The Six Keys to Nursing Leadership guide nurse leaders/managers to shift
from a hierarchical model to more professional collaboration, practicing the
coach approach to leadership.
1. Respect/ Honor – how do leaders show
respect, and how do they earn it? Honor self – honor each other –
honor others
2. Passion – find the
best fit, empower others to succeed, be the cheerleader, discover the
passions of those you lead and utilize them
3. Communication – how
to shift to clear and valuable communication using powerful language,
critical conversation for conflict resolution, and creating purposeful and
respectful interactions
4. Trust – integrity,
honesty and accountability for yourself and others; confidentiality
5. Courage –how to
make the shift to leader, develop confidence in yourself and others and
inspire those you lead
6. Recognition –
celebration and acknowledgment, intrinsic versus extrinsic
rewards, giving yourself credit
The Third Key to Nursing Leadership
Communication
"Communication is the real work of leadership" ~Nohria
The third key to nursing leadership is communication. What
is it costing you to rely on the usual vague communication versus shifting
to clear purposeful communication? How can language and powerful words
enhance your leadership skills? What is the impact of your leadership
communication style? Have you learned to have critical conversations and
explored avenues for conflict resolution?
Being overwhelmingly honest is fundamental to high performance leadership.
As the leader you must set the example of honesty. Effective leaders are
100% honest and direct in describing tough issues and 100% respectful in the
way they communicate.
Be
aware of your current leadership style. Is your style empowering to your
staff? Punitive? Confusing? Dictatorial? Collaborative? Language is a
powerful tool to convey your leadership style. Not only the correct use of
the English language, but your choice of words signify how you are received.
Leaders often use words like “should”, “ought”, “have to” and “need to” to
give directions. These words are also used in communicating pleasure or
displeasure in performance.
Why are these words inappropriate? Because they communicate that the person
to whom the leader is speaking, is incompetent. For example: “You should
have checked that patient every hour,” bestows guilt upon the nurse. “What
needs to happen to ensure the vital signs are checked every 3 hours?” is a
more positive way to communicate the same message and gets the job done.
Powerful words can also be applied to self-talk. “I should have known better”
can be shifted to, “Next time I will request assistance
sooner.” “I ought to do it myself, and then it will be done correctly,”
can be changed to, “How can I support you in performing this procedure
effectively?” Empowering self-talk serves the leader and the
follower.
Your leadership style can encourage your staff to show up or stay home.
Increased callouts are an indication of an ineffective team effort and you
are leading the team. Are you inspiring your nurses to excellence or
allowing them to only achieve the status quo?
Giving evaluations and constructive criticism is difficult for many leaders.
Conflict resolution can be the most difficult part of leadership. To make
evaluations more productive, have regularly scheduled times to allow for
conversations about goals, performance and new ideas. Schedule a purposeful
conversation every month and make sure both the leader and the nurse have
the same understanding about current and expected performance.
Follow the Toastmasters rules for evaluation:
1.
Comment on the positive things
2.
Comment on the things that need improvement and give suggestions for
improvement
3.
End with a positive comment.
Often when giving criticism we ask, “why did you do that?” This usually
results in “I don’t know.”
Practice using open-ended questions, “What did you learn from this?”
Integrate the phrase “I hear you” into your language. “I hear you,”
communicates that you understand the action, yet it does not imply that you
agree. The simple phrase “I hear you” will diffuse an explosive situation.
Situations escalate until someone feels “heard.”
Finally, remember to have a sense of humor or develop one! A good laugh can
be essential to lightening the load. Help your followers remember the
miracles, not just the tragedies and schedule time to have a good laugh.
Develop the art of being able to laugh at yourself as well.
Invite the Shift Change Coaching Group to train you and your staff in the
Six Keys to Nursing Leadership. Build the foundation to promote
excellence in your leadership and that of your organization.
Convenient teleclass (conference line calls) or in-person workshop formats
are available.
Schedule now as our 2010 is filling up fast! Special
pricing for Nurses’ week 2010!
In
the April issue we will discuss the 4th Key to Nursing Leadership, trust.
In the meantime, please visit our Shift Change Website www.shiftchangecoaching.com.
and let us know your ideas and challenges around nursing leadership.
