Developing Transformational Leadership & Mindfulness practices: Creating an Empowering & Resilient Work

Leadership to foster psychological health and safety in the workplace is essential to building a healthy work environment and to support effective team functioning. This fellowship provided an opportunity to support leadership growth while embracing the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) to build an empowering a resilient work environment among the Healthy Families department at the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU). The Standard supports the implementation of a variety of resources and structures as well as influences how decisions are made and communicated in everyday work. The benefits of embracing the Standard are well documented. Adopting the Standard results in better team functioning, improvement in communication, and work engagement. Although the HKPRDHU was committed to improving psychological health and safety in the workplace additional steps to lead and implement strategies was needed, this fellowship used capabilities from the LEADS in a Caring Environment framework to build resilience. Specific fellowship goals included gaining knowledge of leadership practices and applying practices through the facilitation of team building and mindfulness exercises.

The Advance Clinical Practice Fellowship (ACPF) first involved understanding leadership and its meaning to support my leadership growth using a LEADS framework. The LEADS framework includes Lead Self, Engage Others, Achieve Results, Develop Coalitions, and System Transformation. For the purpose of this fellowship the Lead Self, Engage Others, and Systems Transformation capabilities were applied to support psychological health and safety in the Healthy Families Department.

To develop 'Self', I completed formal LEADS training, I engaged in reflective self-assessment to understand the qualities, values and capabilities I embrace as a public health nurse leader. Through internal and external consultation with nursing and public health leaders, and reflective journaling, I was able to determine my leadership style and identified areas for growth to establish the foundation for psychological health and safety in team environments. To 'engage others', a team effectiveness assessment tool was used to determine an understanding of key team dynamics, and functions. The team effectiveness inventory assesses 7 domains including team development, feedback, participation and articulation of vision, managing conflict, group roles and structure, team member development, and understanding and collaboration. The team was asked to complete a baseline assessment. Results from the assessment were shared with the team and collaborative strategies were established for identified areas of growth. In addition, two mindfulness exercises were implemented to support psychological health and safety. The first mindfulness exercise included a mindfulness meditation and art therapy session. At the beginning of a meeting a 1-minute guided meditation video was displayed with the aim to clear minds and support an effective team meeting. The team was also provided with a colour art sheet that could be used to doodle during the meeting. The second mindfulness exercise included a

one hour professionally facilitated breathwork exercise. Team members were then engaged in debrief following the sessions discussing team dynamics and relationships. To 'transform system', the Building Healthy Committees: A facilitators' Committees Guide was used and adopted formally by the department. The guide provided a framework to structure team meetings, support the development of ground rules, and lead discussion to establish a safe environment at team meetings.