Lead midwives retreat: Fostering community, leadership and systems change

The Leading Change: Reconnecting with Purpose, Courage and Community professional development event in Caledon, ON, on November 4-5 offered head midwives and other midwifery leaders an opportunity to connect, share ideas and build skills to enhance midwives’ hospital integration and leadership in the broader health system. 

The workshops began with Change, Challenge and Finding a Way Forward, facilitated by Cayla Charles from Credence and Co. Midwives learned about the Change Curve as a model to frame the individual, interpersonal and systemic dimensions of navigating change. The session explored the challenging landscape of change work, validating the complexity of midwives’ hospital leadership work and reinforcing the relational skills needed to navigate the health system and influence change. 

The afternoon’s Ask Your Burning Question hour offered a dynamic and interactive discussion. In the lively session, midwives asked pertinent topical questions to experienced head midwives from various communities and hospital settings and offered strategic support to peers across the province. This learning space facilitated exchange and insight from the collective wisdom of the midwives on topics like succession planning, compensation and navigating the hospital environment. Common themes underscored midwives' shared experiences and challenges despite differences in hospital contexts.  

The closing session, Introduction to Public Narrative, was led by Graeme Lamb and Alexander Waddell from the Institute for Change Leaders. Participants learned how the Public Narrative framework can help midwives communicate their values and priorities effectively while strengthening relationships within hospital and institutional settings. In a practical Story of Self, Us and Now session, midwives identified the values, experiences and areas of influence that shape and define their unique leadership role.  

Participants expressed gaining renewed clarity, deeper connection and a sense of not being alone in the work. The AOM thanks all participating midwives for dedicating time to strengthen the collective capacity of midwives to tackle systems integration and change across the province.