Leadership in health and social care is rarely straightforward. Even with experience, high-pressure situations such as backlogs, staff shortages, and urgent patient needs test your ability to stay focused and support your team effectively. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the power of calmness. For example, during a particularly intense period managing teams while dealing with COVID backlog pressures, maintaining a steady and measured presence helped the team feel supported and confident. Rather than reacting to every urgent issue, I consciously modelled calm decision-making, which allowed my staff to focus on their tasks, raise concerns, and contribute solutions without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Calm leadership isn’t passive; it signals to the team that challenges are being approached deliberately and that their expertise is trusted.
Another key lesson is the importance of stepping back and seeing the bigger picture. We faced a sudden surge of patients after a period of reduced activity. It would have been easy to throw ourselves into tackling cases as they arrived, but taking the time to pause, plan, and strategise made a real difference. We implemented brief reflective huddles before shifts, just five to ten minutes, allowing the team to celebrate wins, share concerns, and suggest improvements. These moments helped the team feel connected, acknowledged, and motivated, while also giving me insights into operational gaps and opportunities for innovation.
Facilitating others to use their expertise rather than trying to hold all the answers has been another major learning point. In one situation, a colleague suggested a small change to how patient follow-ups were allocated. By trusting them to lead the process and supporting their plan, we saw improvements in efficiency and staff engagement. Experiences like this reinforced that leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about creating the environment where solutions emerge collectively.
Finally, leadership is deeply personal. Aligning my actions with values of fairness, accountability, and continuous learning has helped me stay grounded. Being honest about limits, seeking support when needed, and acknowledging the human side of leadership strengthens resilience and builds team trust. During periods of operational pressure, I noticed how my calm and steady approach encouraged others to stay focused, take ownership, and innovate safely.
Reflecting on these experiences, I realise that effective leadership in health and social care is multidimensional. It combines calmness with action, strategic foresight with practical problem-solving, and personal authenticity with team empowerment. Cultivating calm in the storm isn’t just a technique, it’s a way to enable staff, improve patient care, and foster a culture of trust, innovation, and psychological safety. These lessons continue to shape how I lead and how my teams experience leadership every day.
LLOYD WAYGOOD, IHSCM MEMBER
