Authentic PPIE – the (re)search for authentic engagement

image: https://www.skiptomylou.org/printable-weekly-planner/

Last week I travelled up to London to be interviewed for a place on this year’s cohort of Churchill Fellows. It’s an application process which has taken several months so far and in a couple of weeks I’ll find out whether I’m successful.

During the interview I was asked where I saw myself in five years time, and whilst the answer I gave at the time was about culture change and working more collaboratively with community members and clinicians, it felt waffley to me (and possibly to the panel too!)

It sometimes takes me a few days to think things through, but about two days later I had a great answer to Andrew’s question! (Isn’t it always the way?!) So, I thought I’d share it here for posterity.

“Where I see myself in five years time depends a lot on things I can’t control: I can’t predict who will be governing the country by then, what the economy or the research ecosystem will look like, or what my personal circumstances may be.

I’m always a bit cautious about ‘five year plans’ to be honest. I worry that there’s a certain arrogance which says: “I WILL do these things and bend the universe to my will…” (imagine a super villain’s voice) or something like that. I think in reality, it’s much more about being open to opportunities and learning – and also accepting that there’s often a healthy dash of luck in there sometimes (perhaps more than we’re willing to admit!). Hard work, diligence and commitment is a big part of it, but sometimes people do all those things and still don’t achieve what they’ve aimed for. Was their aim wrong? Was their ambition misguided? Had they been eating too much kale*?

That said, there are things which ignite my passion and passion is the fuel which keeps people going even when everything around them says: “Nope, give up, go home. It’s never going to work and no-one believes you anyway.”

My passion is about meaningful, authentic partnerships between community members and researchers, in order that together they can better understand what’s not working in society and find ways to improve public perceptions and local services.

To do that you need to try and do two things simultaneously: firstly you need to be listening, learning and asking the right** questions and secondly you need to be applying and testing that knowledge to see if it actually works. Ok, so maybe they’re better described as tasks or activities, but there are two distinct parts: learning and doing.

So, what I would love to be able to do over the next five years, is spend time doing both of those things. I want to spend time soaking in and exploring all that I can about public involvement and engagement – in healthcare, but also in other settings, because there’s always more to learn. Maybe that will be through a Masters or a Prof Doc – something which enables me to have the time and space to give it the attention it deserves.

But I don’t just want to exist in a space, accumulating knowledge – what use is it if it’s not applied? That’s like someone learning the Haynes manual for a Mini Cooper but never being able to drive it?! Knowledge itself is not enough – dare I say it’s wasted if it’s not applied in order to bring about positive change.

So, that’s my five year plan – or rather my ‘this is what I’d love to be doing over the next few years, with a view to fuelling the passion I have for authentic, person-centered, values-driven work which actually makes people’s lives better’ aspiration-er-thingy. Whether I achieve it or not will depend on a lot of things which are, in truth, beyond my control.

But my goodness, I’m sure going to try!”

*When my daughter was much younger, she once informed me that all super villains eat kale and that’s what helps them develop their evil villain laugh. I had no evidence to debunk this theory at the time and it is now accepted as truth in our house.

**The importance of asking the right questions is often overlooked, which is possibly why a good chunk of our research outputs don’t necessarily make much of a dent in social challenges.