Almost Ready to Start (PAL award update)

The Doc-to-Doctor sessions are due to start in two weeks time. I can’t wait to meet all of the new students and find out how they have been getting along with the course so far. However, I must admit, the excitement is almost balanced by nerves! As chairman of the committee I feel a great sense of responsibility in ensuring that the sessions run smoothly.

The past few months have been a learning curve and I feel that I have discovered a great deal about myself and about running a student society. It took me a little while to ease into the role of chairman and I think this is because I am not naturally a very assertive person. At the beginning of the semester I struggled with delegating tasks, perhaps because of fear of being perceived as “bossy” or “demanding”.  As a result, there were times where I felt that I had taken on too much work.

Although the ability to wisely and effectively delegate tasks is a quality far more quiet than some of the others we may associate with a good leader (boldness, resilience and determination), I can now appreciate that it is one of the most crucial to a leader’s success. By looking at other student organisations I have gained a greater understanding of what a chairman role should involve. I have come to realise that a leader isn’t necessarily somebody who maintains all control and authority, but rather, somebody who excels in managing time, resources and people. The role of a leader isn’t about doing everything yourself, it is about marshalling all of these elements into a successful pathway towards your goals.

I now find it much easier to share out the workload and believe that the experience has so far helped to improve my own personal confidence. I feel that my decision to implement the new role of “secretary” into the Doc-to-Doctor committee is evidence of this. Through implementation of the new role, I have been set free to focus on the truly important aspects of doc-to-doctor. I feel that I no longer have to be a “slave” to detail, that I can keep sight of the “big picture” and ensure that our teaching sessions run in ways that remain true to the values that we have worked so hard to build upon.

I have also come to realise that delegation can be a powerful method of increasing the morale and confidence of other team members and this is certainly something that I will bear in mind when it comes to working in teams as part of my future career.

At the beginning of the semester when we were in the middle of our planning stages I felt that we needed a framework for how the sessions should run and that as leader it was my responsibility to ensure consistency by encouraging tutors to stick to this. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this simply wasn’t feasible. By taking a step back and allowing the other tutors the freedom to run teaching sessions how they like without me looking over their shoulders, I feel that they are more satisfied because they are able to exercise their own innovative skills rather than be dictated to. I can now appreciate how critical it is for a leader to demonstrate that they trust their team members.