Reflections from the Field: The Relevance of the LEADS Framework During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Team Up! Team-Based Primary & Community Care in Action is a webinar and podcast series that aims to connect individuals and teams, identify tools to apply to current work underway and share experiences in team-based care across the province.

One of the priority topic areas identified in feedback from Season 1 of Team Up! is more information regarding leadership supports during major change. On November 18, 2021 we were pleased to be joined by Graham Dickson, Deanne Taylor, Bill Tholl, Kelly Grimes and John Van Aerde to discuss their research on the relevance of the LEADS leadership capabilities framework during many waves of the COVID-19 crisis. We heard about what they learned from this research, including the importance of compassionate leadership, communicating effectively, and developing coalitions; and how these capabilities can be applied in the primary and community care team context in BC – especially as it relates to the leadership challenge of revitalizing our extended care system in this country.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn about the relevance of the LEADS framework during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Learn how these research results can support change management and leadership development for team-based primary and community care.
3. Relate your experience(s) with team-based care to others working in primary and community care teams across BC.
4. Identify opportunities for strengthening team-based care at your local sites.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Graham Dickson (PhD)

Graham Dickson is Professor Emeritus of Leadership Studies at Royal Roads University in Canada. Currently he is working as the Senior Research Advisor to the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders (CSPL) and the Canadian Health Leadership Network (CHLNet). He is a member of the LEADS Collaborative (including CHLNet and the Canadian College of Health Leaders, [CCHL]), an enterprise established to develop leadership within the health sector in Canada. Graham was principal investigator in a cross-Canada research project that led to the creation of the LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework. LEADS is now endorsed by health authorities in most Canadian provinces, and by most national health organizations, as well as abroad.

Dr. Deanne Taylor (PhD)

Dr. Deanne (Dee) Taylor is the Scientific Director of the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc), the Corporate Director of Research, Interior Health and Adjunct Professor at UBC-O in the Faculty of Health and Social Development.  She is an advocate and active role model for scholarly practice, raising the profile and engagement of research, cultivating Learning Health Systems thinking and evidence-informed practice/decision-making.

Bill Tholl

Bill Tholl currently serves as a senior policy advisor, executive consultant, author and thought leader in health policy and leadership development. He has co-authored two books on health leadership (with Dr. Graham Dickson). He is the founding Executive Director of the Canadian Health Leadership Network (CHLNet) and a former CEO of the Canadian Medical Association, Heart and Stoke Canada and HealthCareCAN.  He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in June 2019.  

Kelly Grimes

Kelly Grimes is CHLNet’s Executive Director and responsible for the strategic and business plans for this value network in consultation with its 40+ Network Partners. She has participated in various health leadership studies, most recently the Leading Through COVID Action Research study, Wise Practices of Leadership Development, Return on Investment in Leadership Development, and the Canadian Health Leadership Benchmarking studies (I and II). Kelly has been an author or contributor on numerous health policy reports, which have assisted federal, provincial, and local governments in their health policy decision-making.

John(y) Van Aerde, MD, MA, PhD, FRCPC  is the Executive Medical Director of the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders and the Founding Editor of the Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership. He has 25 years of experience as a neonatologist in the Canadian health system, the first 10 as a clinician-researcher, the next 15 in different leadership roles. After leaving the world of newborn medicine, he has been learning, teaching and researching leadership development for physicians across Canada. He holds a PhD in Medical Sciences and a Master’s degree in Health Leadership Studies, and has published extensively in the fields of neonatal nutrition & metabolism, and leadership in health systems. Recently, he became an emeritus Clinical Professor of Pediatrics – University of Alberta. He practices systems theory by living in a self-sustainable house and by exploring forest regeneration, while his wife grows year-round organic food.