Andy and Frances are in conversation this episode with Giles Tomsett, Chief Executive Officer of St Catherine’s Hospice– serving Mid Sussex and East Surrey.

Giles served with the Army in the early part of his career, had experience of the Healthcare Services arena, working as a manager in several areas and ‘leveraging technology in the digital space,’ before joining a colleague in a startup venture. For the last 12 years, Giles has been involved with supporting St. Catherine’s in the delivery of outstanding end-of-life and palliative care to all stakeholders.

He expresses his passion for this work born from personal experiences of losing loved ones to cancer, with his best friend expressing on his deathbed that - ‘it’s got to be better than this, Giles … It’s got to be better!’ Healthcare is so much more than the obvious or just the end result. He states how ‘you need to embrace the whole.’

Giles defines leadership by referring to the Sandhurst moto – ‘Serve to Lead”. He stresses how the values of humility and humour spring from this period and quotes McKinsey – ‘A set of behaviours and a mindset that aligns people to a collective direction enabling them to work effectively together to accomplish shared goals.’

Applying these principles to today’s environment, he illustrates how there is a need to help people navigate complexity and change, requiring agility, responsivity and adaptability. But most importantly, be able to assist them to also travel along the path of change. Giles once again draws on his early experience to emphasise how inspiring people to believe in the overall cause gets so much more from them. They are invested.

Although a small charity, St. Catherine’s has many ‘tentacles.’ Giles feels his leadership purpose is to ‘inspire and empower’ these people daily, enabling them to ‘do their best work’. He believes that his commitment and loyalty to the charity generates similarly in others.

‘We haven’t got much time to make a difference,’ Giles states passionately! As a leader, our responsibility lies in making relationships stronger. He passionately supports the NHS whilst recognising the current and impending pressures on it. He feels that it can meet those demands collectively, with government will, and successfully. For this, and many other reasons, he signs his emails – ‘Onwards …’

Giles believes that ‘everybody matters.’ From an excruciating experience, that burned deeply into his memory, he emphasises that leaders are not there to belittle their team members, but to strengthen and give them confidence. ‘Wellbeing matters!’

Delivering a service that he feels is integral to the people of his area (and responds to the words of his best friend on his deathbed), is the thing that brings Giles most alive.

Giles’ top tips:

1.       Humility

2.       Provide clear goals, with integrity, direction and, above all -

3.       Authenticity

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