Personal Note from Rachel

In December, while some industries are winding down for the holiday season, others, such as healthcare and retail, are ramping up to the busiest month of the year. 

The year end is a wonderful time to PAUSE, REFLECT, PLAN and PRIORITISE.  Strategic reflection time provides us with a space to check in with our inner compass to ensure we are navigating in the right direction, and if not, it gives us the opportunity and awareness to get our bearings and course correct.  For the past decade, my clients and I have used THIS reflective practice tool to support our strategic reflection time.  I invite you to dedicate time to using it over the holiday break.  BE WARNED.  If used and applied, this gift could have a profoundly positive impact on your practice and life in 2024.  

Recently, I participated in Irish cross-sector business conference, attended by160 senior leaders and their core teams.  A key take away for me was that these Irish leaders prioritised an average of 1hr of training and development each DAY for themselves and their employees.  WHY?  Coaching and training are intentionally prioritised in their business methodology as a business growth strategy to unlock leadership excellence and high performance engagement throughout the business. 

Leadership skills are learnable skills.  Are you ready to develop you and your team’s leadership skills to the next level of excellence?  Enroll yourself and/or your supervising and/or superintendent pharmacists in 4Front's ABCDE™ Pharmacist Coach Academy to master your mindset, health, wellbeing, leadership and coaching skills.  Discover your unique daily practices that will best empower YOU and your team to show up at your best and bring out the best in others, creating excellence through collaboration and positive change. 

4Front’s 6Ps of Positive Practice focus on Mastering Six Inter-Connecting Factors – Purpose, Personal, Professional, People, Products & Services and Prosperity.

This Month's Focus: Professional

The Role of Positive Intelligence and Red Team Coaching in the Professional Development of Healthcare Leaders

Introduction: In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare, leadership excellence isn't just a desire; it's a necessity. Healthcare leaders are tasked with making critical decisions that impact patient outcomes, team dynamics, and organisational success. To thrive in this complex environment, leaders need to be not just knowledgeable but also emotionally intelligent, adaptable, and committed to continuous learning. This is where Positive Intelligence and Red Team Coaching come into play.

Why It Matters: The significance of leadership development in healthcare cannot be overstated. It's about equipping leaders with the tools they need to navigate challenges, inspire their teams, and drive innovation. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and fostering a learning culture are integral components of effective leadership. They are also skills required in Professional Core Competency Frameworks.

Defining Continuous Professional Development: CPD, or Continuous Professional Development, is an ongoing process of acquiring and refining knowledge, skills, and competencies to excel in one's profession. In healthcare, where practices and technologies are constantly evolving, CPD is not just a choice; it's a lifeline.

The Science: Research supports the idea that CPD and learning culture are pivotal for healthcare leaders. It demonstrates that leaders who actively engage in CPD and cultivate a learning culture tend to exhibit higher emotional intelligence, better communication skills, and improved decision-making abilities. These qualities are essential for ensuring patient safety and quality care.

The Role of Positive Intelligence and Red Team Coaching: Positive Intelligence, often referred to as PQ (Positive Intelligence Quotient), is about harnessing the power of your positive brain to improve your performance, relationships, and overall well-being. Red Team Coaching, on the other hand, is a strategic approach to thinking critically, anticipating challenges, and developing robust strategies. Combining these approaches with healthcare leadership coaching can yield transformative results.

Empowering Healthcare Leaders: Here's how Positive Intelligence and Red Team Coaching can empower you to proactively engage in personalised, practical and results-oriented CPD and cultivate a learning culture:

• Boosting Emotional Intelligence: Positive Intelligence Coaching helps leaders enhance their emotional intelligence, fostering better relationships with colleagues, patients, and teams.
• Adaptability: Red Team Coaching encourages leaders to anticipate challenges and adapt to changing circumstances, a crucial skill in healthcare where situations can be dynamic.
• Enhanced Decision-Making: Both approaches contribute to improved decision-making, ensuring that leaders make informed choices that positively impact patient outcomes.
• Continuous Learning: By focusing on the positive aspects of growth and embracing critical thinking, leaders are more likely to foster a learning culture within their teams.
• Better Patient Outcomes: Ultimately, the adoption of Positive Intelligence and Red Team Coaching can result in better patient outcomes, improved team dynamics, and more successful healthcare organisations.

The Call to Action: Now, it's your turn to assess your people leadership journey. Take the first step by completing "4Front’s 6Ps of Professional Excellence Self-Assessment for Healthcare Managers and Leaders." This self-assessment tool is your compass for evaluating your current mindset, skills, and abilities in people leadership.

By taking this assessment, you qualify for a complimentary 121 Next STEPS call with Rachel Dungan, 'The Pharmacist Coach.' Rachel, with her extensive experience in healthcare leadership coaching, ICF Master Certified Coach Credential and advanced certifications in Positive Intelligence Coaching and Red Team Coaching, is uniquely positioned to guide you on your journey from poor or good to excellent people leadership.

During this call, you'll have the opportunity to review your results, explore coaching options, and craft a personalised plan to enhance your people leadership skills. Don't miss this chance to transform your leadership style, reduce workplace stress, and create thriving, high-performing teams that excel in patient care and healthcare leadership. Your team, your patients, and your organisation will thank you for it. 

CPD Focus: Professional

" The Symbiosis of Continuous Professional Development in Pharmacy and Coaching"

Introduction:

As professionals, our commitment to continuous learning transcends boundaries. In the intersecting worlds of pharmacy and coaching, the integration of diverse skills through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) not only fosters personal growth but also enriches multi-disciplinary learning. 

Professionalism:

Professionalism is the cornerstone of ethical and effective practice. In both pharmacy and coaching, it entails a commitment to standards of competence, integrity, and accountability. Like every accountable professional, one of my professional responsibilities is to engage in continuous professional development (CPD) each year.  Luckily, I love learning, because, as 'The Pharmacist Coach,' I am accountable to four professional bodies

1. the International Coaching Federation (ICF),
2. the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC),
3. the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC), and
4. the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI).

Each body outlines distinct, yet harmonious expectations for professionalism. 

Continuous Professional Development in Pharmacy and Coaching:

CPD is not intended to be approached as a checkbox activity, but a journey of perpetual growth. It's intended to promote a conscious effort to stay abreast of advancements, enhance skills, and embody the values of one's profession. Credentialed memberships in the ICF, EMCC, NBC-HWC, and PSI demand a commitment to CPD, reflecting the evolving nature of both coaching and pharmacy.  

CPD Requirements for Credentialed Members:

• ICF: As an MCC credentialed coach and ACTC, the ICF mandates a minimum of 40 Continuing Coach Education (CCE) units every three years relating to individual and team coaching. 

• EMCC: Credentialed Mentors and Super-Visors annual CPD requirement is at least 32 hours of continuous education, quarterly super-vision and 5 pieces of written reflective practice.

• NBC-HWC: Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches must complete a minimum of 36 hours of continuing education related to health and wellness coaching every 3 years.

• PSI: As a registered pharmacist with the PSI, all pharmacists are required to maintain a reflective, digital learning log (ePortfolio), and submit that ePortfolio for professional peer review every 5 years.

In all cases, there is a wide variety of practice settings in which each professional practices.  However, irrespective of practice area specialty, as professionals, our CPD must reflect professional core competencies, scope of practice and ethical codes of practice as applied to our professional practice.  In my case, there is enormous synergy, because coaching core competencies, such as 'listens actively,' 'cultivates trust and safety' and 'evokes awareness' actively empower excellence in pharmacy practice.  

The Power of Purposeful Reflective Practices:

Reflection is a cornerstone of effective CPD. Click here to download this month's CPD Cycle: "My Learnings as a Team Coach to a Young, Ambitious and Stressed International Team" for an example of one of my reflective practice CPD cycles.  It serves as an example of how I have identified transferrable learnings from a team coaching experience outside of a healthcare setting to a pharmacist context.  By purposefully reflecting on learnings from skills gained from diverse experiences, we can expand perspectives, enrich Professionalism and benefit not only ourselves (Personal) but also our clients, patients, teams (People) and the broader societal fabric. 

Conclusion:

I choose to prioritise learning, attentiveness and growth as a professional privilege, rather than a burdensome duty.  For me the opposites of ignorance, complacency and decline are less attractive, less enjoyable and less inspiring.  As 'The Pharmacist Coach,' my clients get to re-connect with their expanded learning and growth through the lens of the diverse and synergistic professions of Pharmacy and Coaching, continually integrating 'person-centred' health, wellbeing and leadership competencies in the process.  In the convergence of pharmacy and coaching, our commitment to excellence extends beyond being a professional duty towards being a shared journey towards continuous improvement and innovation. 

 Have You Been Called for ePortfolio Review in Jan 2024?

"I've been selected for Pharmacist CPD ePortfolio Review.  I’m feeling apprehensive.  I want to stop procrastinating and worrying.  Instead I want an efficiently recorded CPD that not only meets the standards, but is also truly valuable to me.  I want the peace of mind of knowing that I have the right stuff done - that I am ready and prepared to 'press send' when the submission window opens."

If this is your dilemma, don't worry. You are not alone, and I can help.  Because I assist many pharmacists in this situation, I have prepared a ready-to-go solution that includes a one-on-one implementation session with me. Learn More Here.  My goal for you is that you leave feeling confident, inspired and (re)engaged with your unique CPD journey. 

Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE: Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers | Carrig-On-Shannon |  21,22,28,29th Feb 2024