I do consider I have been a leader for a long time because you can lead from anywhere in the pack.

I started my nurse training in 1974 in Glasgow so a big move for me from the country where I was the youngest inhabitant of a village with fifty-six residents. I was the first in my family to go to university and did this part time while working full time.

I worked in the Sultanate of Oman on secondment from Greater Glasgow Health Board and was the first person to do ultrasound screening on pregnant women in the south of Oman. You certainly needed to feel empowered to develop services in a country which was just regaining their own identity and finding their way after a rocky period in their history.

I was always very wary of boasting about my achievements because I believed then that pride came before a fall and if I did not put myself on a pedestal then nobody could knock me off it. However, it became obvious to me that the world would not come for me, I had to go out and get the world and that meant taking a few risks. Interestingly a friend described me recently as ‘having a big personality’ yet I never saw that in myself.

I recently spoke at a student conference for International Day of the Midwife, and I entitled my talk ‘One Moment in Time’ because that is what it is all about grasping that moment in time and capitalising on it. Those leadership traits are what led me to believe I could do anything I set my mind to.

I worked for the Royal College of Midwives for 22 years and on my first outing as an officer my mentor asked me how I got on and when I said I was extremely nervous he said that is good never lose that because that is what keeps you sharp. I never forgot that and passionately believe humility is part of what makes a good leader. I do believe that good leadership is not about you the individual but about appreciating the abilities in others and helping them to see and develop their strengths.

It is an interesting position to be patron of one charity and chair of another because ultimately these are seen as leadership roles but in actual fact, I see them slightly differently as these charities have excellent Chief Executive Officers who actually lead the charities on a daily basis and of course my role as a patron differs slightly from that of my role as a chair of a charity.

To be asked to be a patron for a charity is a huge honour and I love the way they roll me out every now and again when they need a ‘frontwoman,’ I know they laugh when I say that, but it also brings me immense joy but with that brings great responsibility. It is a pleasure to be able to host events on their behalf and as a patron of a baby loss charity to see people returning time after time with their rainbow babies. It is important for me that I recognise my roll and responsibility at these events and on social media because anything I do in that position could reflect badly on the charity and as a person seen fronting the charity, I take that very seriously.

As a chair of the board of trustees for a charity again it is important to recognise your responsibilities to the charity and to the team and that role is one of guiding and scrutinising along with other board members and knowing what is operational for the CEO and what falls under the remit of the Board of Trustees.
In many ways it can be a difficult balancing act and as a ‘leader’ you do not always get it right, but the most important thing is to recognise this and to make it right. Leaders are listeners and supporters and should guide organisations to stay within their goals and objectives and inspire the people they lead to be the best they can be. 

Gillian Smith MBE, DUniv, MSc, BA, ADM, RM, RN