaches who have provided support in shaping my personal development as a leader. As part of the Council of Deans #150 leaders programme, we were encouraged to set up an individual project to support our peers or future students in our field of practice. This experience has provided me with the opportunity to lead a project of my own, where I will deliver a presentation to younger students at my former comprehensive school. I aim to share my experience as a student paediatric nurse and hopefully spark some interest, while addressing any questions or concerns they may have. I hope to inspire these younger students in the same way I have been inspired by the remarkable leaders I have encountered, and show them that they can achieve anything by embracing opportunities. 

As I move forward into my career as a paediatric nurse, I want to continue my leadership journey and develop skills by taking every opportunity. Upon reflection, I have come to realise that the most challenging part of self-growth is making the initial decision to try and just go for it! I am excited to see where my leadership journey will take me. 

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Beryl and the Student Leadership Team at Swansea University. I would like to thank Felix and all the team at the Council of Deans of Health’s Student Leadership Programme for their continued support and encouragement. I would also like to thank every student who took part in the Student Leadership Programme.

My Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Journey – Andrew Lelliott

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“Andrew, do you see the way that you work with your patients?”

When I was a Health Care Support Worker for a Community Mental Health Team, I would never had known, that a short conversation in 2015, with a psychotherapist colleague, would send me on a journey of self-exploration and personal and professional development.

Having been told by my colleagues that when working with a patient, I would look at the patient’s journey, how they got to the situation they were in, showing compassion, true empathy and that I was in touch with their emotions. For me, I was under the impression that everyone worked in this manner. I was advised, that I should look to explore what opportunities were out there to enhance my learning and also guide me into putting theory behind my therapeutic practice.

This lead me to initially complete a 10 week counselling taster course with Swansea University, to then funding myself to take up a 2-year Higher Education Certificate in Counselling skills. On completion of this, I had developed my self-awareness, personal growth, self-acceptance and my personal beliefs about myself and others.

Fast forward 3 years to 2020, where I applied for the part-time BSc in Adult Nursing, which I was successful. I was a few weeks into the course, when one night, I was casually reading through a book called “A Handbook for Student Nurses” (Benbow & Al, 2019). I came across a page in the book titled “Emotional Intelligence” and that is when it all clicked and where my journey with emotional intelligence really took off. I had never heard of the term emotional intelligence, but within this one page in this book, I totally understood everything it was about.

In the short piece within the book, it defines emotional intelligence (EI) as the capacity to perceive, evaluate, and effectively handle our own emotions as well as the emotions of others. Then goes on to break EI into four key areas – Self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and social skills, which mirrors Daniel Goleman’s key ideas in his book “Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ”. In relating to this small, one page chapter, I recognised that I was always in tune with my own emotions, my strengths, weaknesses, values and what motivated me. As well, as this, the management of my own emotions, impulses and reactions in maintaining an emotional balance.

At around the same time that I had read the small chapter on EI, I had an online lecture called “Leadership and the Self” with Beryl Mansel. To tie in with the lecture, we were given a “Leading the self” workbook, which was based on developing self-awareness. Within the workbook, the idea that self-awareness is an understanding of a person’s own strengths, weaknesses, and the differing aspects of the self. The workbook also covered how a person can look into their self and grow an awareness of their strengths and limitations, can lead to a person acquiring the insight and skills needed to be an effective leader. This got me reflecting and recognising my own strengths and weaknesses. I was aware that I was a good communicator, adaptable, honest and passionate in the development of others but areas to work on were self-confidence and self-belief. After the lecture I spoke to Beryl about my interest in Emotional Intelligence and how could I look into developing it. Beryl advised me to apply for the Student Leadership Academy (SLA) at Swansea University, which is a programme aimed at students who aspire to lead and make a difference. A key aspect within the SLA is gaining confidence in a person’s skills and an increase in self-awareness. This seemed the perfect programme to understand my strengths and enhance my emotional intelligence.

I spent the week perfecting my SLA application and then the next couple of weeks, nervously waiting to see if my application was successful. When I got the email stating that I had been successful in my application, I was over the moon. I knew I there would be the opportunity to meet likeminded individuals like myself and build strong networks.

Due to covid, the initial 2-day leadership conference was held online. It consisted of motivational speakers from varying health and social care and education backgrounds, interactive group sessions and the opportunity to network. Of the phenomenal calibre of guest speakers, one that stood out for me was Nicola Davis-Job, who is the Acute Care and Leadership Adviser for the Royal College of Nursing Wales. Her presentation on ‘Leading with Emotional Intelligence’ really resonated with me personally, when she talked about resilience, grit, motivation and optimism. The areas that Nicola talked about validated my own characteristics, as an optimistic motivating individual, not only with the patients in my care, but the people in my close circle around me.

As part of the SLA, the delegates were given an Emotional Intelligence Workbook and within the workbook, it discussed how developing the four areas of EI (self-awareness, Social awareness, self-management and relationship management) would lead to becoming more productive and successful in what we do. I could relate to my own ongoing development in these four areas, which has led to a reduction in stress in my personal, work and university life and helped improve the relationships within these areas. Towards the end of the workbook, it listed “Ten habits of emotionally intelligent people” and within these ten habits were two, which really resonated with me personally. Showing respect for and validating other people’s feelings, was something I had always done naturally. When seeing this in the EI workbook, it validated my own empathic ways of being and having and understanding and acceptance of individual’s feelings. Respecting and validating people’s feelings, wasn’t just aimed towards the patients I cared for, but also with the people in my personal life.

Reflecting back on my time leading up to the SLA, I was able to recognise my own elements of emotional intelligence through reading literature. However, I had not been able to fully gauge all aspects of EI, and taking part in the SLA, helped me go deeper into recognising other areas of EI in myself and adapt a growth mindset, surrounding EI. The SLA guided me into realising the importance of EI and leadership, especially in health and social care. The idea that in the workplace, a leader who possesses the ability to regulate their own emotions and demonstrate empathy towards others, will exhibit greater effectiveness. Going forward in my own leadership journey within the health service, I can now acknowledge the importance of the ongoing development of my own EI, through dedication and self-reflection.

At the time of writing this and completing the SLA, I have gone on to successfully complete the national 150 Leaders student leadership programme which is run in partnership between the Council of Deans of Health and the Burdett Trust for Nursing. Furthermore, I was invited back to the 2023 SLA, to deliver a presentation to the new delegates on my experiences on the 150 leaders programme and co-present a presentation on “Developing your Emotional Intelligence”.

By stepping outside my comfort zone and continuing to develop my emotional intelligence, I am truly excited to see where my leadership journey takes me.

References

Benbow, W., & Al, E. (2019). A handbook for student nurses : introducing key issues      relevant.for practice (3rd ed.). Lantern Publishing.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bloomsbury.

Steve Gutzler Leadership Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach. (2013, April 1). Steve Gutzler. https://www.stevegutzler.com/