Senior leaders across Exemplar Health Care recently celebrated graduating as the first cohort of the organisation’s bespoke ‘Leaders 4: Inspire’ training programme.
The ‘Leaders 4: Inspire’ programme is designed to equip experienced leaders with new and enhanced skills to enable them to drive innovation and inspire their teams. Regional Directors and Commissioning Managers from across the UK-wide organisation were the first cohort to participate.
The programme is part of a wider suite of leadership programmes delivered through the newly formed Exemplar Health Care Academy, each crafted to nurture talent, embed quality leadership skills at every level of the organisation’s workforce, and support succession planning to ensure sustainable growth and the future success of all colleagues.
Leaders 4: Inspire commenced in October 2023, and saw the cohort engage in workshops on leadership and communication styles and financial competence, encouraging leaders to make positive shifts in team dynamics and act on business insights.
The next stage was a practical workshop on coaching skills, designed to instil valuable mentorship skills and encourage the cohort to inspire the next generation of Exemplar Health Care leaders.
Leaders then progressed to a module on strategic change, using real-world case studies to craft impactful initiatives and exploring how psychological factors can impact people’s reactions to change.
The cohort began the final module earlier this year, learning how to transition from working ‘in’ the business to working ‘on’ it, ensuring innovative strategies are effectively delivered and brought to life.
The graduates were proud to have successfully completed the programme and look forward to implementing their newfound skills to make a meaningful difference in their teams.
Mark Rushton, Regional Director of Operations at Exemplar Health Care and Leaders 4: Inspire Graduate, said:
“I am pleased to have completed the Leader 4: Inspire programme and I cannot wait to begin putting everything I have learnt into practice.
“Each module felt incredibly valuable to the entire cohort and our participation has been a great reminder that learning and development are an essential part of success for everyone in an organisation, no matter their role or experience.”
Exemplar Health Care’s Leadership Pathway programmes are as follows:
- Leaders 1: Aspire – designed for Senior Health Care Assistants, Registered Nurses, and aspiring managers, this programme focuses on the foundations of leadership, including personal effectiveness, leading a team and effective coaching.
- Leaders 2: Engage – targeted at Unit Managers and first line managers, this programme supports new managers through modules around getting the best out of a team, high impact coaching, effective delegation and managing the employee lifecycle.
- Leaders 3: Accelerate – geared towards Home Managers, Deputy Managers, Clinical Nurse Managers and senior managers in Central Services, this programme builds on the skills of our senior managers, with modules including coaching for high performance, having courageous conversations and leading change.
- Leaders 4: Inspire – tailored towards leaders of leaders, including Regional Directors and Heads of Departments, this programme takes leadership to the next level, focusing on strategy development and execution, leading strategic change and building high performing teams.
The Leaders 2: Engage programme is already underway for every Unit Manager across the organisation, and applications for the Leaders 1: Aspire and Leaders 3: Accelerate programmes are due to open in the coming months.
Rob Coxon, Director of the Exemplar Health Care Academy, reflected:
“We owe it to our service users and our colleagues to have highly trained and effective leaders. We are proud that our Regional Directors and Commissioning Managers have led from the front by graduating as our first Leaders 4: Inspire cohort.
“Ten days off-the-job learning is a big investment, and the programme underpins our partnership with the world-leading Virginia Mason Institute, which aims to build a sector-leading culture of safety and continuous improvement.
“The ripple effect of their development will reach every corner of Exemplar Health Care, making every day better for both our colleagues and the people we support.”
