Bringing Leadership to Life in Health: LEADS in a Caring Environment (PDF)

Dr Graham Dickson, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Royal Roads University, is Research Advisor to the Canadian Health Leadership Network, and a member of the Physician Assistants Certification Council of Canada. Prior to leaving Royal Roads University, Dr Dickson was the founding Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research. He helped develop the Master of Arts in Leadership (Health specialization) at RRU. Dr Dickson was the principal investigator in the cross-Canada research project on the LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework and is the principal investigator on two participatory action research studies being conducted in Canada. He has published a number of articles on leadership in peer reviewed journals and professional magazines, and teaches strategic planning for the Canadian Medical Association's Physician Management Institute (based on the LEADS framework).

Bill Tholl is a respected Canadian senior health executive, with extensive experience in health leadership, policy, planning and financing. He currently serves as the part-time Founding Executive Director, Canadian Health Leadership Network (CHLNet), a recently formed "value network" committed to growing leadership capacity in the Canadian health system. CHLNet has brought together more than 30 health organizations from across Canada committed to developing For Health, By Health leadership solutions. This work has recently included forging a national consensus around the LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework. Before taking on his current assignment at CHLNet, Bill served as Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General, Canadian Medical Association (2001-2008), and Executive Director, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (1995-2001). Previously, he served for many years as a senior public servant with Health and Welfare Canada. Bill also has part-time academic appointments with both Royal Roads University and the University of Ottawa.

From the reviews:

“The purpose is to acquaint leaders with the concept and practical usage of LEADS. This is a worthwhile objective, and the book met the author’s objectives. The book is written for anyone interested in leading and developing a caring healthcare environment … . I liked the exercises and I think that it will be a very worthy addition to leadership texts. I have not seen anything else like it. Nicely done!” (Cynthia Lee Cummings, Doody’s Book Reviews, April, 2014)