The leadership qualities framework
Personal integrity
A strongly held sense of commitment to openness, honesty, inclusiveness and high
standards in undertaking the leadership role.
Why it matters
Their Personal integrity enables leaders in the service to deal fairly, and
communicate consistently, with service users, staff, and partners. This means
that they do their best to ensure open access to information and that diversity
is respected.
Motivated by a personal value about inclusiveness, effective leaders promote and
model the openness needed in patient and carer relationships. Their integrity
guides them when decision making is difficult and it underpins the confidence
needed to take tough and radical action, even in the face of opposition. It
helps them cope where the achievement of a goal that is about real service
improvement in the long term appears, at least in the short term, to be
disadvantageous to some groups.
Levels
Some quality levels are particularly associated with success at chief executive
and director level. These are indicated by brackets [ ]. This does not mean
that leaders at other levels will not demonstrate these levels (they may well
do) but that these are the levels at which leaders at board level should be
aiming.
-
0
Takes the line of least resistance
-
Responds to pressure by not standing up for own values and beliefs.
-
Demonstrates behaviour that is counter to core values of openness,
inclusiveness and honesty.
-
1
Acts consistently
-
Behaves consistently with own stated values and beliefs.
-
Delivers on what they have promised, or is open about their own shortcomings.
-
Models and promotes the organisational values - ie 'walks the walk'.
-
2
Chooses transparency
-
Creates an environment of openness, cutting through ambiguity to provide
clarity in communication.
-
Requires and expects others to be equally as open in their communication, with
staff, patients and other stakeholders.
-
Uses plain language in communication to demystify clinical and other issues.
-
3
Shows personal courage
-
Stands up for what is right in terms of leading and developing health services,
even when it is difficult to do so, and there may be a personal cost in doing
so.
-
Acts as a role model for involvement of staff, patients and other stakeholders,
even where this results in challenges to how things are done.
-
Is prepared to support others who are acting consistently with core values.
Links
Their sense of Personal integrity works hand in hand with their
Self-belief to underlie the most effective leaders' determination to
make a real difference to how health services are planned, shaped and
delivered. It is at the heart of how they communicate consistently with users
of the service and involve them in
collaborative working. It also drives their respect for diversity and
determination to make equality of
empowering others.