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 I’ve 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 I’ve 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
Gate’s
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.
Don’t waste
your time on
obnoxious
people who
have no
power.
It’s 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Find a Mentor and Positive Role
Models to Guide You on Your
Journey.
Be Self Aware.
Lighten Up a Little, Be Able to
Laugh at Yourself, and Leave
Your Ego At Home In A Jar.
Be Visionary, Take Risks and
Ask for Permission Only When
Really Necessary.
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?