Personal Note from Rachel

For those of us who use the Gregorian calendar, Happy New Year! May 2024 bring all who share planet Earth health, prosperity, peace and fulfillment.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often a symbolic time for reflection, planning, learning, letting go and preparing for growth.  And while reflection, planning, learning, letting go and growth are definitely worthy of your intentional and ongoing investment, (especially if you yearn to actively, rather than passively engage in your gift of life), now may or may not be the right time for change for you.

The holiday season can be a time of family connection, joy and spiritual fulfillment for some.  It can be a time of great loneliness, isolation and separation for others.  

For some, it is a time of spaciousness, and an energetic shift from high octane, driven lifestyle into a more mellow mode.  For those in industries such as retail, it is the busiest time of year. 

Each of us brings a different perspective, experience and context into the new year.  We also get to decide what aspects of the old year we choose to leave behind and what aspects we choose to embrace into the new year.  

So, if the Gregorian new year doesn't work for your personal reflection and goal setting timelines this year, know that New Year is celebrated on different dates in various cultures around the world, which you could use as inspiration to mark YOUR annual trip around the sun.  Here are some other new year dates for 2024: 

• Chinese New Year begins on 10th Feb (Year of the Dragon)
• Hindu New Year festival begins on 9th April
• Jewish New Year festival begins on 2nd Oct
• Winter or summer solstice or spring/autumn equinoxes or
• your birthday as YOUR personal new year!

One of the gifts of partnering with a coach and learning coaching skills is that we get to partner together to create new thinking, new opportunities and new perspectives that we could not have created in isolation.  Coaching is an active, skillful and intentional process for both the coach and the coachee.  

Over the next weeks, keep an eye out for three special opportunities for those of you who are ready to take you (and your core team's) personal, professional and leadership to the next level in three critical areas.

1. Mindset:  4Front's Positive Intelligence 8-week Mental Fitness Foundation Programme is explicitly designed and proven to enhance resilience, empathy and adaptability in the face of change, while also enhancing wellbeing, performance and relationships.
2. Skill-set: Our first in-person, 'Lead With Coaching' coaching skills training programme of 2024, is perfect for new and experienced leaders and managers who are committed to developing the skills required to lead with impact, create a learning culture and sustain behaviour change. (see details below)
3. Action-set: Our personalised, Pharmacist Coach Academy programme is designed to empower each coachee to co-create their unique personal, professional and leadership growth plan, and implement their learnings immediately, on the job and in their life. 

If you are in any way curious, email rachel@racheldungan.com with the subject line 'Curious.' Tell me what you are curious to learn more about and when you are available for a short phone call.  

In the meantime, here are two powerful reflection tools to aid your focus.

Professional Reflection Tool:  "4Front’s 6Ps of Professional Excellence Self-Assessment for Healthcare Managers and Leaders." This valuable tool empowers you to identify your strengths and areas for growth, providing a clear path towards healthcare excellence.

Personal Reflection Tool: "My Year in Review Reflection Tool."I use this tool every quarter to enable me to reflect and acknowledge my progress and my learnings, so I make better informed choices regarding my plans, learning, growth and practices to stop, start, continue, reduce or increase.  I highly encourage you to dedicate an hour to completing this reflection.  You won't regret it.

Upon completing either reflection tool, you qualify for a complimentary 121 Next STEPS consultation with me, Rachel Dungan, 'The Pharmacist Coach.' This consultation is your opportunity to delve into your assessment results, explore coaching options, and craft a personalised plan to elevate your leadership skills. Rachel's experience and expertise ensure you receive guidance tailored to your unique needs.

Don't miss your chance to explore how Coaching Skills, Positive Intelligence Practices, and/or a Personalised Growth Curriculum, powered by  Coaching unlock leadership potential, drive innovation, and deliver exceptional products and services that meet the needs of you and your team, your customers and patients. Your proactive 2024 growth journey starts here. 

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: Unlocking Healthcare Excellence: How Coaching and Positive Intelligence Drive Innovation

Introduction:

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, leadership isn't just about managing teams; it's about strategic thinking, innovation, and delivering exceptional products and services tailored to customers' needs. Healthcare Leadership Coaching, paired with Positive Intelligence Practices and Red Team Coaching, empowers healthcare professionals to navigate complexity and drive meaningful change.

Empowering Through Healthcare Leadership Coaching:

Healthcare Leadership Coaching, especially with experienced coaches like Rachel Dungan, 'The Pharmacist Coach,' provides a transformative experience. It equips leaders with tools and strategies to:

• Enhance Strategic Thinking: Leaders learn to analyse complex situations, foresee trends, and make informed decisions aligned with their organisation's mission and values.
• Foster Creativity and Innovation: Coaching encourages leaders to think outside the box, promoting innovation and fresh approaches to healthcare challenges.
• Refine Active Listening: Active listening is a cornerstone of effective leadership. Coaching helps leaders develop this skill to understand their teams and customers better.

The Power of Positive Intelligence Practices:

Positive Intelligence (PQ) Practices strengthen essential qualities for healthcare leaders:

• Resilience: Leaders learn to bounce back from setbacks, adapting positively to challenges and uncertainties.
• Empathy: PQ cultivates empathy, vital for understanding patients' needs and fostering effective communication.
• Adaptability: Leaders enhance their ability to navigate change, a constant in the healthcare industry.

Red Team Coaching Enhances Critical Thinking:

• Red Team Coaching encourages critical thinking and alternative perspectives, essential in healthcare decision-making.
• Problem-Solving: Leaders develop the skills to dissect complex issues, explore various solutions, and make well-informed choices such as to how to respond to emerging customer needs.
• Innovative Thinking: Red Team Coaching prompts leaders to challenge the status quo, driving innovative solutions to healthcare problems.

Delivering Exceptional Products and Services:

By combining Healthcare Leadership Coaching, Positive Intelligence Practices, and Red Team Coaching, healthcare leaders create a dynamic synergy:

• Tailored Customer Solutions: Leaders learn to actively listen to customer needs, fostering the creation of products and services that meet those needs precisely.
• Strategic Marketing: Equipped with PQ and Red Team insights, leaders develop strategic marketing plans that resonate with their audience.
• Influence and Impact: Leaders can confidently engage stakeholders, driving transformative change within their organisations and positively impacting patient care.

 Rachel Dungan holds certifications in both Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness Coaching and Red Team Coaching. 

Your CPD Focus: Product & Services

The January IIOP ePortfolio Review Submission window is open for those called for review this year.   As January is such a useful time to plan and review our professional practice, I have written a CPD cycle reflecting on my learnings from conducting Pharmacy Assessment System (PAS) Peer Audits in Community Pharmacies in 2023.  I trust that pharmacist subscribers to my newsletter will find this CPD cycle particularly relevant.  

CLICK HERE to download this Cycle

Is Now the Perfect Time for your 2024 Pharmacy Assessment?

Each year the superintendent pharmacist and supervising pharmacist ensure a complete a review of the performance of their Pharmacy against PSI standards, using the Pharmacy Assessment System is conducted and recorded.   Both must confirm in the annual declaration to the PSI that it has been done.

As a superintendent and/or supervising pharmacist:

• Do you want the certainty and peace of mind of knowing the pharmacies for which you have responsibility have undergone a third party peer review and completed a legal assessment requirement? 
• Are you constantly looking for ways to acknowledge practice excellence and continually improve the service you provide your customers?
• Do you want to feel engaged in a  valuable, creative, collaborative process rather than a solo, tick-box, energy draining, repetitive task?

Would you like a peer pharmacist to :

• focus your day?
  
• partner with you to complete a thorough review?
• complete a regulatory compliance check?
• gain a third-person perspective and learnings?
• create agreed-upon action plans to address areas for improvement?

And all completed within one day? If so, click here to learn more about our Pharmacy Onsite Assessment package.

Upcoming Event:

 If you are interested in you and/or your team potentially participating, contact Rachel at rachel@racheldungan.com ASAP. This is an invitation-only event and only 20 seats are available.