Midwives, It's either you Lead or they Quit!

Ah, midwifery—the noble profession where you get to witness the miracle of life, provide comfort, and occasionally dodge flying amniotic fluid.

But let’s face it: being a midwife is not just about delivering babies; it’s about delivering leadership.

In today’s fast-paced healthcare environment, embracing leadership as a midwife is not only beneficial; it’s downright essential.

What's leadership?

Tsedal Neeley, professor in Business Administration at Harvard University, busted my misconceptions during a 3-months leadership program with Aspire Institute .

She defined “Leadership as a set of behaviours and their effects,” and says “a leader is a person who influences others and enables coordinated actions.”

Professor Tsedal highlighted that leadership is neither a personality trait nor a position of authority. Contrary to popular belief. She points the fact that "most of us need to learn how to lead up."

To lead up is how you advocate for yourself, influence people above you, and help decision makers learn__ because you know the struggles better than office desk ever will. There exist other ways.

I love this simple structure to understand all the distinct ways of leading;

Up??Down?? Laterally ??|??

To lead laterally is to function in a way that will influence your fellow midwives, peers, or other colleagues.

To lead down is the most popular. Here, you are in a power position and you influence people beneath.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader,” -John Quincy Adams

Why should every midwife don their leadership cape?

#1. People think of Midwifery as the weaker vessel

Almost all the midwifery workforce are women. Women are historically known to be the weaker vessel.

The latest Gender Social Norms Index found “No improvement in biases against women in a decade…. Half of people worldwide still believe men make better political leaders than women, and more than 40 percent believe men make better business executives than women.”

The patriarchal society in which we live seems to favour men. And our leaders are women. This could explain why midwives have horrible paychecks, limited resources and funds allocated. Not to talk of the under recognition.

To fix this, we may train more men or be more persuasive. Either ways, leadership is the way out.

#2. You’re Already Managing Chaos

As a midwife, you’re already a master at juggling multiple tasks while keeping a calm demeanor.

Picture this: you’re in the delivery room, the monitor starts beeping like it’s auditioning for a horror film, and you’re calmly explaining to the birthing person why it’s not the end of the world. That’s leadership in action!

#3. You build confident midwives

Embracing transformational leadership means inspiring others to reach their full potential. As a midwife leader, you have the unique opportunity to mentor new midwives and influence future generations.

“Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do. Because then they will act.” -Jack Welch

Remember that time you helped a new midwife through their first delivery? That moment when they realized they could do it was priceless—and probably worth at least five “You got this!”

#4. You build productive & resilient teams

A study published in the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health found that midwives who adopt democratic and transformational leadership styles see better performance and satisfaction among their teams. So, if you’re still using an autocratic approach (think: “My way or the highway!”), it might be time to lighten up—literally.

We got too many challenges to be distracted with work dramas. We need ourselves.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”- Helen Keller

#5. Advocacy: The Heart of Leadership

As midwives, you are advocates for your patients. Embracing leadership means amplifying those voices even further.

Whether it’s pushing for better policies or ensuring that every birthing person receives individualized care, your leadership can create waves of change.

Imagine leading a meeting where you advocate for more snacks in the break room—because let’s be real: no one can work effectively on an empty stomach!

#6. Resilience: The Superpower of Midwives

Repeat after me “Resilience is my superpower!” Do it again.

The ability to bounce back from challenges—whether it’s an unexpected complication or simply running out of coffee—is what sets great leaders apart.

Just think of all those times you’ve had to put on your game face while internally screaming, “Why won’t this baby just come out already?” Your resilience not only helps you but also inspires those around you.

Ending Notes

Failing to lead means the rookies and team mates will quit the profession, the women and communities you serve will quit trusting you and governments as well as policymakers will quit believing in our impact.

They'll all Quit!

Embracing leadership as a midwife isn’t just about titles or responsibilities; it’s about making an impact while keeping things light-hearted.

As you navigate the challenges of healthcare, remember that your unique blend of skills—empathy, humor, resilience—makes you an exceptional leader.

Till next week, keep calm and deliver on?

With warmth,

Therese, Your midwife