High Potential Executive - Targeting Talent

Course Content

The NHS East of England Targeting Talent Programme identifies, develops and supports aspirant Chief Executives, who will achieve world-class standards in health and healthcare. The Targeting Talent Programme is delivered by our partner provider consortia of King's Fund, Frontline Consulting and Cumberlege Connections.

Each provider in the consortium offers a unique contribution and can draw from a wide range of experience. We bring these perspectives together to offer a distinct approach to leadership development in the NHS.

The King's Fund has more than 30 years' experience of providing distinctive and challenging leadership, management and personal development programmes to senior leaders in the NHS, often applying an international perspective to allow participants to explore key issues in a strategic context.

Frontline Consultants works with a range of public and private sector organisations to provide expertise in strategy, leadership, organisation change, performance improvement and evaluation of delivery. Having specialised in services to the NHS since their establishment in 1991, and many of their staff have hands-on experience of NHS leadership, combined with a broader perspective from elsewhere in the public sector and business.

Cumberlege Connections: Led by Baroness Julia Cumberlege, Cumberlege Connections designs and delivers bespoke, high-quality personal leadership and skills programmes, working at the highest level for NHS clients and for the independent and charitable sectors. Encouraging learning by doing, they aim to challenge and stimulate leaders, encouraging people to think and act differently and have a proven reputation in doing so.

What is Targeting Talent?

The programme works with a small group of senior leaders, drawn from a mix of backgrounds, who have all demonstrated the potential and aspiration to be a Chief Executive.

The Programme explained
The programme includes a number of interventions which combined give you an opportunity to stretch your current capabilities and test your readiness for a more senior role.

Leadership modules and masterclasses are be tailored to meet individual requirements, addressing core leadership requirements and experiential development challenges

A stretch assignment facilitated by the SHA and provided to give you an experience outside of your current role

Application sets to work with other participants to test and consolidate knowledge and experience

Coaching - each participant will be encouraged to engage with a senior professional coach to work with them during the duration of the programme

Module Information
Module 1: Leading teams and people

This module will enable participants to:

• Gain greater understanding of their own leadership style and preferences; developing those behaviours and attributes that are effective and developing management strategies for weaker areas.
• Refresh skills in giving and receiving feedback clearly, constructively and honestly
• Motivate and engage with staff across a whole organisation
• Engage with clinicians
• Catalyze action in others; inspire those around you to do what needs to be
• Engage and enthuse stakeholders and users in the vision for an organization

Module 2 : An experiential event - Politics and the NHS

A one day immersion in politics, involving senior politicians, civil servants and political lobbyists. The day will include: "Westminster & Whitehall Explained", an interactive session to learn more about how the system works, and how to work the system "Acting with Authority" is an experiential session, looking at the how and why of policy making, requiring participants to negotiate and forge strategic alliances and view issues from a different perspective.

Over the course of the day, participants will have an opportunity to:

• Explore the political process, and how political thinking is translated into policy
• Increase their awareness of the political minefield, and the impact of policy on NHS organisations.

Module 3 : An experiential event -
On The Level: achieving equality in healthcare
Health inequalities are a major issue for all SHAs and the East of England is no exception. The issue generates much research and rhetoric, but, all too often, no action.

We have designed an experiential day focussing on several key areas where inequalities are at their most stark. As part of the day, you will be accompanying health professionals in a range of environments in order to understand how health inequalities feel, and how they make YOU feel

At the end of the day, participants will have:

• Greater clarity about the approach you must take as a leader in your own righ
• Learned by engaging, not observing
• A greater understanding about how to break down institutional assumptions and attitudes
• Been encouraged to identify and focus on health inequalities from the perspective of a service user

Module 4: Leading in context

This module will enable participants to:

• Understand the context in which policy is developed and how this shapes both national and local responses
• Assess how strategies for local implementation, activity and performance, can be most effectively aligned with broader service and system strategies
• Test some innovative models for strategic design, planning and implementation using case studies and examples from other health systems and other companies
• Examine the critical differences between the role of a Director in influencing and delivering strategic intentions, and the role of the Chief Executive as an external and internal driver of strategy
• Focus on whole system development, and the dimensions of the wider environment in which they and their organisations operate

Module 5: Leading performance

This module will enable participants to:

• Lead the decision making process at board level
• Align resources to implement key priority areas
• Lead programme and project management
• Develop expert insight to service line reporting
• Manage information to align activity and finance reporting
• Exercise accountability and corrective action

Module 6: Leading strategy and innovation

This module will enable participants to:

• Develop their own expertise in measuring and improving quality, performance management frameworks, financial sustainability and viability, service redesign and delivery systems and other operational management disciplines
• Develop this expertise by also reflecting on innovative models of practice from UK and overseas health systems
• Develop the skills and toolkits required to secure organisational success, understanding how to achieve this within a sustainable and viable health system
• Better understand the broader management and performance issues they need to address at Chief Executive level, in addition to giving them opportunities to test their competence against some of these skills sets.

Closing module: Future Perfect

This closing module is a future visioning experience, providing a launch pad for leaders to consolidate their learning from the programme, drawing on new experiences, knowledge and skills.

An exciting journey into the future of health and social care in the East of England, Future Perfect gives the group an opportunity to test out alternative scenarios for the future of health services across the East of England and further afield. This stimulating day challenges leaders to anticipate the emerging big issues and exploit the implicit opportunities.

• A future visioning experience, providing a launch pad for leaders to consolidate their learning from the programme, drawing on new experiences, knowledge and skills
• An opportunity for a wide range of leaders across the SHA to participate in an event testing out alternative scenarios for the future of health services across the SHA
• Building on our knowledge and understanding gained over the course of the programme, we will design an exciting journey into the future of health and social care in the East of England
• In vibrant simulated environments we will challenge leaders to anticipate the emerging big issues and exploit the opportunities
• Presentation and feedback from participants on the outcomes of their stretch assignment.
• Feedback and conclusions on progress so far.

Application Sets

The Application Set will enable participants to consider and reflect upon their learning from the development programme, with a focus on how this applies to taking action to improve services and to enhancing and improving participants' effectiveness in their roles, whilst at the same time developing themselves.

The assessment process for applicants evaluates evidence against the the four Leadership Indicators of the East of England Potential Model using a 360 feedback approach.

1) Influencing

2) Personal Agility

3) Gets Results

4) Strategic Understanding

In addition, an indication of their Talent Map status from the Chief Executive Sponsor indicating whether they are Ready Now, Developing or Emerging Talent; past and present leadership performance; leadership potential and commitment to maximise and realise learning outcomes at both personal and organisational levels are also assessed. Each shortlisted candidate is then invited to an interview based on the Potential model.

The first cohort of 21 participants of the Targeting Talent programme completed in November 2008. Two "graduates" of this first cohort have taken up Chief Executive positions within the East of England. The 2nd cohort intake commenced in March 2009 with 14 participants, one of whom has been appointed to his first Chief Executive post.