5 Ways to Help Health Ministers Maximize Their Impact

Health ministers are the face of their respective ministries to their communities and stakeholder groups. Much like a brand manager, they need to think about how they present themselves, both internally (to other departmental employees) as well as externally (to the general public). It’s no secret that many leaders feel that impact is an overused buzzword. And while it’s certainly not the only word that describes what leaders want to achieve, it is one that most leaders understand well enough to use effectively. In this article, we will explore some ways you can help maximize your impact as health minister. We will also mention some pitfalls and dangers so you keep focus on what really matters.

Build a culture of impact

Health ministers need to lead the way in terms of creating a culture of impact. While it’s important to lead by example, it’s even more important to create an environment where impact is expected and actively sought after. This is done by having an impact charter in place, developing a strong team of leaders and establishing a healthy culture of critique and self-reflection. An impact charter is a written document that outlines the overarching goals and objectives of your department or even the government as a whole. If you’re the health minister, your impact charter should outline the impact you want to have on the health of Canadians. What do you want to accomplish? What impact do you want to have on your department and other stakeholders within government? Even though an impact charter is meant to be a blueprint for the future, it’s also crucial to look at what’s working well within your department right now. This is because you need to build off of your successes and incorporate the good practices of your team members. By doing so, you’ll be able to identify areas where you can increase impact, while also keeping things simple and manageable.

Celebrate achievements

Health ministers are often under a lot of pressure. They’re expected to deliver results and meet goals, regardless of the fact that the government’s fiscal situation is always in flux. To help stay focused and reduce the overall pressure, health ministers should actively celebrate the successes of their department and their team members. If you are responsible for a large organization, it’s important to make it known to others within the government that your department has been doing great work. This can be done through social media, presentations at internal events or even through informal conversations with other leaders.

Embrace data-driven decision making

One way to communicate your impact is to use data-driven decision making as a vehicle. While you want to be cautious when making decisions, this also doesn’t mean that you should be afraid to use data. Data-driven decision making is the process of using data to inform your decision-making. It’s about being conscious about the information you’re using and making sure that you’re using it responsibly. Using data well is an essential skill for health ministers. You’re expected to make critical decisions that affect the health of Canadians, but you shouldn’t be making those decisions on intuition alone. You should be using data to inform those decisions and helping to keep your department operating at its best.

Hire for future leadership development

Health ministers are often tasked with hiring senior leadership. This means that you need to make sure that you’re hiring leaders who can lead in the future. This is done by ensuring that your new hires are being actively promoted to future leadership roles. If you’re the health minister, you need to make it known to those who may be thinking of leaving that your department cares deeply about developing leaders. This can be done by setting up an annual leadership development program, hiring managers who actively promote and engaging with your departmental employees.

Encourage your team to advocate for change

As health ministers, you’re often tasked with advocating for change within your department. This means that you need to make it known that your team members are encouraged to use their voices to advocate for change and health. If you’re the health minister, you need to make it known to your team members that it’s okay to speak up and advocate for change. This can be done by setting up an Advocacy Support Team, hiring team members who are already advocates and holding regular team lunches.

Conclusion

Health ministers are often tasked with leading and advocating for their departments. This means that they need to make it known that impact is expected, while celebrating the successes of their team members and actively promoting leaders to future roles. Good leadership isn’t a one-time event; it’s a continuous process that requires ongoing commitment. If you want to help your department reach its full potential, you need to be actively engaged in the process. Impact isn’t an overused buzzword; it’s something that can truly make a difference for Canadians.