Applications for Discovering Leadership 2024 are now closed.
Discovering Leadership addresses the scale and complexity of the diabetes crisis by empowering emerging leaders to drive improvements in diabetes care.
Since we started our development programme for new leaders, we have been privileged to work with hundreds of healthcare professionals. Last year we welcomed 90 participants onto Discovering Leadership, and of this cohort:
- 89% agreed that Discovering Leadership helped them develop as a leader.
- 91% would actively recommend Discovering Leadership to a friend or colleague.
Why should you apply?
Discovering Leadership is for you if you want to make a difference to diabetes care and recognise that you could benefit from support at the beginning of your healthcare leadership journey. You may be well-established in your career or you might be fresh to a new area of work but what’s vital is that you want to drive change and to make a real impact for people living with diabetes.
This free programme blends leadership theory with practice and provides a supportive space for you to learn with others interested in improving diabetes care from across the system.
Sessions cover a range of important skills including:
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Influencing
- Involvement
- Awareness
"The whole course has really been quite soul-searching and looking at my barriers and how I would break them down…what am I afraid of? What’s the worst that could happen? That’s really helped me to have less fear, a little more resilience and a little more confidence that I can be a leader and really I’m leading one very small part of a much bigger picture."
What to expect from the programme
- Space to gain insights into yourself as a leader and the impact you can make.
- Confidence to influence others and make the changes you want to see.
- Opportunity to develop an improvement idea for diabetes care in your area.
- Chance to connect with and learn from peers across the healthcare system who are also passionate about diabetes care.
- Opportunity to share good practice and ideas.
Is the programme for you?
- Yes, if you are a professional in healthcare who is starting out your leadership journey and looking to improve care and services for people affected by diabetes.
- Yes, because diversity is fundamental to our approach to achieving change within the system which means we are actively encouraging applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates.
Time commitment
- Two hours per week over seven months (including self-directed time).
- Sessions are split into Core Sessions and Elective Sessions.
- You are required to attend all four core sessions.
- You are required to attend seven sessions at the minimum – this includes compulsory core sessions.
- Sessions will generally be run on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8.30pm, on a weekly basis. More details will be available on registration.
- Practical reflective activities for you to engage in between sessions.
- The 2024 programme will run from 23 April until October 2024.
What have previous participants said?
- “It has definitely motivated me to continue on my journey and do more on leadership/management. It’s up to me now to deliver on my management change.”
- “Given me ideas to do a deeper dig into the problem and then to have a meeting, present ideas and get the ball rolling to the way forward.”
- “Providing me with the confidence to liaise with senior management and to discuss my plan and begin the process.”
- “I am confident that I have the necessary tools to enable the active participation of other colleagues, so that more creative and collaborative ideas developed.”
- “Excellent programme, delivered by a well organised and passionate team.”
Joining criteria
In the right candidate we’ll see:
- A desire to improve care for people living with diabetes and a commitment to achieve this by developing their leadership capacity.
Belief:
- That you can change things.
- That change is possible.
- In the importance of personal and professional development.
Evidence of:
- Working in health or social care with an interest in diabetes.
- Desire and commitment to improving care services for people affected by diabetes.
- An ability to identify areas for improvement in diabetes care.
- A desire to tackle inequality.
- A willingness to understand personal strengths and development areas.
- A desire to build relationships that facilitate collaborative work practice and to support others to achieve change.
- Open-mindedness and willingness to learn.
How to join
Applications for Discovering Leadership 2024 are now closed. To register your interest for 2025 please email us at leadership@diabetes.org.uk.
