Jane Hancock, Acting Chief Executive
I am so pleased Jackie has been able to take some well-deserved time out and I am privileged to be acting as the Health Service Chief Executive over the coming month. I am also grateful to Tami Photinos who has agreed to be the COO over the same time period.
Over the next month I will be taking the opportunity to share some more stories that reflect our values, hopes and aspirations as Metro North Health. I am always keen for feedback so if you have any thoughts on the Friday message, please email me at jane.hancock@health.qld.gov.au.
The Tour De France
It’s a bit of a secret that I am happy to share with you – I watch the Tour De France! I love the scenery, the theatre of the sport and the sheer joy and enthusiasm the supporters bring to the event. One the commentators this year is Dr Bridie O’Donnell who I had the pleasure of meeting whilst I was at university in Melbourne in June. Bridie is a public servant, doctor, writer and has been a professional road cyclist. Bridie is a well-respected leader and so I listened to her comments with interest about Ben O’ Connor’s role in Felix Gall’s (AG2R Citroen) win on Stage 17.
Gall and O’Connor
Ben O’Connor played the role of domestique to perfection, Gall’s interview which O’Connor interrupts is a fabulous moment of joy. O’Connor had never experienced the elation that comes with team success in the Tour playing this role and he expressed how proud he was to be part of a team and how good the success made him feel. The role of the domestique is as a support role, they have lots of roles but importantly they provide a windbreak, so the team leader is generally protected behind or even towed by the slip stream. This is what, in part, O’Connor did for Gall and importantly O’Connor understood the goals of the team and his role was defined.
Lessons
For a cycling team to be successful the team need to plan ahead of time and define their goals. Lessons from cycling can apply to a team of any size, irrespective of where you are working. We all need to understand our role in the team and what our contribution needs to be for the team to be successful. Our success working as care givers is measured by how effective we are in meeting and addressing the health needs of our patients and the communities we serve. We each have a role and we need to understand that in the team context and what we are trying to achieve in the short and long term.
Your call to action:
- If you are a team leader anywhere in this organisation – check in with your team and help people understand/ clarify their roles, your expectations and the goals for hour, the shift, week, or year.
- If you are in a team member, ensure you understand your role and the goals of the team.
- Celebrate team successes when your team goals are achieved.
- Take a moment with each team win to celebrate your own contribution.
Finally, a big thank you to all the teams across Metro North for the work that you do every
day serving our communities.
Warm regards,
Jane.