Reflections on Nursing Leadership

Carol Huston, MSN, MPA, DPA, FAAN

Director, School of Nursing California State University, Chico, Chico, CA Past President (2007-2009) Sigma Theta Tau International

Thank you Pi Theta chapter for inviting me to be here today!

Leadership: A Critical Skill for 21st Century Nurses

Leadership Skills Required of Nurses in the 21st Century

Business and marketing Vision and risk-taking Communication Team building Political and legislative acumen Proactive responses to terrorism, biological warfare, and global pandemics

Leadership Needs at the Organizational Level

High turnover rates in most healthcare organizations A growing trend toward unionization New legislation directed at minimum staffing ratios and mandatory overtime in an effort to maintain cohesive and productive work environments

Leadership Issues at the National and International Level

Greatly needed healthcare reform The ever-increasing international nursing shortage and the brain drain which results from uncontrolled nurse migration

Many nurses worry that their leadership skills are inadequate to face these 21st century leadership challenges.

Sometimes, the problem is that work load expectations are simply too great.

Learning Leadership Skills by Trial and Error Can Be Dangerous!

Nursing Leadership Will Be Needed to Build a Healthy Profession, Community, Nation and World

Goals For this Presentation:

Have fun! Reflect a little on your own leadership strengths and weaknesses. Set some personal goals for leadership development.

Defining Leadership

Leadership and Management Are Not the Same!

Stephen R. Covey suggests that:

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; Leadership is determining whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Are Leaders Born or Made?

Great Man Trait Theories

Leadership skills can be learned, although some individuals have certain characteristics or personality traits that may make it easier for them to assume leadership roles!

10 Lessons Ive Learned on My Personal Leadership Journey

Lesson #1Find a Mentor and Positive Role Models to Share Your Journey

MENTORING!

That first step can be a killer.

Even Experienced Nurses Need Mentors Sometimes!

Opening Mouth and Inserting Foot:

Look, listen and learn as a newcomer and be flexible!

You Must Pay Your Dues Before You Have Credibility!

Find a mentor who will be honest with you. even if it hurts a little.

Remember that selfperceptions are not always entirely accurate.

Find a mentor who has a vision for you and will be your cheerleader.

Bessie and I have now written 10 books together and Ive done four myself!

I completed my doctorate at USC in 1997.

STTI President 2007-2009

Both positive and negative role models are contagious

One of My First STTI Conventions

Network Widely and Avoid Clones!

Lesson #2Be Self Aware

Authentic Leadership
Authentic leadership
suggests that in order to lead, leaders must be true to themselves and their values and act accordingly.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Source- unknown

The Non-Authentic Leader

Know How Your Personal Values Impact Your Decision Making

Lesson #3- Be Able to Laugh at Yourself and Leave Your Ego At Home In A Jar.

Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Part of Being Human is Being Fallible and Feeling Silly..

There are few mistakes which are unrecoverable.

BEGIN EACH DAY ANEW

AND FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR YESTERDAY

The Universal Rule

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
source- unknown

Being Perfect Comes At a Cost!

 Give yourself permission to have a bad hair day once in a while!

Be nice to others because... time will make a difference!

One day you will no longer be the big dog....... Just the old dog!

A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.) --Dave Berry

Lesson #4Be visionary, take risks and ask for permission only when really necessary.

What is Your Risk Quotient in Decision Making?

The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.
Rita Mae Brown

Thought Thought leadership Leadership refers to any

situation whereby one individual convinces another to consider a new idea, product, or way of looking at things.

Be Careful About Asking for Permission if No Is Not An Option

Lesson #5Keep gas in the tank and money in the bank

Be careful how much personal information you share with your employer

Bill Gates Ten Rules About Reality and Life

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vicepresident with a car phone until you earn both.

RULE 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7:
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were.

Rule 8:
Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9:
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11:

Lesson #6Recognize Power as a Asset and Learn to Use It Wisely

Power is frequently misunderstood and even feared

Power and Powerlessness

Perhaps it is powerlessness that corrupts instead of power!

One should always play fairly, especially when one has the winning cards. Oscar Wilde

Power, In and Of Itself, is Neither Good Nor Bad!

When you win, someone loses. Remember that losers get even.

Dont waste your time on obnoxious people who have no power.

Its hard to win in a fight against an experienced bully!

But it felt so good that particular moment

EVERYTHING THAT ANNOYS US ABOUT OTHERS

CAN HELP US TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES

Lesson #7Perfect the Art of Communication

Listen more than you speak.

IT IS THE VERY THINGS THAT WE THINK WE KNOW,

THAT KEEP US FROM LEARNING WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW

WISDOM IS THE REWARD FOR

LISTENING OVER A LIFETIME

Be careful HOW you communicate.

Is Your Communication As Clear As It Should Be?

Lesson #8Remember How Important Followers Are As Part of the Leadership Equation

Followers can stop following at anytime

Both the leader and the follower should determine the priorities for action.

Empowerment: A Hallmark of Transformational Leadership

Followers can and do influence leaders in both positive and negative ways
(Offerman, 2004).

Followers can and do mislead leaders.

Differentiating between friends and enemies is sometimes hard to do.

Lesson #9Use Your Time and Energy Doing What is Really Important to You!

Competitors for Our Time and Energy:

Families, friends and significant others Career advancement Travel Leisure activities Time for self Enjoying doing nothing

Develop a specific plan for goal attainment or most goals will never be accomplished.

Sometimes it takes awhile to become the person you want to be.

Individuals who are self aware and have clearly identified personal goals and priorities have greater control over how they expend their energy and what they accomplish (Cohen, 2006, p. 128).

Our background and circumstances influence who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

Remember too that other people in your life will try to make their priorities your priorities.

Frame every so-called disaster with these words:

"In five years, will this matter?"

Not everything worth doing, needs to be done to the highest possible standard.

Lesson #10Enjoy the Journey

Eat more hot fudge sundaes, have more picnics, eat more potato salad, and take more walks in the park.

Slow Down When You Need To!

Determine What You Want Your Leadership Journey to Be..

Both Nursing and Leadership Allow Us to be Unique and to Celebrate Our Differences

SHOULD YOU ENCOUNTER A PROBLEM ALONG YOUR WAY

CHANGE YOUR DIRECTION, BUT NOT YOUR DESTINATION

Be confident in who you are as a leader.

10 Leadership Lessons
1. Find a Mentor and Positive Role Models to Guide You on Your Journey. 2. Be Self Aware. 3. Lighten Up a Little, Be Able to Laugh at Yourself, and Leave Your Ego At Home In A Jar. 4. Be Visionary, Take Risks and Ask for Permission Only When Really Necessary. 5. Keep Gas in the Tank and Money in the Bank.

10 Leadership Lessons
6. Recognize Power as an Asset and Learn to Use It Wisely. 7. Develop the Art of Communication. 8. Remember that Followers Are An Under- Appreciated Part of the Leadership Equation. 9. Use Your Time and Energy Doing What is Really Important to You. 10. Enjoy the Journey.

Questions?