It's a program that takes participants "out of our comfort zones."
That's how Mohammed Oruvampurath, a Clinical Manager at Toronto Western Hospital, describes Lead-Up, a 10-month program designed for managers who are new to a leadership role or have been at UHN for less than a year.
"This course really morphed the mindset of many when it came to our understanding of a leader within UHN," Mohammed said on behalf of 2018-19 participants at the graduation ceremony for the program, which is also for experienced leaders who haven't participated in formal leadership training and want to enhance their leadership capabilities.
Since participants are already in leadership roles, they have a chance to use the knowledge and skills they learn in the program in real time, every day.
Mohammed said it was great for Lead–Up participants to know "we were not alone" when it came to the challenges they faced within their respective portfolios. And, in turn, that gave them "a common goal and purpose" to understand how best take on those challenges and become stronger leaders.
"It didn't matter if you were from research or clinical or housekeeping, everyone had a unique and inspiring perspective that opened our understandings of UHN, how it works, what we do and how we give back," Mohammed says. "We were forced out of our comfort zones but became stronger for it.
"Our thought processes were challenged, but we gained a diverse outlook! Our deficiencies were exposed, but improved them and gained new skills!"
Mohammed says Lead-Up graduates recognize they still have a lot to learn about being a leader at UHN and "this course really showed us that leadership is an art and not a science."
That art, he says, promotes a shift from policies and processes to behaviors and relationships, adding that program participants heard "so eloquently from our leadership panel how important developing and maintaining relationships are in the healthcare world."
Graduates of the 2018-19 UHN Lead-Up Program include: Angela Alivio, Cidalia Ambrosio, Liesa Baumann, Camelia Capraru, Eugenia Chan, Donovan Cooper, Lada Ellis, Alioska Escorcia, Julie Gundry, Christine Hill, Chris Jackson, Christina Jean Pierre, Mani Kang, Maria Kannu, Charmody Laughton, Brian Lofgren, Stacey Nash, Fatima Nathoo, Mohammed Oruvampurath, Lindsay Philip, Carly Rebelo, Akib Uddin, Heidi Wagner, Patrick Yau, Stephanie Zantinge
