Be Bold – A GMTS Trainee Experience

A Midlands based Graduate Management Training Scheme trainee, Aiden Dominy shares his experience of an exciting and unexpected opportunity on the scheme.

“When I joined the NHS as a graduate management trainee in March this year, guest speakers in the Leadership Academy induction events encouraged new starters to be bold in building relationships across the heath service. I’ll admit that I was sceptical about my ability (as a very junior trainee) to meet with any leaders outside of my Trust.

Last month I met with my small group on the Elizabeth Garett Anderson programme to come up with ideas for the guest speaker for our next meeting. Having just read about Simon Steven’s recent knighthood for his work during the Covid crisis, I suggested speculatively emailing him to ask if he’d be interested in sharing reflections on his 7 years as NHS England CEO.

To my surprise, we received an enthusiastic response to a simple email, and I set about arranging the meeting which 30 other trainees were able to join for as well. Despite having a very full diary, he cleared an hour on his final day (just after meeting the Prime Minister for coffee) to chat with us.

The discussion shattered my view of leadership being only for ‘senior managers’. A key message focussed on how leaders can often make the biggest difference in the smallest moments with staff and patients, especially by being authentic and listening harder. 

I left feeling inspired to view my current trainee role not as a ‘stepping stone’, but as an opportunity to take calculated risks and to not worry about looking silly when trying something different. As this experience has shown, taking a step as small as sending a simple email can have a positive ripple effect that lasts long beyond the initial decision.”

If you have had opportunities from your GMTS experience that you’d like to share with us or how far your GMTS training has taken you – we’d love to hear it! Get in touch via [email protected]

If you’d like to know more about the Graduate Management Training Scheme, follow this page to read more.