The problem with impromptu speeches is you always end up thinking of all the things you wish you had said!
There is a lot to say about leadership. Everyone has had a go at it. Think tanks, academies, managers who want to be leaders, leaders who shouldn't be leaders and commentators who will never be leaders.
What did I wish I had said? Nine things.
1. Leaders have to be angry. No, change that. Leaders have to be absolutely furious. They have to be in a rage about the state of the NHS. They have to be uptight, annoyed and resentful about the fact that we are delivering a tenner's worth of care for nine quid and then accused of overspending.
They have to be impassioned, indignant and irate. Leaders have to say how dare the press the critics and the naysayers offend the impassioned staff who come to work every day and deliver more for no more. Leaders have to be ferocious and protective.
2. Leaders have to be enthusiastic... about the NHS. So when the House of Lords decide on some half-baked idea to inquire into the sustainability of the service, leaders will, with a single voice, say, it is sustainable if you woke up and realised 2016 outcomes needs more than 2001 money.
The NHS system of health care is the envy of the world, has some of the best outcomes and is at the leading edge of ideas and innovation. Leaders are fans, supporters, believers, fanatics. If you are not a zealot, you're not in the game.
3. Leaders are story tellers. We grow up listening to stories, we read stories, our news is packaged as stories, adverts tell a story. The world's great religions are built upon parables and stories.
Leaders communicate with stories. They tell stories of success, stories of hope, tell stories about how other people overcame problems, upped their game and became winners. Find out what good looks like and share the narrative of how it happened. Make 'real' achievable, doable and put it in reach.
4. Leaders are connected. Leaders are who they hang-out with. They know everyone. If there is a problem they can call a contact at the DH or Not-Monitor. If there is a leak on Ward 7, they can pick up the phone and talk to Harry in estates. Leaders are networked, wired into the circuitry, part of the system and crisscross the internal and external boundaries without leaving a foot print. They command respect.
5. Leaders are salesmen. They sell their ideas, they sell solutions, they sell innovation and new ways of working. Leaders sell, sell, sell. They sell the NHS, they sell the system, they sell fixes, they sell results to get even better results. They don't sell jobs, they sell life-styles. They sell work, they sell careers. They sell a vision.
6. Leaders are helpers. Leaders say, how can I help you solve this problem. How can I help to make sure this never happens again? Leaders say how can I help, so that together we can achieve this. Leaders ask how can I help?
7. Leaders concentrate on the basics. They understand the only task is to make sure whatever it is, is good enough for your family and theirs. Leaders know the devil is in the detail and they master the detail. Leaders know the ins-and-outs.
8. Leaders are curious. They are curious to know if anyone is doing better than them. Leaders want to compare, benchmark, calibrate, create a yardstick and set the scales. Leaders know being the best is the only standard they want to be judged by, compared against and aspire to.
9. Leaders create the time and space for good people to do great things.
I wish I'd said all of that....
