To Lead Like a Nurse

To lead like a nurse means to have resilience. Resilience is hard to teach and is often only learned through surviving failure and ups and downs. I look for resilience in my leaders because it demonstrates to me that they are not afraid to fail and even more so, are not afraid to pick themselves up after they do so. They brush themselves off and continue on, usually taking what they have learned from their fall and using it to improve their work and those around them

To lead like a nurse means to be both a teacher and a learner. Teachers are leaders by the modeling they do. They lead by example and strength, even if their demeanor is quiet. They take the time to not only answer questions, but to ask them and to continue to find opportunities for learning. They are patient with others who have not yet learned the things they know already. 

To lead like a nurse means to be a master transitioner. This means they get right to the meat of what is important and prioritize accordingly in the midst of a chaotic job. It means they can leave a high stress situation and pivot to another one without as much effort as it may take others. It also means they can show up composed from one situation to the next, whether that’s high acuity or sitting bedside to show some compassion.

To lead like a nurse means to be compassionate. It means having the heart and time and space to give to each and every patient regardless of color, class, creed, or orientation. It means understanding that everyone has their own story that brought them to the hospital bed and no one is more or less worthy of gentle and kind care. 

To lead like a nurse means to be an advocate. It means demonstrating and also insisting on this compassionate care from all other nurses and providers. It means being aware of the health care disparities rampant in the systems and doing whatever small or large part they can to ensure the patients they are working with do not fall through the cracks and are seen and heard and receive the best care possible. 

To lead like a nurse means to be yourself. Everyone has to bring their own style and approach to their practice in order to give their best and most authentic care and healing to both their patients and the team.