You're a nurse aspiring to lead. How can you step into leadership roles within your healthcare organization?

Remember that leadership is not just about a job title. Look for roles that expand your experiences and knowledge beyond the bedside. As a bedside nurse, climb your clinical ladder and participate in shared governance. There are many roles in nursing that allow one to demonstrate leadership qualities. Positions such as Stroke or NICHE coordinators, Case Managers all require leadership attributes such as managing a program, influencing others, multidisiplinary collaboration to name a few. Sometimes the path through your leadership career may not follow a linear trajectory upward. Be open to opportunities that expand your skills and knowledge.

All nurses need to have a certain number of hours of continuous professionnal development throughout the year. Take this task with a proactive attitude by first writing down your nursing niche. Be as precise as possible and focus on the aspects that you like the most and would like to become a specialist (ie. Medical ward nurse, public hospital, I like helping managing chronic disease, emphasis on digital tools use and patient empowerment, I speak Spanish and live to connect with older age groups). Then create a CPD plan for thr next 1-3 years to deepen your knowledge and expertise in your niche.

Sure, cultivate expertise. But what skillsets? Likely if you reach out to someone with expertise to train you, you will be trained in exactly the same skillsets causing the problems. This is legacy non-systematic, command and control leadership and management models that are currently failing staff and patients. Instead, learn systems-based problem solving, leadership and management. 94% of the problems you'll be trying to lead your teams out of are systems/workflow problems that cannot be resolved with command and control. Finally, lead and manage with love, not fear/stress. #ALovingOrganization #LovingWorkflows #3DHealthcare

Aspiring to lead as a nurse? 1. **Cultivate Expertise:** Continuously develop your clinical skills and knowledge. Becoming an expert in your field builds credibility and prepares you for leadership challenges. 2. **Find Your Niche Value:** Identify and focus on areas where you can make a significant impact, such as nurse-sensitive indicators. Specializing in these areas highlights your unique contributions and positions you as an invaluable resource. 3. **Prioritize HAPI Prevention:** Lead initiatives to prevent hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI). Demonstrating your commitment to improving patient outcomes showcases your leadership potential and dedication to quality care.

Be a lifelong learner. Don't be too smart or too proud to ask questions. Recognize that we simply don't (and can't) know it all and that every day we can learn something new from those around us.

Relationships are essential in healthcare because teamwork is essential. We might not become "besties" with our coworkers, but we must learn to function well together in order to excel - not just for the sake of job satisfaction and workplace culture, but more for the benefit of the patients we serve.

Aspiring to lead as a nurse? Here are three best practices to help you navigate your journey: 1. **Build Relationships with Your Team and Executives:** Establish strong connections with both your colleagues and higher-ups. Building these relationships fosters trust and opens doors to leadership opportunities. 2. **Demonstrate Value:** Consistently show your worth through high-quality work and dedication. Highlight your contributions and how they positively impact patient care and team efficiency. 3. **Volunteer for Projects:** Take the initiative to volunteer for projects and committees. This not only demonstrates your commitment but also gives you valuable experience and visibility within the organization.

The human mind is binary. Thoughts, beliefs and memories come from one of two places: the emotions that come from love or the emotions that come from stress/fear. Good relationships are defined by the emotions that come from love. Love is attractive. Conversely, poor relationships are defined by the emotions that come from fear. Fear creates separation. Your best opportunity to create the supportive relationships you want lies in you. The more you can love those you interact with unconditionally, the more they will be attracted to you. Also, this isn't something you have to talk about. It's more about being than doing. In learning to facilitate #3DHealthcare or #LovingWorkflows, the most important skillset is being centered in love.

DO THINGS OTHERS ARE SCARED TO DO. I've done this, and it's not only been incredibly exciting but satisfying to be able to help my fellow clinicians in this way. Let's say new technology is considered at your company or new mandated policies - get in on that! Invited to the meeting? Volunteer to lead implementation. Not invited? Find the project leader and ask to get involved. OR learn about the technology or policy on your own time, and enlist as a local super user/project lead as needed. You might also get a little more slack for jumping in first. Communicate clearly and often so others may learn from your experience and acknowledge you're carving a path to make healthcare a better place to work.

Aspiring to lead as a nurse? Here are three best practices to help you navigate your journey: 1. **Take Initiative:** Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Step up and take the lead in situations where your skills and knowledge can make a difference. 2. **Volunteer for Projects:** Actively seek out and volunteer for projects that align with your interests and career goals. This demonstrates your commitment and provides valuable experience. 3. **Chair the Unit Practice Council:** Get involved in your unit’s practice council. Leading this group allows you to influence nursing practices and policies, showcasing your leadership abilities and dedication to improving patient care.

Great leadership and management isn't about doing. It's about being. In this case it's about become systems literate, #LovingSystems literate. The problem with taking initiative without being systems literate is you'll almost always be working on the symptoms of systems problems rather than root causes. Often, this non-systematic shooting from the hip makes things worse rather than better.

I would also add embracing the idea of being a servant leader. No job is too small for me to consider it "below me." When our coworkers AND those we lead/manage/supervise see us taking initiative- especially in activities that are less admirable, we will more readily find ourselves in leadership roles as a result of the respect you establish amongst your peers.

Nursing leadership is frequently linked to the position. However, as a competency, it should be embraced by every nursing professional to enhance patient outcomes. Nursing leadership involves inspiring and guiding others toward shared goals, a crucial element for qualified care. Education plays a pivotal role in empowering nurses with evidence-based leadership practices. By adopting relational leadership styles, we not only uplift the nursing workforce but also drive positive organizational outcomes. Embrace leadership in every role and transform challenges into opportunities for growth and excellence in patient care.

Aspiring to lead as a nurse? Here are three best practices to help you navigate your journey: 1. **Clear Communication:** Master the art of clear and concise communication. Effective communication is crucial for leadership, ensuring that your team understands goals, tasks, and expectations. 2. Teach-Back Method:** Use the teach-back method to confirm understanding. This technique ensures that instructions and information are comprehended correctly, reducing errors and enhancing efficiency. 3. **Implement CUS from TeamSTEPPS:** Utilize the CUS (Concerned, Uncomfortable, Safety issue) tool from TeamSTEPPS to voice concerns effectively. This structured approach promotes a culture of safety and collaboration, components of strong leadership.

Stay centered in love regardless of what your doing or who your communicating with. Love is universally intelligent. It will pull people to you only at the speed the other's subconscious mind can handle. Whether you're texting, writing an email, talking on the phone or meeting in person, choose only words and emotions that come from love. Watch how love is the universe's greatest communicator.

Relationships are completely dependent on good communication. Leaders must be able to (or learn how to) effectively communicate. Good communication also helps leaders inspire their teams and more easily address issues to resolve them.

Be the nurse you are going to need when you are going to be in that bed! Lead with integrity, authenticity, honesty! 1. Make yourself the priority you need to be. Don't lose yourself in the pursuit of being everything to others. 2. Set boundaries and give yourself the perspective to be objective. Do not take anything personally. 3. Do your best, but let it go when you clock out. 4. Stop! Just stop being a martyr. Pee!

Set the example, even if it does not come naturally to you. Leadership sets the tone for the rest of the team and the actions of those in leadership can be much more impactful than the words (and can actually serve to reinforce communication).

Lead by example you need the respect of your colleagues to get then to follow you be authentic listen & take on board suggestions be supportive not tyrannical & rigid be flexible & caring. We all have lives outside work so a balance is key to a successful business be whatever it is.

Mentorship is one of the most effective and powerful means for assuming a leadership position. Identify a leader, preferably within your organization. Ask if you can shadow them, or take them to lunch and ask about their career. Remember, people love to talk about themselves, so eager, appreciative questions are generally well-received. Also, instead of asking about specific tactics, ask the potential mentor about their experiences, and draw conclusions about how they got to where they are form there. We generally are poor at identifying specifically how we achieved something, but we can always tell our story and learn lessons from that.