Self-awareness is a trait every nursing professional should possess. If you’re in a management or leadership role, having self-awareness is the key to your success.
Are you self-aware? Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses and are those who are closest to you able to validate your answers? It’s essential to know these things because when a candidate makes the decision to work for you, your personal traits are just as important as the
organizational culture. When you’re in the position to hire staff, candidates are interviewing you, as well. To ensure that you hire and, most importantly, retain the right clinicians, you need to
continuously assess the way that you’re perceived.
You’ve likely heard the saying, “People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers.” Poor management or leadership will oftentimes reflect negatively on the organization rather than the
individual. Think of a time when you had what you perceived as a “bad manager.” I’m sure that working for this person was difficult. Did you consider resigning from the position? What trait(s)
of that manager did you not like? When you assess your own weaknesses, do you possess any of those traits on your list?
This leads to the question that I’m posing: Would you work for you? This blog is intended to guide the assessment of your self-awareness and it only works if you’re honest. Whether your answer is yes or no, write down the reasons why. Take it a step further and ask someone whose opinion that you respect if they agree with your assessment. You might find this difficult
because observational feedback from others that doesn’t align with your thoughts can be
difficult to digest. The strength of your leadership, however, has a direct correlation to the way that others perceive you. Once you’re promoted into leadership, changes must occur if you want
to successfully execute and effectively lead. You’re no longer an individual contributor toward
organizational goals. Instead, you’re leading a team of clinicians whose combined efforts are to meet the goals of your unit and the overall organization.
If you’re currently in a management or leadership role, you may think making behavioral changes is unnecessary because there will always be a revolving door or pipeline of nurses
available to fill the vacancies left by those who’re trying to escape poor management. However, hiring new staff without addressing systemic internal issues is a poor strategy and will eventually
erode the culture of the organization. This mindset is also indicative of someone who pursued management for the title or salary increase only. If you don’t want to serve others, you shouldn’t be in management. Working in health care, your job is to serve both the patients and personnel who’re relying on you. Part of that service is ensuring that you make decisions that benefit your
team, which will ultimately benefit your patients.
Return to the list of traits you made from your “bad manager.” Which of those traits ensured that you’d never work for them again? Now ask yourself if you would accept those traits in a romantic interest. If you’re honest, the answer is no. Healthy relationships work best when
there’s reciprocity and mutual respect. When it comes to growth or advancement, it’s less likely to occur if there’s an unhealthy dynamic between the individuals involved. People who have a strong sense of self-worth and are aware of the value that they bring are less likely to tolerate
poor management or behavioral traits. Why would any nurse remain working under a manager who displays the same? One of the benefits of having a nursing degree and skill set is the versatility that allows nurses to move to other areas, facilities or outside the hospital setting altogether.
Nursing, like many aspects of society, is rapidly evolving and nurses’ mindsets have also
changed. Gone are the days when managers can say or do anything to their staff without
repercussions. Nurses are increasingly establishing strong personal boundaries and prioritizing their overall well-being. One negative incident could result in having nurses resign from the
hospital setting and take their knowledge base with them – or worse, leave the nursing
profession altogether. Nurse retention is a serious issue at hospitals, especially when it comes to seasoned or experienced nurses. Having an influx of new nurses does have an impact on the quality of patient care.
If you’re currently in a management or leadership role, I challenge you to shift your mindset to see the value in creating a relationship between you and your direct reports. At the very least, a
collaborative relationship should be established. As previously stated, poor management does affect patient care. There’s an abundance of literature that shows “poor management” is the top reason why nurses leave a position or the bedside altogether. Additionally, losing nursing staff is estimated to cost hospitals up to millions of dollars (Jones, 2008).
In working with nurses on their leadership development, I’ve found that some nurses have become jaded after being in management roles for a while. Managing a team or unit in addition to the added stress of providing patient care is not an easy task. This self-awareness exercise was designed to bring you one step closer to becoming a leader. There’s a difference between
management and leadership. For one, management is task-oriented while leadership is people-oriented. Management is transactional. Leadership is transformational. For your staff and unit to thrive under your direction and meet organizational objectives, you must hone your leadership
skills. This doesn’t occur by happenstance; it takes leadership development. As with any profession, the viability of nursing depends on the professional wellness of those who’re on the front lines caring for patients. Airline passengers want to fly on airplanes that are guided by
highly skilled and well-equipped pilots. Hospital patients want the same thing. Low quality or low-performing nurses will impact your bottom line.
As a leadership development coach, I want to see all nurses thrive in management and
leadership roles. Developing and maintaining self-awareness – and doing the work to address your weaknesses – is a step in the right direction. Let’s keep the conversation going. Leave a
comment below or on my LinkedIn page.
If you’re a new manager who wants to lead your clinicians to optimal performance, I’d love to work with you. If you’re a seasoned leader who’s no longer retaining your nursing staff, I’d also
love to work with you and develop an actionable plan. Email me to discover how I can help you
and your organization.
