Shift Change Coaching Leadership Series

Leadership is required anytime we are given authority or responsibility.  Merrily Sable, RN, BSN 

This month we bring you the fifth article in the Six Keys to On Fire Leadership series with the Fifth Key- COURAGE!

The Six Keys to On Fire Leadership guide nurse leaders/managers to shift from a hierarchical model to more professional collaboration, practicing the coach approach to leadership. The Six Keys teach you to lead from the head but not without also leading from the heart!   

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

This month we bring you COURAGE.  The French word courage means "heart and spirit." Great leaders act from their hearts.  It is a key trait for each one of us. According to Aristotle, courage is the first human virtue because it makes all of the other virtues possible. Courage can be translated into courageous communication, courageous leadership and the bravery to make changes.

Each leader is a unique person first, then a leader.  Who are you being when you, in particular, step up to be a leader?  What unique talents or qualities do you bring to your leadership?  Courage can be one of them. Without courage, leaders fail. Leaders have to make tough decisions and courage is a must behind their actions. Learn to be courageous.

Shifting into a leadership role is essential whether you have been thrust into the role unexpectedly or have requested that position.  Start where you are.  Be aware of how you see yourself as a leader.  Are you fearful, excited, born to do this?What are your expectations of yourself or others as leaders?  How prepared are you to be a proactive versus a reactive leader?  How well do you know yourself and your leadership style? 

Implementing positive change can be stressful and difficult.   As a leader, it is your responsibility to have the courage to stay at the helm guiding your team.  In order for you to do this successfully, you must first build trust with your team as we discussed in last month’s article. This is the beginning of the journey of making positive change happen.  Your staff will trust a leader with confidence and a leader cannot exhibit courage without self-confidence.

What are your confidence builders?  Are you giving yourself credit for accepting the challenge of leadership, making a change, your years of technical expertise and patient care, (therefore people) experience?  Are you requesting honest feedback often from varied supportive sources?  Are you practicing one of the essential Six Keys to Nursing Success, Self-Care Before Nursing Care, or in this case, before leadership?

Know the traits of a courageous leader.  Courageous leaders accept responsibility.  When things go wrong, courageous leaders accept responsibility for their actions as well as the actions of their team.  They do not blame others, nor do they focus on the past.  Again, start where you are. Accepting responsibility is mandatory, never optional.

Include everyone on your team to accomplish your goals.  Recognize your overachieving super stars, average “worker bee” stars and falling stars.  Appreciate the value of each group, often to put the whole team in perspective.  Praise and monitor the overachievers to prevent burnout, inspire the bees and catch the falling stars.

Lead with clarity.  Do not confuse your staff or colleagues.  Be honest.  Say, professionally, what you mean and mean what you say as well as walking your talk. Do not ignore the small things. Pay attention to details.  Denying or overlooking the obvious doesn’t make it go away.  Instead, the small easily solved problem often grows to monumental proportions and is forced to the center of your attention.  Have the courage to deal with things as they come. Have the courage to address conflict and be part of the process in resolving the issue. Set boundaries and foster a culture of respect for the workers and the leader.  It’s a two-way street.

Inspire your team. Practice optimism. It is a courageous state of mind.  Choose to accept and make the best of difficult situations.  An optimistic leader believes that obstacles are temporary and offer opportunities for solutions, learning and growth. 

Inspire others to maintain optimism by:

1.     Replacing endless discussion with purposeful action 

2.     Focusing on the solution, not the problem

3.     Turning attention to what is working and letting go of what is not

Be a role model for those you lead and your co-leaders.  Are you showing up each day at your best? Courageous inspirational leaders know that it is vital to be committed to self-improvement, personally and professionally. Scheduling time to hone your technical and people skills and balancing your life with fun and things you are passionate about create a leader that can weather storms and support their staff and organization to the fullest.  Use the Shift Change Coaching Six Keys to Nursing Success as your foundation and remember, one good wish changes nothing; one good decision along with purposeful action changes everything.

We hope you have enjoyed this month’s Fifth Key to On Fire Leadership, COURAGE!  Next month we will bring you the final article in this series on the importance of recognition to round out your excellence in leadership. We teach you the 6 keys to take your experience of leadership to new levels whether you are on the giving or receiving end of leadership.  Work with Shift Change Coaching and you will know when to lead, follow or get out of the way!

Best regards,

Merrily Sable, RN, BSN and Betsy Smith, PhD

The six keys to leadership take you from status quo leadership to leadership “on fire”!  This is when things get interesting.  The followers of the Shift Change six keys to leadership have followers that:

• Are inspired

• Are motivated

• Are creative

• Have “buy in” and increased loyalty

• Increase productivity

• Become innovative

• Get the job done

Hire the Shift Change Coaching Group to train you and your staff in the Six Keys to On Fire Leadership and the Six Keys to Nursing Success. Build the foundation to promote excellence in your leadership and that of your organization. Convenient teleclass (conference line calls) or in-person speaking or workshop formats are available. Schedule now as our remaining 2010 is filling up fast!

Visit our Shift Change Blog @www.shiftchangecoaching.com and let us know your ideas and challenges around nursing leadership. Archived issues of the SCC newsletter are available on our web site.