Naveed’s Story
Naveed Sharif’s is the Associate Director of Culture and Inclusion within the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, as well as Chair of North West NHS England Staff Race Equality Network (SREN) and a National NHS England Staff Race Equality Network (SREN) Executive. Naveed’s leadership story is characterised by a lifelong commitment to learning and robust development through NHS leadership support as well as peer allyship to overcome barriers to leadership positions caused by institutional racism.
Naveed’s Leadership Ambitions
From a young age, Naveed exhibited a keen interest in leadership. His involvement in various school activities, such as the school council, indicated an interest from a young age. Naveed also describes the impact family has had on his outlook in life:
“My family’s ancestral routes are in the agrarian community in Pakistan and both my mother and father still have links to those communities, but my mother and father didn’t really want me to go down that route. I remember my father told me; ‘You know what Nav? Education and learning are for life and no one can ever take it away from you.’ After hearing that I adopted a view that I’m a student for life and I want to constantly be learning and improving.”
Naveed completed a first-class honours degree in public sector leadership at the University of Worcester; he holds masters degrees, a PGCE and a CIPD qualification. He believes it is this commitment to learning that has driven his leadership journey.
Naveed’s Leadership Journey
Naveed began his career as a lecturer at Blackburn College, where he taught for one academic year. Feeling uncertain about continuing in academia, he transitioned to a role in the Fire and Rescue Service, where he quickly advanced through a high-potential leadership programme, ultimately becoming a watch manager. After a few years in the Fire and Rescue Service, Naveed moved into the NHS, joining the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust as a safeguarding practitioner, leveraging his skills from the Fire and Rescue Service.
Naveed’s next position was as a diversity and inclusion programme manager with the Northern Care Alliance but due to his operational experience, he was asked to manage the PPE and FIT testing team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After 12 months, Naveed moved to join NHS England as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion manager for the North West Workforce Race Equality Standards. However, once again he was asked to provide a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the system vaccination operations programme, during which time Naveed was recognised for his leadership potential and asked to act up to band 8B.
After almost three years in the COVID-19 vaccination programme, Naveed took on a new role, in the equality, diversity and inclusion unit in Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, where he now works as an Associate Director of Culture and Inclusion.
Naveed’s Leadership Support
Naveed attributes much of his success to the support he received from colleagues and mentors. He expresses deep gratitude to those who believed in his potential and provided him with opportunities to grow. This support included senior colleagues who recognized his talent and offered mentorship and coaching. This peer support has been an essential part of helping Naveed overcome barriers to leadership caused by institutional racism:
“I knew I’d hit a number of concrete and glass ceilings, because institutional behaviour still exists, and if we are honest with ourselves, sometimes you can’t breakthrough those ceilings you’ve got to go around them. What I did was build a network of peers who I could approach and could help me to move around some of those gatekeepers in a professional and courteous way. That was my journey.”
Naveed’s experience underscores the importance of allyship in nurturing diverse leadership potential and facilitating equal career advancement.
A significant milestone in Naveed’s career was his participation in the NHS Nye Bevan Programme. The Nye Bevan Programme challenged Naveed to broaden his perspective and enhance his leadership capabilities. It provided a platform for him to engage with other aspiring leaders, share experiences, and learn from the diverse challenges and solutions encountered across different parts of the NHS.
“I thought Nye Bevan would be a walk in the park because I’d got all these academic qualifications. Boy, was I wrong. It strips you right back in your leadership journey and then builds you back up. It was a really rich tapestry of learning, we had mock role-play scenarios where we were meeting MPs and managing hospitals. They asked us to roleplay making some really tough decisions around finance; really accurately depicting what’s happening in the NHS now.”
Naveed’s Leadership Impact
Naveed’s leadership has had a profound impact helping to increase diversity and inclusion level health inequalities in the NHS.
During Naveed’s tenure as the inequalities lead for the Lancashire and South Cumbria COVID-19 vaccination programme, the ICB won the Health and Equity Campaign award for vaccination outreach work in Caribbean and African communities. Which is a testament to Naveed’s leadership abilities within the NHS equality, diversity and inclusion space.
In his current role, Naveed has worked hard to support the coming together of systems, creating belonging plans for the region to help create a more diverse and inclusive environment for both patients and staff.
“I would not have either had the experience, the exposure or even the opportunity to be in the spaces that I’ve got that I’m in now without my development on the Nye Bevan programme.”
Naveed has also taken on opportunities to lead in other community networks such as Chairing the Independent Police Advisory Group and Co-Chairing the National NHS Muslim Network.
Naveed’s Advice for Aspiring Leaders
For those aspiring to leadership roles, Naveed offers this piece of advice:
“Really utilise the opportunities. There’s a lot of opportunities in the NHS that are run through the Leadership Academy. Go and speak to colleagues, do your research, and if you feel like it, do these programmes because they will take the blinkers off and get you thinking much more.”
He also highlights the value of inclusivity, urging future leaders to appreciate and leverage the diverse talents within their organisations.
“In times of austerity, we focus on what could we cut but from a horizon-scanning perspective, talent management is really fundamental. It’s a time when we should be investing more in this space. Really think about the diversity of the leadership space because there’s a business case for diversity. I’ve got a number of examples where colleagues have really welcomed both the check and challenge that has come from different perspectives.”