“I haven’t finished developing – I’ve got more to offer”

Gem Fletcher CMgr MCMI has a fantastic job she loves. Nonetheless, she has still decided to drop down to three days a week so she can develop her own business podcast and consultancy – all while juggling life as a working mother. 

Why? One word: growth.

“I’d be a little hypocritical if I was telling my children to reach for the stars and not actually doing it myself,” says Gem, whose main role is head of communications, business and planning for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. 

“I absolutely love my job in the NHS. I’m proud to have it. But I don’t want to get comfortable. I haven’t finished developing. I’ve got more to offer. And if it doesn’t all work out, that’s OK, because there will be lessons learned along the way.”

• Read more: “We must embrace change if we want to improve”

An intense two years

Gem describes herself as a classic accidental manager. Having had her first child at 19 and subsequently dedicated years to bringing up children, she eventually decided it was time to give her career more focus. She worked her way up the ranks to her current role, and although she had management experience from previous employment, she didn’t have any formal management and leadership training.

Her development took a major leap when her employer backed her to embark on a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

“I felt I had the behaviours of a good leader, but I didn’t necessarily have the confidence that I had the knowledge and skills to back it up,” Gem recalls. “I am hugely grateful to my NHS trust for allowing me to do this degree apprenticeship and get the Chartered Manager accreditation.”

• Read more: how Chartered Manager and software engineer Suzy supports her team

It was an intense two years spent juggling work, family and learning. But Gem says it was more than worth the effort for the long-term benefits. “The course really did do everything I’d hoped,” she says.

When people say they’ve got 20 years’ experience, sometimes they mean they’ve got one year’s experience 20 times

Asked for her biggest takeaway, Gem highlights the notion of self-reflection – how developing others hinges first on working on yourself. “There was a lot about how you show up and conduct yourself as a leader and how that influences how others think of you,” she says.