Natalia Stepan - KHPeople
What is your role?
I’m the Mind & Body Programme Director at King’s Health Partners.
What inspired you to get into this work?
I’ve always been motivated by how I can use my skills to have a positive impact, and what attracted me to this particular role is that it’s a great blend of strategic thinking and impactful programme delivery.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The work of the programme is varied and flexible, giving us a chance to be genuinely helpful to clinical and operational colleagues and hopefully make improvements that really matter to patients.
What are the benefits of working in partnership?
Working in partnership can maximise your impact by bringing in different people’s experience, opinions and expertise. Discussing your ideas and getting input and challenge is guaranteed to improve your work.
What can women leaders bring to teams and organisations, and what are the challenges of being a woman in leadership?
What can’t we bring?! It’s maybe difficult to pinpoint the benefits I feel from working with women, but I would say that, having worked in very male-dominated places, I prefer working in organisations with a better gender balance.
A particular challenge for women in leadership roles that we talk about a lot is impostor syndrome. A very helpful piece of advice I’ve received is that a little bit of impostor syndrome can actually be a good thing. It’s ok to feel like you don’t have all the answers, it means you will collaborate more and listen to others to get the best outcome.
What would be your one career top tip for women seeking a leadership role/pathway?
Think about where you want to go and how each new role can help you build the skills you want/give you the experiences you’re after.
My second top tip is to try to understand your strengths, skills, the things you enjoy doing, and your development areas. Don’t beat yourself up about your weaknesses – you don’t have to be amazing at everything. Often it’s better to play to your strengths, but it’s good to be aware of both.