This session will draw on a small research study that interviewed leaders from across many sectors about what were the main challenges faced and what did they think leaders needed to get better at. In short there were two strong themes in relation to what they needed to get better at: getting used to being accountable but not in control and shaping the context of which they are a part. In this interactive session we will explore the relevance of these findings for health care organisations and leadership roles in the NHS.