Retime the Lights (Then Check the Flow)
In our recent pieces (Stop Optimising Leaders. Start Creating Them and Leaders Don’t Need Another Plan. They Need a Mentor) we set the spine: mentoring first, then tiny systems that retime the lights so work moves.
This post is the next step: a simple, health check to see if your leadership or mentoring effort is thriving or fizzling … without launching a new program.
Your Reality
Thursday, 3:47 p.m. Two carers call in sick. A daughter waits at reception, eyes red. The medication round starts in 13 minutes.
The supervisor feels their chest tighten, then takes one steadying breath and messages the Facility Manager in three short lines:
What’s happening: “We’re two down; east wing will miss med times.”
What could go wrong: “Delay risks pain and agitation for three residents.”
What I need now: “Approve a 30-minute swap from admin + I’ll cover east wing checks.”
3:55 p.m. The reply lands: “Approved. Swap Jess from admin. I’ll brief reception.”
The team moves. A quick note goes into the decision log (who asked, what was decided, when). The round runs on time. The daughter gets an update, not an apology.
Next morning the supervisor meets their external Hyphae mentor. They replay the moment.
Keep: the three-line message and the specific ask.
Improve: prep a standing “swap list” so approval is even faster next time.
They look at a weekly huddle that staff rated “not helpful” in a one-question pulse. Together they trim it to 15 minutes with one output: who does what by when. By week’s end, handover is calmer, and the supervisor walks to their car before dark.
In Hyphae’s model, fast operational decisions stay with internal leaders.
External mentors help leaders practise the ask, make sense of the call, and turn good moments into repeatable patterns the whole team can use.
What We Mean by a Leadership or Mentoring Program
A leadership or mentoring program is a repeatable set of supports and rhythms that build capability in the work, not around it. In the Hyphae model, the backbone is external mentoring—guided conversations that shape how leaders think, feel, and act under pressure (Hyphae Mentoring Program; evidence on identity formation). It’s reinforced by manager sponsorship—a quick 48-hour follow-up after learning, “What will you try this week?”—so ideas become action (Leaders Don’t Need Another Plan. They Need a Mentor). And it leaves lightweight artefacts behind—decision logs, one-question meeting pulses, and a live 30/60/90—so leadership practice is lived, not laminated (Stop Optimising Leaders. Start Creating Them).
Your organisation may already run internal mentoring or leadership programs. They’re often structured around leadership attributes, templates to strengthen decision-making and coaching, and internal matching between mentors and participants. The health check here doesn’t replace that—it sits on top as a light monthly loop that proves transfer and keeps momentum visible.
Why This Health Check Matters
Transfer is the failure point. Training alone often stalls at the point of transfer; mentoring + reflection increases the chance learning becomes behaviour (mentoring & stress in healthcare; identity formation).
Reform keeps moving. Timelines shift (e.g., Support at Home from 1 Nov 2025), so leaders need a quick way to see whether support structures are actually helping this month, not just in annual reviews.
People are tired. Workforce pressure is real; a monthly check focuses attention on a few high-leverage signals instead of adding another initiative (workforce context; QI program background).
How to Run the Health Check (keep it light)
When: last Friday of the month (15 minutes)
Who: the program owner + one operator (close to the work)
Evidence rule: if you can’t point to a log, pulse, or artefact, it’s a No
1) Adoption Signals (5 quick Yes/No checks)
Mentoring touchpoints (if applicable) were mostly kept this month
Manager follow-up is visible (“What will you try this week?” within 48h)
A decision log (or equivalent) is in active use
The one-question meeting pulse is live; at least one series was shortened/fixed/cancelled
One blur-safe before/after was shared internally
Target: 4–5 Yes = strong adoption
2) Flow Health (use bands, not precise cut-offs)
Decision speed: trending high, not slipping
Escalation time (urgent decisions): low and stable
Meeting “Yes” rate: consistently healthy (creates energy, not drain)
Target: 2–3 in the healthy band = good flow
3) Support & Identity (the human side)
Most targeted leaders have a named mentor
Pairs logged at least one reflection/decision debrief this month
Retention risk among participants is low
A simple wellbeing proxy (overtime/last-minute swaps) is steady or improving
Target: 3–4 Yes = people feel backed
4) Artefacts at a Glance
A current decision log exists (clear, used)
One live 30/60/90 charter (or similar) is in flight
Both present = evidence you can show
Verdict & What to Publish
Thriving: publish your win and three numbers to ELT
Stalling: pick one focus for next month: Design (too heavy), Transfer (no manager follow-through), or Connection (not enough support). Don’t stack fixes
Fizzling: pause add-ons; protect mentoring touchpoints; relight the basics (decision log + meeting pulse)
Add to your verdict to the department’s monthly PPT pack (one slide) to show your progress and reasoning.
Start Where Impact Compounds
Start with mentoring as the backbone. From month one, run this 15-minute check to see whether decisions, meetings, and escalations are improving.
If you’re starting fresh, first read Stop Optimising Leaders. Start Creating Them for the why, then Leaders Don’t Need Another Plan. They Need a Mentor for the mentoring spine, apply the practices in Five Tiny Systems That Change Your Week, and use this check to confirm they’re working.
Choose your next step:
License the mentoring infrastructure: conversation guides mapped to strengthened Standards; simple reporting for executives: For Organisations
Map the cracks before they cost you leaders: book an Executive Capacity Audit
Join the 2026 cohort: longitudinal pairs and cross-provider circles: Mentoring Program
Download the Program Health Checklist: grab the free template in the Hyphae Store: Program Health Checklist
Sources
Workforce pressure: Australian Ageing Agenda, “Staff leave in their thousands, data shows”
Reform timing: Department of Health, “Support at Home overview”
Quality Indicators context: GEN, “Residential Aged Care Quality Indicators Annual Report 2023–24”
Mentoring & stress (healthcare): BMC Nursing, “The effect of mentoring programs on nurses’ resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis”
Mentoring & professional identity formation: BMC Medical Education, “Systematic scoping review: mentoring support and professional identity formation”