On this episode, Dr. Shari Dade is joined by Dr. Christopher Watson. Dr. Watson is a psychologist who began his VA career in 1993, is the VISN 19 Chief Mental Health Officer and has been serving as the Acting Executive Director of the Veterans Crisis Line since late August 2023. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Division 18 (Public Practice section) of the American Psychological Association, and the VA Psychology Leaders group. He also regularly provides coaching and mentoring to mental health leaders across the organization, and he has an absolute passion for issues pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He has particularly demonstrated leadership in addressing systemic racism on the local and national level in VHA, providing numerous presentations and trainings related to diversity and inclusion.

Listen in as Dr. Christopher Watson shares the impact insight has on effective leadership, both for the leader and their team.

Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtraining.org/Podcasts/TATF_S4E3.pdf ===============================

Key Lessons:

1. Being an insightful leader takes work and courage, but it fosters trust, empathy, and authenticity within teams.
2. Leaders who are reflective can operate and communicate with clarity to others.
3. It’s important for leaders to use their influence to sponsor the growth and opportunities for others. Having enough insight to realize this does not take from your opportunities is integral.

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