Vanessa Jessop, GP registrar, Bristol

There’s a fine line between intimidation and inspiration.

‘Heavyweights’ from the leadership world were the order of the day at the Unconference. But their openness in sharing their stories and honest reflections on their journeys, quickly turned any whiff of intimidation into motivation.

 Co-founder Nish Manek opened with the facts: in 2 years 50 Next Gen members have grown to 1350, with 27 programmes and more on the way, and the leadership team has now over 50 Next Genners running this across the country.

‘We can go fast alone, but we can go far together’.

Robert Varnam provided help with the ‘how’ of making change, highlighting the different aspects of leadership: doing things to, for and with people.

Both Robert and Nikki Kanani emphasised the need to prioritise connections, to form a tribe and to pay it forward. This is something all the speakers did, and will no doubt continue to do for Next Generation GP. We had the opportunity to do the same, welcoming selected 6th form pupils, medical students and Foundation Year doctors, and sparking interest in our careers with a workshop entitled ‘Why GP?’.

Nish said at the start that the NHS won’t be saved by a policy or a plan, but by people; people who believe in leaving it in a better state than they found it. But as Sir David Haslam suggested, it is analogous to a crying baby: you love it dearly, but sometimes you need a break.

The importance of self-care and proactive resilience was a theme touched upon by several speakers; notably London fire commissioner Dany Cotton. As she steps down after a 32-year career, her determination to continue to change the narrative around female role models and mental health demonstrates a level of multifaceted bravery that is difficult to describe.

Dany’s story was a lesson that our critics may be harsh, but, as executive coach Oliver Nyumbu imparted in his talk ‘Project Me’, we must train our inner critic to be kind; becoming a student of how we ‘operate at optimum’.

The amazingly candid Dido Harding reminded us that as doctors we are paid to make decisions when we are scared, we cannot be brave unless we are afraid, and that sometimes dreams do come true. Dido also remarked that in order to lead we need a positive belief in humanity. 

This came in the form of junior doctor Laura Nielson. Her standing ovation was well deserved, as a remarkable young woman who refuses to accept health inequalities and has embedded herself in a community to heal them. Her message was simple: the time is now; we need not be deterred by the qualifications we do or do not have, but can absorb the brilliance of others and work with them in order to effect change.

 And our ideas ‘must not be left on the beach’, as insightful entrepreneur Tim Guidotti urged in his fascinating interview with Nick Harding. Instead, we must think about how we can shape our dreams and those that reside in the people we work with, and strive to go to bed a little wiser each day.

And our ideas ‘must not be left on the beach’, as insightful entrepreneur Tim Guidotti urged in his fascinating interview with Nick Harding. Instead, we must think about how we can shape our dreams and those that reside in the people we work with, and strive to go to bed a little wiser each day.

All the leaders were exceptional today, in different ways. They were united by a sense of humanity; the need for which has never been greater, as eloquently concluded by Sir David Haslam.
The question is: which leader do I want to be?

What I realised today is that we just need to look in a mirror- because leadership starts with owning our own stories, understanding who we truly are, and leading ourselves first.