The Trouble with New Leaders

Nurses are trained to be reactive?and responsive?not proactive which stops them from being the leader they need to be.?To be a leader you need a different set of skills that enables you to handle larger long term projects and have foresight and insight.

Nurses are amazing at dealing with any crisis that comes to hand. A new patient from theatre, a transfer from anther hospital, issues with patient flow, discharging and educating patients. No problems. Nurses have the knowledge and skill to deal with the clinical problems presented to them.?

If we looked at a sliding scale of responsivity, they jump to attention and deal with what is in front of them beautifully. They deal with behavioural triggers well. The other end of the reactivity scale is being emotional triggered and that is not so useful. However, we will leave that discussion for another day.?

The first step up the nursing leadership ladder is clinically leading the team for the day. If we just take into consideration how emerging nurse leaders deal with what is in front of them, they can deal with it. In the adaption of the prioritisation matrix this is Quadrant A (the important AND urgent quadrant) and You have educators in the ward to help with the training required for this. Nurses are great at urgent and important.?

However when it comes to their administration day?they flounder, can’t focus and have trouble knowing what to do. They have trouble stepping into supporting the nurse unit manager on the culture and engagement issues and neglect their work on their portfolio. They have stepped into the thinking required for Quadrant 2 (the important but non-urgent quadrant) and they don’t know what to do.?

I know this is true because this is me. As a former critical care nurse, it didn’t matter if I had a septic patient, head injury, MVA, AMI, balloon pump, any ventilator you could throw at me, innotrope, I could handle it all. It’s the same as a Psychologist and coach. I handle the urgent and important and a client can bring me anything and I can help with it. It’s what my natural inclination is and what I was trained to do.

As I lead in my own business I struggle with this.?Prioritising what to do and then taking the right steps to make it happen. Staying energised and proactive when you aren’t getting much feedback. I got a coach to help me when I struggle.

As I’ve been able to step back into the thinking required to lead well and succeed, I can see where the gaps are. It’s quadrant 2 thinking.?

Just like how my coach looks at my business and can see the gaps.

For you, it’s me. An ex nurse, a registered Psychologist who cared enough about nurse leadership to write a book, just for you.?

I can help you with a checklist to show the gaps in the important work you need to do.?

What’s at risk if you don’t do it??

• Nurses leave and it cost you $40-122,000 per nurse
• Negative culture costs you sick leave and nurses leave
• One third of nurse leaders want to leave and they are harder to replace (support them so they want to stay)

This leadership dashboard is a start. Reply ”Yes” if you want to have a look.

Michelle

P.S. Click here to grab the first two chapters of my book, 'Transformational Nurse Identities', FOR FREE and apply the strategies that successfully guided many nurse leaders and their team to become transformational leaders.