Leading Chiropractic And Leading Chiropractors
I was proud to be elected the youngest President of the British Chiropractic Association in 2017 and bring a team approach learned through years of Sports Medical Team settings to my Presidency. I had a vision to re-chart the course for our profession in a way which would see chiropractors as an integral and valued part of UK healthcare plus have some fun with my brilliant colleagues on the way. Having now stepped down as the longest serving BCA President, delivered a brand repositioning and established the BCA as a permanent seat at the UKs MSK table, I’m keen to see if we can spark some change in how we support our leaders and develop the next.
In 2021, the BCA asked a lot of people, members and external stakeholders alike, a lot of questions. I wanted to enhance the credibility of our profession across the MSK professions but in order for this to be authentic, it had to be reflective of our members and their vision for chiropractic. Members told us that they wanted chiropractic to be integral to healthcare in the UK regardless of the setting, and not left on the outside of it, as an afterthought. The only way to do this was challenge status quo and address the two common themes which seemed to hold back the profession. A lack of understanding of what chiropractors do as well as some justified criticism of poor performers and unethical practices within the profession. You can read much more about it here Noticed something different about the BCA…?
To do this meant asking difficult questions, but has lead to a clear identity which places chiropractic as an integral part of UK healthcare.
“The problem is, that the BCA President is far too young for the job” BCA Member June 2020 (aka COVID!)
All feedback welcome of course… This particular feedback came after asking our members what the BCA could do to better understand the lived experiences of our members in relation to racial discrimination… So lesson one, when you ask questions that challenge peoples ideas, be prepared for a frosty reception.
How does that statement make you feel? There’s no wrong answer. You might even agree and that’s ok. But do we really still think that judging someone’s ability to perform a role solely based on a characteristic like age is right? Or do we practise what we preach on competencies in clinical practice and apply that learning to leadership? That aside… instead of insulting our leaders, why are we not engaging with them?