Neil Goodwin

Neil Goodwin is visiting professor of leadership studies at Manchester Business School, University of Durham and University College London. His consultancy, GoodwinHannah Ltd, has undertaken a number of confidential and sensitive high-level reviews governance, behaviour and relationships, and related issues within organisations and systems. He also has undertaken numerous board development events for foundation trusts and primary care trusts. Formerly, Neil was chief executive of numerous NHS organisations for over 20 years, including St Mary’s Hospital London and the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority. Neil is a graduate of London and Manchester business schools (MBA, PhD) and the author of numerous publications on leadership including the book, Leadership in Healthcare, as well as book chapters on strategy and public health leadership. His work on leadership resulted in the NHS national leadership development framework and leadership development strategies for two NHS regions.

  • David Hunter
    Comment

    Context is everything in health leadership

    2014-02-03T00:01:00

    Reinventing the leadership framework

  • Neil Goodwin
    Blogs

    Don't listen at your peril

    2013-09-01T10:05:00

    The weekend’s media was full of the leadership lessons from last week’s parliamentary debate on Syria. Perhaps the biggest lesson is about listening.

  • Blogs

    The new NHS CEO? Think about the challenges first

    2013-06-03T11:34:00

    Let’s put the guessing of David Nicholson’s successor to one side and focus on the challenges facing the next NHS England chief executive

  • Blogs

    More lessons from the banking sector

    2013-04-12T15:54:57

    Once again we have another fascinating story about the near-collapse of a bank, with the lessons again providing sound leadership learning for NHS corporate bodies.

  • Blogs

    What do NHS managers do?

    2013-03-25T11:58:00

    An article on the BBC news site this weekend asked, “What does a pope do?” The same could apply to NHS managers, says Neil Goodwin.

  • Neil Goodwin
    Blogs

    The perfect storm for NHS management?

    2013-02-18T09:52:00

    Events are bringing about a perfect storm for confidence, trust and leadership

  • Blogs

    More management, less leadership please

    2013-01-07T16:26:00

    Not everyone can be a leader but many more can be managers and take greater control of organisational life around them.

  • Blogs

    Nursing, society and older people

    2012-12-17T09:58:00

    The argument about whether nursing should be a degree-based profession is merely a displacement activity. The real issue is about the link between nurse training and how society wants its older citizens to be cared for.

  • Blogs

    Acquisitions are not just a business process

    2012-12-10T16:24:00

    Acquisitions won’t work unless attention is paid to issues other than just the business process of one organisation acquiring another.

  • Blogs

    Lessons to learn from Barclays

    2012-07-09T09:52:00

    Bob Diamond appears to have seen nothing, heard nothing or known nothing. So said the Treasury Select Committee. But is it possible for chief executives to know everything that is going on in their organisation? Clearly not, but they do need to know what they should know.

  • Blogs

    The introverted leader's time has come

    2012-03-21T19:04:50.183

    Has the time at last arrived for the introverted leader in this brash, noisy and personality driven world? I think so. In these uncertain times we need leaders who can project calm reassurance rather than attempt to rouse us with fine oratory or hector us with their visions of what ...

  • Blogs

    The Short-Termism of Acquisition

    2011-10-25T13:15:00

    The acquisition of ‘challenged’ trusts will offer a quick managerial fix but it won’t necessarily create strategically sustainable services and the operational problems that precipitated acquisition in the first place may well reoccur.

  • Blogs

    The dilemma of appointing senior managers

    2011-10-03T13:40:35.500

    Sir David Nicholson’s admission to the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry that in retrospect the previous chief executive was the wrong appointment highlights a common dilemma when appointing people at this level.

  • Blogs

    Déjà vu

    2011-07-17T12:17:45.780

    To my surprise and somewhat consternation I find myself once again chief executive of a hospital 17 years after last running one and five years after stepping down as a chief executive. So what's it like?

  • Blogs

    The challenge of acquisition

    2011-06-05T16:30:52.300

    Acquisition is one of the most challenging games currently at play in the NHS. Although there are a few applicable lessons from the private sector, public services demand a more considered approach. Understanding exactly why one organisation is interested in wanting to take over another is a good starting point.

  • Blogs

    The lost opportunity to review management

    2011-05-13T10:29:00

    While the listening panel goes about its business and Number 10 takes a closer interest in the NHS, a golden opportunity to realign NHS management has been missed. Wouldn’t it be good if management requirements anticipated the future rather than reacted to the present?

  • Blogs

    Defining university hospital status

    2011-04-07T11:11:00

    In a previous post I talked about the need for the district general hospital to reinvent itself. And the same is true of the university hospital. Although the real prize is for ‘university’ status it should only be granted for FTs linked to biomedical research-based institutions.

  • Blogs

    Yet another opportunity to reinvent the acute hospital

    2011-02-22T12:08:00

    In the new world an old challenge will quickly emerge driven by implementation of the reforms. Is it time for the acute hospital to be reinvented? The answer is an unequivocal yes.

  • Blogs

    Reforms offer best chance to change managerial culture

    2011-01-26T18:26:38.387

    The Coalition's proposed reforms offer the best opportunity to change the managerial culture of the NHS but more so for providers than commissioners. Strengthening local leadership will always be limited because of the strong history of hierarchical management overlaid by political control.

  • Blogs

    Leadership needs to be more local than national

    2010-12-14T10:00:00

    The reputation of top leaders is not achieved by delivering national bottom-line outcomes. What does differentiate one top leader from another is the ability to deliver local change, innovation and transformation seen as important to local people.

More by Neil Goodwin