11 weeks ago (before my leadership course) I was asked what my definition and thoughts on leadership were.. and here is what I said..
Leadership is:
"the process of leading people by being a role model, working together as a team, and sticking up for what you believe is right. I believe a strong leader motivates, challenges, and is aware of imperfections. Leaders can see things in others that others do not see in themselves."
I would say now after taking an RN leadership course, simulation on leadership, and clinical I would say that I agree with my definition 11 weeks ago, although I would add that leadership is not just in a "management" position, but there is a leader in everyone. It is where people step up when they are motivated by a challenge or commitment. Some leaders are better then others, however I believe that becoming an RN inquires certain leadership skills and it requires the ability to delegate and supervise the work of others.
I believe that a great leader possesses these qualities:
Honesty
flexibility
Visionary
positive attitude
high energy
knowledge
Emotional stability
Social intelligence
Confidence
Courage
There is a leader in every:
group
family
team
committee
Individual
Here are 2 of my favorite quotes of leadership:
I challenge you to reflect back on some of your first thoughts on leadership..
The role of a leader takes on the role as a facilitator. Leaders (especially during group activities) must observe group member actions and be prepared to control or redirect disruptive behaviors. Some disruptive behaviors are listed below along with some leadership strategies:
Compulsive Talkers Individuals who are obsessed with talking, they talk all the time and may interrupt others to talk.
Leadership strategy: Thank them for their input, and ask to hear from others to guide and open communication to be more effective. Another strategy is meeting one to one to give constructive feedback, sometimes they may not realize they are doing it.
Non-talkers The "quiet ones."
Leadership strategy: Leaders can ask them to write down and submit ideas. They can also prepare these members with topics before meetings, because sometimes these individuals just need time to think through their thoughts.
Squashers Individuals who try to squash the idea before it is even brought forward.
Leadership strategies: Reinstate that there will be no analyzing or negative talk about ideas until they are all brought to the table. Can also allow the negative input for a certain amount of time, then move the group beyond it (like barriers vs. benefits).
Busybodies These individuals aren't real committed, they frequently arrive late, leave early, take personal messages/cell phone calls during meetings/work, and just simply want to show up for a few minutes but don't contribute anything.
Leadership strategy: find ways to engage these individuals and make them accountable for something during meetings or other group settings.
Leaders among organizations have a very important role in resolving conflict. They must find ways of managing conflict and developing effective work relationships to create healthy work environments. Conflict is a part of life because of the complexity of human relationships. Because each person is unique and possesses their own value system, and understanding how to maneuver around and manage conflict is a very important role of an effective leader. Conflict management techniques stress the importance of communication, assertive dialogue, and empathy. Here is a list of 11 methods for conflict resolution:
Avoiding- "If I do not acknowledge that there is a problem, then there is no problem." Never acknowledging that there is a problem or a conflict that exists. Withholding or withdrawing- One party opts out of participation, withdrawing them self from the situation. (This does not resolve the conflict, but does give individuals a chance to calm down) Smoothing over Parties do not withdraw, but they simply attempt to make everyone feel good. Using verbal communication to defuse strong emotions. For example: "everything will be OK." Accommodating- Used when there is a large power differential. Meaning that the lesser power gives up their position in deference to the more powerful party. "Kill the enemy with kindness." Forcing- This is a dominance move when an issue may be forced on the table by issuing orders or a majority rules vote. This is an all-out power strategy to win. "Lets vote on it" Competing- Assertive strategy where one parties needs are satisfied at the other. This is an all-out effort to win at any cost. Compromising- Useful when goals or values are markedly different. "Splitting the difference."
Confronting- Assertive strategy focusing on the issues. Individuals speak for themselves but in a way that decreases defensiveness and allows another person to hear the message. "I" and "you" are avoided. Collaborating- Parties work together to find a mutually satisfying solution. "Two heads are better than one." Bargaining or negotiating- Attempts to divide the rewards, power, or benefits so that everyone gets something. They involve both parties in a back and forth effort at some level of agreement. Problem solving- This is to try and find an acceptable, workable solution for all parties Generates feelings of gain by all parties reaching a mutually agreeable solution to the conflict.
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and nursing
care management. 4th edition. Maryland Heights, MO. Saunders, Elsevier Health
Sciences.
I know that I definitely have to work on my conflict strategies because I avoid conflict all together if I can. I avoid conflict because I seem to get really emotional when I am involved with conflict. When I am in conflict, I try to do the best I can to get the best outcome. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. I feel like a lot of it depends on the other person(s) response to conflict as well.
Charge nurses are experienced registered nurses who have displayed leadership, management and communication skills. They are responsible for managing, supervising and assisting the nursing staff, providing administrative support and patient care. A hospital, clinic or health care facility may have several charge nurses, each responsible for a different shift, department or specialized unit.
Some duties consist of:
Directing admissions
Discharge and managing the general patient flow
Assigning nurses and support staff to patients
Creating schedules
Maintaining adequate supplies
Informing staff of changes to protocol
Resource for staff
While daily goals must be met, effective charge nurses are flexible and are able to prioritize and adapt during emergencies.
In my experience at work, charge nurses have 10+ years of experience, but also as little as a year. Some recent graduates in the last five years are already in the charge nurse position in their careers. Charge nurses are very resourceful for all staff members, and I feel that the most successful charge nurses are the ones who can make all staff feel comfortable to ask for help. The flow of the whole day can really depend on the leadership skills a charge nurse possesses. In some cases the charge nurse position looks stressful, but I eventually would like to obtain that role.
Simon Sinek and his TED Talk about how "Great Leaders Inspire Action."
He brought up certain leaders like the company Apple, Martin Luther King and the Wright Brothers. He brings up some really inspiring concepts, one of them includes the "Golden Circle." This explains why some organizations and some leaders can inspire where others cannot.
GOLDEN CIRCLE
WHAT: Every organization knows what they do
HOW: Only some know how they do it
WHY: Very few know why they do it. (Purpose, Cause)
The way we think, act, and communicate is usually from the outside in (what-why). We do that because it is usually the clearest to the most fuzziest. But the inspiring leaders and organizations regardless of their size or industry communicate from the inside in (why-what).
"People don't buy what you do people buy why you do it" "What you do serves as he proof of what you believe."
He really made a great point that to be inspiring you have to believe in the "why." We have to know why we do what we do, because if we don't we wont be able to obtain the trust of others.
There are many different types and styles of leadership. Some are successful where others are not successful. Leadership styles are "clusters" or different kind of behaviors that are used to influence others. Different styles have different outcomes, and it is very important as a leader to be aware of your leadership style and the way you deliver it. Three distinct leadership styles that I have heard mostly talked about have been:
Authoritarian Democratic Laissez-Faire
Authoritarian:
This style uses directive behaviors. Leaders tell the followers what to do and how to do it.
There is
also a clear division between the leader and the followers. Authoritarian
leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of
the group. Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there
is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most
knowledgeable member of the group.
Democratic:
Generally
the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group
members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other
group members. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate,
but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel
engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.
Laissez-Faire
This leadership
style offers little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making
up to group members. There is little leader participation. This style can be
effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of
expertise like fully independent care providers or professionals working
together.
I believe that a true mix of all three would make a great leader. I would say I am more of a democratic leader. Giving others who are involved some say in the decision making process because I believe that the best outcomes come out that way.
What are your thoughts? What kind of leader are you?
Jayne Felgen, President of Creative Health Care Management
At my recent nursing forum we were very honored to have Marie Manthey come speak. Within her speech she shared a personal story of hers back when she was around 5 years old. Back then parents had really short visiting allowances and so felt very lonely. However, she had a great nurse who made a huge impacton her by coloring in her coloring book. So from being influenced by the nurse who colored in her coloring book she knew she wanted to become a nurse because she wanted people to feel cared for just like she was. Marie Manthey is a founder of Creative Health Care Management. Creative Health Care Management really focuses on transforming cultures through relationship-Based Care.
Relationship Based care (RBC) "A culture transformation model that improves safety, quality, patient satisfaction by improving every relationship within an organization (Creative Health Care Management (CHCM), 2012)." This is important to the health care world culture because their is a reconnection of purpose and meaning of work and the art of teamwork is a true commitment rather than a burden. RBC also makes patients and their families feel better cared for because they feel connected to their health care and the professionals within.
Improving 3 critical relationships by implementing Relationship-Based Care 1. Relationship between caregivers and the patients and families they serve "In RBC the caregiver-patient/family relationship is one in which the caregiver consistently maintains the patient and family as his or her central focus (CHCM,2012).
2. The Caregivers relationship with self. Without a clear understanding of one’s self, a person’s emotional reactions may adversely affect their capacity for care giving and teamwork.
3. The relationship among members of the health care team. "The delivery of compassionate quality care requires a commitment by all members of the organization within all clinical disciplines to accept responsibility for establishing and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships" (CHCM, 2012).
I really think relationship-Based Care can really make some huge improvements in the health care system. We want all of our patients to get the best quality care we can, and this gives them the that. Sometimes I feel we lose sight of the partnership that needs to be created when taken care of others. We get so wrapped up on how busy we are, and just don't take the time to slow down and appreciate everyone involved in what we do. I am very inspired about this model and also by Marie Manthey who I have talked about before in past posts. I want to be that nurse who makes an impact and inspire others. References: Creative Health Care Management. (2012). Relationship-Based Care. Retrieved from http://chcm.com/relationship-based-care/
I did a speech at our annual schools nursing forum on 2/19/13, where all cohorts who are in our nursing program come together for new updates and speakers. Past all of the anticipation and my heart beating out of my chest I talked about teamwork. As I am almost done with nursing school I have been reflecting on how much teamwork has been a huge part of this nursing program and my the nursing environment. I feel as though sometimes we take teamwork for granted, like it will always be there. But if we don't prove ourselves as a vital part of the team, the team is not always going to be there. So here is a little bit about teamwork and some lessons from the wise geese with their V formations as it relates to teamwork.
Have you ever watched a flock of geese flying in their traditional
"V" formation, heading for Canada? Well, two engineers learned that each bird, by flapping its wings, creates an
uplift for the bird that follows. Together, the whole flock gains something
like 71 percent greater flying range than if they were traveling alone. Similar to people who are part of a
team the geese reach their goal quicker and easier because they travel on the
trust of one another and lift each other up along the way.
Team:
Togethereveryoneachievesmore
True teamwork is the rarest, most
exhilarating, and most productive human activity possible. Everyone wants to
harness this incredible energy, but achieving such a level of motivation is not
always easy.
A team is not just a group of individuals
who work at the same location or have the same logo on their business card. A
real team is not only made up of people who may be unequal in experience,
talent, or education, but who are equal in their commitment to working together
to achieve the goals and greatness of the organization, each other and in our
case our patients.
1.Asking
questions.
I float to 14 units that ranges
from ICU, medsurg, oncology, and many other types of specialties. Which means
14 different codes, 14 different work environments, and 14 different types of
work flows that add up to be to a whole lot of different types of questions. And
trying to find things like the thermometers and sharps containers are all in
different spots in the patient’s room is , and let me tell you the supply rooms
are a whole different story, sometimes I swear it is trying to find a needle in
a haystack. So yes I ask those questions realizing that like most of us at this
early stage are all trying to impress our coworkers, our colleagues, and our
instructors and may think that asking questions may make us look weak or dumb,
but I have found that asking questions promotes patient safety and builds
respect within each other. Which brings me into my next component I use.
2.Respect-
As nurses we have to work with
every kind of person, every kind of personality, and every kind of
attitude.We have to work with it all.
We can’t say I don’t want to work with that patient, doctor, colleague, or manager
because we don’t really like them or agree with them. That is not what nursing
care is about. We are not always going to like or agree with everyone we work
with, and that’s okay. But we can do is respect each other and make what we
have to do together successful.
3.Common
goal-
The majority of us here today are
nursing students and we all have the common goal to become a nurse. We are
currently working on that goal as we continue nursing school together. We help
one another in clinical, study groups and in times of stress like our
simulations. Then soon we will be nurses, nurses who have the common goal to give patients the best quality care we can. Helping each
other achieve that when we have busy patient assignments.
These three components
have helped me personally and will help me in my nursing practice. I would like to conclude this presentation
with four lessons heading back into the world of a goose
1.When a goose falls out of the V formation it feels the drag and resistance
of trying to get through it alone and finds itself quickly repositioning itself
into the V and once again has the advantage of the power of the flock. If we benefit from the lessons of the geese we will stay
in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept
their help and give our help to others. 2. When the lead goose tires, it
rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and
sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s
skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.
3. The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up
front to keep up their speed.
We need to make sure honking is encouraging.
In groups where there is encouragement the production is much greater. The
power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage
the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
4. When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of
formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it
is able to fly again or passes on. Then, they launch out with another formation
or catch up with the flock.
If we have as much sense as geese, we will
stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong because as
a team everyone achieves more.
I am not going to lie, I was absolutely petrified to talk in front of all of the nursing students and some of the professors, but being forced to do this, made me realize that I can do it. I worked really really hard on this and kept switching things around because I wanted it to be the best it could be. Could of it been better? Yes, I am sure it probably could have been, but I am happy with it knowing that I did the best I could. I am also really proud of my classmates who also did speeches, they did great and it was fun listening to them "voice" what is important to them.
If you are anything like me, sometimes there is more focus on the "weaknesses" that we have. We focus a lot on our problems, struggles, and stressors when we really need to focus on the good in ourselves. As a leader, it is important to know what your strengths are and also what your teams strengths are. Knowing strengths helps with increase productivity, improve patient outcomes, and enhance teamwork. It may also give you insight into why some parts of your job are enjoyable while others fill you with dread. If you have the luxury of adjusting the scope of your job then of course you should focus on the tasks that draw on your strengths.
Finding your strengths through VIA ME! will provide you with pertinent information that focuses on a "strengths-based" approach to life. They say that a strengths-based approach:
Is honest (acknowledges problems, but doesn't get lost in them);
Is positive (focuses on what is best and good);
Is empowering (encourages and advances the individual);
Is energizing (uplifts and fuels the person);
Is connecting (brings the person closer to others, aiding in mutual connection).
This VIA ME strength finder is 240 questions, but it actually goes really fast! I answered all of the questions and my results were:
Your top strength is: Teamwork You excel as a member of a team. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, who always does your share. You work hard for the success of your group.
Second Strength is:
Fairness Treating all people
fairly is one of your abiding principles. You give everyone a chance.
Third Strength is:
Gratitude
You are aware of the
good things that happen to you and you never take them for granted.
Fourth strength is:
Kindness
You are kind and
generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor.
Fifth strength is:
Social Intelligence
You are aware of the
motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to
different social situations.
I think these results are very accurate and it helps with my confidence. It is FREE but there is an option for a more in depth part of the results, where you can pay in-between $20-40 dollars on it if you want. I would encourage you to at least try the free one to find out what your strengths are!! Click here to go to the VIA ME! website --> VIA ME!
ViaMe! (2012). Build a strength-based life. Retrieved from:https://www.viame.org/www/en-us/aboutviame.aspx
The idea of a
nursing salon is where a group people get together, who are mostly nurses,
and they engage in conversations of nursing topics. This gives nurses and
others the opportunities to talk about challenges, passions, and new things that come about in
nursing. Mostly it is just about whatever anyone wants to talk about, and what
is on their mind at that particular time. Nursing salons are meant to befree
conversation,informal, and stress free.A lot of the people that come to these
nursing salons are nurses but anyone can attend. Most of the people
that attend these nursing salons are people who hear it from word of mouth or from their work place. Salons
are usually held monthly, and are usually on different nights allowing more
accommodations for everyone. Salon meetings can go in-between two to four hours
long, and the hosts usually provide water, pop, wine, tea, coffee, dinner,
dessert and hospitality.People who
attend these meetings can include a huge mix examples include registered
nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practioners, DNP's, and
graduate nursing students from all over twin cities. This diversity that
emerges because of this is amazing, and great outcomes and networking come
about because of it.
The
Nursing Salons came about because of a lady namedMarie Manthey. She states in
her website that she developed the concept of nursing salons because she loved
the concept of nurses getting together in thoughtful conversation and talking
about the nursing profession. Marie Manthey is a very experienced nurse where
she had spent 25 years as a nurse in the hospital serving as nurse and many
other positions including a vice president. After that she spent another 25
years where she developed a consulting company where they come up with new idea
to make the profession better and better (Manthey, 2007, n.p). Sigma Theta Tau Internationalis the honor society of nursing, which the University of Minnesota
is affiliated with Zeta chapters and the nursing salons. For the Zeta chapter
nursing students, faculty, and alumni are all able to apply for their
membership, along with other nurses who are working in the area. In the Zeta
chapter they are members who are “interested in promoting excellence in
practice, research and education. They are always learning and developing
professionally and desiring connection with like-minded nurses in the state and
around the world,” (Sigma Theta Tau International, n.p, 2012). Michael Petty who
is the host of a lot of the nursing salons was the past Zeta chapter’s
president.
The last meeting I attended was around a year ago. It was a GREAT experience and I can't wait to go again. Most importantly I learned
the significance of this event to the nursing field and how great of an impact
these salons can have on the nursing profession. These salons can get nurses
out of struggling times, and allow them to vent to people who understand
exactly what they are going through. Sometimes venting to family members who
aren’t in the same profession is not enough. For more information, go to the Zeta Chapter of STTI website (www.nursing.umn.edu/stti/events) and be sure to either RSVP at
least 24 hours in advance or call them so they know you are coming.
Appreciation, Influence, and Control is considered to be a philosophy, theory, model, and a process. It illustrates the relationship between purposes and power, and ensures that the maximum possible energy is brought to bear on the achievements of any purpose. It is equally applicable at individual, organizational and community levels.
AIC is an organizing process which consists of:
Identifying the purpose to be served;
Framing the power-field around that purpose-- those who have control, influence and appreciation relative to the purpose;
Selecting those with the most influence relative to the purpose (stakeholders) from the three circles and designing a process of interaction between them; and
Facilitating a self-organizing process which ensures that the stakeholders:
step back from the current problems to fully appreciate the realities and possibilities inherent in the whole situation;
examine the logical and strategic options as well as the subjective feelings and values involved in selecting strategies.
allow for free and informed choice of action by those responsible for implementing decisions.
A—Appreciation: the power we use in relating to the "whole" system
I—Influence: the power we use in relating to other "parts" of the system
C—Control: the power we use with ourselves as an "individual part" of the whole system
The dimensions of appreciationare represented by:
Spirit Discovery Enlightenment Love Social Evolution Beauty Aesthetic Appraisal
Influenceis represented as:
Reason philosophical diplomacy trust political Negotiation Pragmatism Agreement
Control is represented as: Truth Scientific Policy Omnipotence Technical Strategy Equanimity Economics
FREE Individual Map
Click this link to go influence your purpose, power and leadership. Doing this will provide a deeper understanding of AIC. It is a selection of colors and it is influenced by your subconscious anticipation of how people will react to you. MY RESULTS of MYAICMAP My first preference is the appreciative power 42% Second preference is control 36% Third is Influence 22% The idea of this is you want to have an equal amount of all of them.The purpose part on page 4, I was shocked to find out that my purpose and how I mediate everything together is through spirituality. I would have never thought that, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. I highly suggest you try the introductory map, because it's FREE, and you LEARN a lot from it!
Tellme what you learned about yourself from your AIC introductory map?
Smith, W. (2009). The meaning of the three circles. Retrieved from WWW.oodi.com
Six Sigma is a strategy developed by Motorola & implemented by General Electric (GE). It is an approach for problem solving to help reduce variation and error rates.
This provides organizations with a tool to improve the capability of their business processes. Many healthcare institutions are using Six Sigma as a way to effectively improve their services in order to provide better healthcare to the general public.To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities
The steps of Six Sigma include:
Define (opportunity)
Measure (performance)
Analyze (opportunity
Improve (Performance)
Control (performance)
First, Six Sigma asks that the ‘customer’ be prioritized as the first step to successfully repairing an issue. Usually, within the healthcare industry, the ‘customer’ could oftentimes be the patient, the nursing staff, the doctors, the stakeholder, the administrative staff, or the department manager. It all depends on the quality issue at hand and who will directly benefit from the changes that will be made.
I think six sigma is really interesting. I know that when the hospital I work for fills out ICares or when they have any kind of errors, it is important to get to the bottom of what may have cause the errors. Managment teams need to come together and they can use this Six Sigma model to help decrease medication errors, staff errors, and improve quality of care. This model can really help change for the better.
Huber, D. H. (2009). Leadership and nursing care management. 4th edition. Saunders, Elsevier Health Sciences. Maryland Heights, MO.
Budgeting is mainly focused on money as a strategic resource. The amount of money that a unit has can significantly impact the amount and the type of supplies, equiptment, staff, and humanresources that will be used to deliver safe and effective patient care.
Every nurse plays an integral role in budgeting process, but it seems it is not fully understood. Staff nurses involvment in this is needed to keep costs down.
Role of the nurse:
Evaluate equiptment for purchase and use
Manage and have access to patient care supplies (need to be "mindful on the decisions about supply and resource)
Have to make decisons on how to staff unit (charge nurse/nurse manager)
Make cost-effective decisions
Be effecient
Increase patient care while reducing cost
Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
Participate in education to increase knowledge
Remember time is $$money$$
Cost and quality are two continuous concepts that are major themes for nursing practice. Nursing managers are constantly trying to figure out the most effective way to do things, and what the unit can do differently to save all that they can.
In my observation at the U of M hospital we are constantly changing things around for it to be less costly. Every unit had to cut down on their supplies. In the last year the nursing managers and a few staff nurses met and had to go through their supplies lists and decide on some things to cut and no longer be stocked in their supplies room. This makes it a little confusing as a float pool nursing assistant because some of the things they cut are some of the basic things we use a lot. Something that I notice a lot and what seems like a waste is all of the admission papers we give every patient. It is a pretty good amount of paper, and I feel like I throw them all away after the patients leave and they are usually in a corner or in drawers and are not even looked at. After reading this unit, I will definitely be more mindful on what supplies I am using and to make better cost effective decisions.
Huber, D. H.
(2009). Leadership and nursing care management. 4th edition. Saunders,
Elsevier Health Sciences. Maryland Heights, MO.
What does your organization due to reduce costs... and what do YOU do to reduce costs in your workplace?
