Page 38 - RADC Bulletin 2022

Defence Medical Leadership Programme (DMLP) – Experiences of a 1st Cohort Guinea pig
Maj Georgina K. Padgett-Duncan
As part of the Director General’s People Plan 2020-25, Brigadier Rowland was tasked with building the medical leadership capability within Defence. The idea was that this would contribute to the enhancement of leadership culture and set the conditions for improvements in the delivery of care, better patient outcomes and creation of the best working environment for all who serve within the DMS.
The new resources aligned to leadership development included:
• A Virtual Defence Medical Leadership Centre (V-DMLC), accessible via MODNet and Defence Gateway
• A Defence Medical Leadership Centre in the Jenkins’ Centre at DMS (Whittington)
• A Defence Medical Leadership Programme (DMLP), with successful completion leading to a L7 PgCert in Defence Medical Leadership.
A calling notice circulated Dec 20 – Jan
21 for applicants for the Defence Medical Leadership Programme Cohort 1, who would
Defence Medical Academy
DMLP Cohort?
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36 RADC BULLETIN 2022
subsequently form the Defence Medical ? - 21 Junteh22e DMLP, accredited through the University
Leadership Faculty. Applications were Row 2 of Cumbria. Flt Lt Oxlade ( Cse Mgr), Mr Ian, Mr John Barclay, Capt Drapier
open to military and civilian, Regular and Reserve personnel. The only requirements were evidence that applicants would be prepared to study at Level 7 (post-graduate) and to submit a “Why Me” statement. The statement needed to cover the applicant’s:
• Skills and experience relevant to being a member of the Leadership Faculty
• Personal approach to leadership
• Ambition of role as a member of the
Leadership Faculty, including ideas for initiatives they would wish to develop and deliver.
I was excited that this programme and Leadership Faculty was being launched as
it seemed to be a huge positive step placing importance on leadership for the future of the DMS. I applied but knew that there were lots of strong candidates applying, many with a more impressive background than mine. In the end I beat the odds and of the circa. 250 people applying, I was selected for the first cohort of 25 people to embark on
Initially, the course structure looked comparable to other post-graduate studies I have completed and I was expecting to learn about leadership theory and other related topics, in a manner not dissimilar to ICSC(L) and other conventional leadership courses.
In contrast, it could not have been more different to any leadership studies I have completed in the past. There was not a “Great Man Theory” or “Servant Leader” to be seen. Instead, the course required a huge amount of reflective and reflexive practice, the latter
of which was unfamiliar to most of the cohort. My experience of studying and learning about leadership had always involved me being the learner and trying to progress on a path to being more like those taught values. However, this course required deep analysis of self, which was uncomfortable for most of us as rarely does professional study become so personal. We had to produce artefacts, which filled some with dread, but turned out to be a hugely emotional experience on the day we presented.
It was no yoga retreat, but I do
not exaggerate when I say it was a transformational journey for each and every one of us over the year, looking at leadership from a whole different perspective and including ourselves as individuals with our own values in that learning.
The DMLP has since accepted the second and third cohorts, with an intent that each course iteration delivers a critical mass for appropriately qualified leadership development practitioners able to deliver change within their working environment. Those that have already been through the process are then asked to assist delivery
of aspects of future iterations of the course so that it can come more self-sufficient and self-perpetuating.
If you are interested, it is a great course, open to all members of the dental team; keep your eyes peeled for further trawls!
DEVELOPMENT