From our President - A focus on leadership

 

European cancer care has so much to celebrate: the skilled and dedicated workforce, the innovative technologies, the revolutionary treatments. But a growing threat looms on the horizon: a lack of creative leadership to steer this mission – today and into the future.

This is becoming a serious problem. Whether addressing current issues or preparing for unforeseen challenges, it is clear that we need leaders with new skills.

So much has been written recently about the cancer workforce shortage. But there can be no question that this is part and parcel of an insidious leadership shortage. When almost every second person in oncology reports burn out, when more than half must work overtime, when many are forced to walk away from a profession they love, we need leaders with imaginative approaches to help right this ship. We need stewards who can effectively meet the challenge.

This means instilling better people-centred solutions that address not only how best to treat patients but how to support those providing their care.
That is why I was so enthused by the recent two-day workshop, a pilot project on basic skills in Strategic Leading and Management in the Cancer Care Continuum. It was held not at a medical college but at the prestigious SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan. This ambitious programme covered:

• The fundamentals of leadership, including communication, strategic thinking, and team building
• The importance of planning, performance measurement, and management – and how best to implement them
• The dynamics, needs, and complexity of today’s cancer care ecosystem, including digitalisation, affordability, and equity of access to innovative technologies

For the healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders in attendance, this programme introduced new tools to help them anticipate future trends and challenges in cancer care while guiding their constant pursuit of better patient outcomes and experiences.

With greater challenges and opportunities in cancer care than ever before, we need leaders who can develop the vision and courage to push forward in ways that produce creative solutions. We need a new leadership culture focused on resilience, collaboration, and support.

Good leaders in cancer care today must constantly be questioning ‘what is’ versus ‘what could be’, while never losing sight that anything they may plan can change in an instant, as we saw during the pandemic.

In short, cancer care in Europe does not need more administrators. We need creative problem-solvers, and it is up to us to help prepare them – without delay.

With my very best wishes,
Csaba
Prof, Csaba Dégi