By Adriana Salazar Méndez, Specialist Practitioner & Consultant
We are delighted to start the year remembering some of our impactful face to face sessions. In December, we were lucky to have been invited to spend the afternoon with the Divisional Senior Leadership Team at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as part of their Annual Away Day in the beautiful Winchester countryside.
In a rural setting, away from the mundane and the daily routine, our Specialist Practitioner Adriana Salazar Méndez led Clinical and non-Clinical leaders through several reflective exercises in inclusive leadership and inclusive practices. We also discuss the impact of equity and inclusion work in leaders’ wellbeing.
The key takeaways included:
Impactful discussions on the value and power of differences and inclusion and belonging.
Acknowledgment that the development of cultural humility involves an ongoing process instead of a final endpoint. And that this process starts with the self, followed by an intent and never-ending willingness to learn from others.
Reflections on the importance of inclusive practice and culturally humble leadership when leaders are dealing with matters of discrimination, bias, inequitable environments and organisational culture.
The final lessons were:
Practice solidarity and advocate for change. This involves disrupting systems and mindsets that perpetuate inequity.
Remain infinitely curious as a leader
Reflect constantly and be mindful on the way you respond when you’re challenged
Seek discomfort, that is where the learning happens
It was great to see a leadership team investing time in discussing and exploring strategies to embed compassion, advocacy and curiosity in their policy implementation and decision-making process.
Big shout out to Our Customer Success Coordinator Charlotte Parker, who was there engaging with attendees and providing support.
Special thanks to our hosts Nick Ward and Rebecca Jones for the ongoing advocacy for this work and great hospitality. And extra special mention to Steph Clark who has been an amazing partner and dedicated leader for all Inclusion and Belonging initiatives at Hampshire. It was incredible to meet with you on the day.
We cannot wait to hear about the excellent work you continue doing supporting leadership development and building inclusive spaces at Hampshire.
