Developing your leadership skills: LMP invests in faculty training
The Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine offers funding to develop the leadership skills of faculty members.
At least two successful applicants each year are awarded up to $3,500 to fund attendance at a leadership conference or course. They then feed back what they have learned to the department via a report or presentation at a departmental development event.
The goal of the award is to support our faculty to acquire the knowledge and tools to become excellent leaders in the field; and in turn, help us drive innovation in LMP.
Dr. Daniel Beriault, Assistant Professor in LMP and Head of Biochemistry in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Unity Health Toronto, benefited from the funding.
Leading change
Dr. Beriault used the funding to attend “Health Leadership Program: Achieving your potential” at the Rotman School of Management.
Initially a week-long intensive course, the pandemic caused this to be moved to virtual learning two mornings a week over a longer period.
A broad-ranging course, topics included: designing high performance, measuring performance, managing resources, integrative thinking, negotiating change, conflict resolution, understanding behavioural economics, and how to lead change.
“For me, I saw this as a logical next step, explains Dr. Beriault, “I had recently been promoted to the Head of Biochemistry at Unity Health Toronto and I wanted to sharpen my skills as a leader. Our hospital network is in a unique situation, as St Michael’s Hospital, St Joseph’s Health Centre and Providence have joined together as Unity Health Toronto. With this comes a lot of change and anxiety, and I wanted to ensure I was knowledgeable and prepared to help lead change in my division.”
A different perspective and way of thinking
Dr. Beriault felt that he learned a great deal from attending the course, learning how to successfully implement change and dealing with the difficult situations that can arise.
“It taught me how get the most from myself and my team”, he expands, “Ultimately, it teaches you to be ultra-prepared before trying to lead anything. Before walking into a meeting, a new project, or a new role, you must do your homework if you want the best chance to succeed.”
“The course provided me with perspective and relatable examples that I could draw from. It has helped me with my approach to tackling new projects, and my thought process around how to get where I want to be.”
He recognises, however, that developing leadership skills is not something that happens overnight, or just because you complete a course. “It is important to take what you learned, think about it, and try to apply it going forward,” he explains, “There will be ups and downs, and it will not always work out how you envisioned, but in the long term you’ll start to master the skills needed to be an excellent leader”.
Applying for LMP funding to develop your leadership skills
“I would absolutely recommend everyone to apply to the leadership grant. The process is quite simple and it is a great way to expand your perspective and help you achieve more in your own career. For the University of Toronto, it helps develop stronger leaders for tomorrow, and a more adaptive and innovative community as a whole.“
Applications for funding open in the Fall and LMP primary-appointed faculty will be emailed and invited to apply.
Contact for further information
Dr. Cathy Streutker
Vice Chair, Promotions & Mentorship streutkerc@smh.ca
