A family physician & International Health Consultant passionate about leadership. It starts with self leadership to lead others effectively. Views are mine.
Canterbury, England
Joined August 2009
- Tweets5.3K
- Following579
- Followers2.1K
- Likes2.3K
@WestM61
Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting Professor Michael West CBE one of the world’s leading authorities on compassionate leadership.
For years I have quoted his work in my leadership teaching.
Yesterday, I sat in the room and listened as he reminded us that great healthcare is not built on fear, hierarchy, or control.
It is built on compassion.
Compassion that attends.
Compassion that understands.
Compassion that empathises.
Compassion that helps.
As healthcare faces workforce shortages, burnout, and increasing complexity, perhaps the answer is not more pressure.
Perhaps the answer is more humanity.
I was particularly touched when Professor West signed my copy of Compassionate Leadership and thanked me for my “compassionate and courageous leadership.”
A moment I will treasure.
Leadership is not about power over people.
Leadership is about creating the conditions in which people can flourish.
Lessons from a Farmer: Leadership Wisdom from the Fields of Zimbabwe
Growing up in the rural villages of Zimbabwe, I learnt lessons that I didn’t recognise as useful back then. Today, as I reflect on those early mornings and long days, I realise they were shaping me into the leader I am becoming.
Every morning, before school, we would wake up early to till the fields. After that, we’d prepare for our 3-kilometre walk to school and back again in the afternoon. Six kilometres a day, barefoot or in worn-out shoes, taught me more about resilience than any classroom could.
1. Prepare the Soil – Build the Team
Before we ever planted a seed, we prepared the soil. We dug deep, removed stones, and softened the earth.
In leadership, preparing the soil is about building your team creating the right environment for growth.
You can’t plant seeds of vision in hard, unprepared ground. Take time to understand your people, build trust, and establish psychological safety.
As Gallup reminds us, people need to be seen, heard, and valued before they engage fully. A leader’s job is to prepare the emotional soil.
2. Plant and Water – Meet the Needs of Your People
We planted seeds and waited patiently for rain or watered them ourselves.
In leadership, planting is about casting vision, and watering is about meeting the needs of your team.
Tony Robbins teaches that every human being has six core needs: certainty, variety, significance, connection, growth, and contribution.
A wise leader pays attention to these needs, nurturing their team so they feel supported and motivated to grow.
3. Remove the Weeds – Protect the Culture
Once the plants began to grow, we watched for weeds. Weeds compete for nutrients just like negativity and gossip compete for energy in a team.
A healthy leader must be vigilant. Address issues early. Give candid and caring feedback.
But be tactical, don’t uproot the good plants while removing the weeds. Protect your culture, but protect your people too.
4. Add the “Top” Fertilizer – Encourage and Refresh
When the crops were about to bloom, we added fertilizer and we called it “TOP,” short for “top dressing.”
In leadership, this is the stage where you top up your team’s energy and morale. Recognise their efforts, celebrate progress, and offer development opportunities.
Growth doesn’t happen by accident, it’s nourished intentionally.
5. Harvest Wisely – Sustain the Cycle
Finally came the harvest. We sold some crops, kept some for ourselves, and saved some seeds for the next season.
In leadership, harvesting is about celebrating results, sharing rewards, and reinvesting in the next cycle of growth.
Great leaders think in seasons and they know that success today prepares the ground for tomorrow.
Oh, how I don’t miss those early morning wake-ups! My favourite protest was, “Ko zvandanga ndave kutanga kurara?” (“But I was just about to start sleeping!”)
I laugh now, but that season of life prepared me for everything that followed. It taught me patience, diligence, and the rhythm of growth, both in farming and in leadership.
Because leadership, like farming, is about tending to people, preparing the soil, planting the vision, nurturing growth, and never forgetting to pull out the weeds before they take over the field.
How you define leadership determines how you live it.
There are as many definitions of leadership as there are leaders attempting to define it. And that’s not a bad thing.
But here’s the truth:
The way you see leadership shapes the way you practice it.
If you see it as control, you’ll manage.
If you see it as service, you’ll uplift.
If you see it as influence, you’ll inspire.
That’s why it matters how we define leadership.
For me, leadership is a process—a journey of:
Guiding. Encouraging. Inspiring. Motivating. Empowering. Influencing.
All toward helping others become the best version of themselves and achieve a common goal.
That’s the heartbeat of leadership as I live it.
👇🏽 See the image below for my full definition.
What’s yours?
In Saudi Arabia at the Hafr AlBatin International Rural Health Conference giving a talk on how we can recruit , motivate and retain health workforce in rural areas.
It's hard being a man! We must MASTER Me and encourage speaking up #MentalWellness #men #MentalResilience
Unlocking the Power of DISC Personality for Effective Leadership
Congratulations on starting your business, stepping into a new leadership role, or continuing your journey as a seasoned leader!
Before you take the next step, have you ever asked yourself what kind of manager or leader you are? Do you truly know yourself and understand how you come across to your team? Understanding yourself and others is not just possible—it's essential for effective leadership.
Join Our Exclusive Webinar:
Title: Unlocking the Power of DISC Personality for Effective Leadership
Date and Time: Jun 5, 2024 07:00 PM London ( 8pm Zim)
Join Zoom Meeting
us06web.zoom.us/j/8429652438…
Meeting ID: 842 9652 4385
Passcode: 904437
Join us for an inspiring webinar featuring a visionary leader who has achieved greatness and is shaping the world. Unlock your leadership potential with invaluable insights and practical strategies from the DOCBEECEE Leadership Academy. Mark your calendars and make a meaningful difference in your life. See you there! - DOCBEECEE Leadership Academy Team @ProfKunoz @geemurie @MunatsiEdgar @RukwezaChica @JescaGudza @LisaMcCabe73
Come and learn how we build on the best of who we really are and use questions to build a new reality that encourages wholeness and inclusion. We move away from deficit-based theories and vocabularies, and instead focus on our strengths and what we are doing best. We look at the root cause of success and what is making things work in our lives and organisations. @ProfKunoz @RukwezaChica @geemurie @LisaMcCabe73 @MunatsiEdgar @nigelchanakira
