From the Editor's Perspective…
Article Outline
Cindy Lewis, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC
Our challenge as nurses is to improve healthcare within our circles of influence. As nurses, we are all leaders. Leadership is not just a title or position; it is also an attitude. Each of us possesses the characteristics and skills of leaders: We act as calming presences in crises. Others look to us for information and guidance. We assess, plan, analyze, implement and evaluate progress toward goals. We accomplish these tasks by combining empathy, intelligence, intuition, critical thinking, advanced communication skills and technical knowledge. The nursing profession provides the foundation for effective healthcare delivery.
The major trends and issues affecting healthcare today include: an aging population, global nursing shortage, regulatory scrutiny, reimbursement issues, patient safety concerns, and rapidly advancing technology. Nurses can evaluate how these trends affect the lives of individuals, families and communities. As nurses, we directly affect the success of many best practice initiatives for our patients on a daily basis.
As we develop and apply our leadership skills within our circles of influence, the course of healthcare can be altered. Patient outcomes can dramatically improve and that in turn enhances nurses' job satisfaction and retention. It is vital that our profession continue to attract future generations of effective and empowered nurses.
Leadership is the ability to demonstrate and exercise a positive influence over others. Such influence can be accomplished through the use of personal traits, such as self-awareness, knowledge, communication skills, energy, and enthusiasm to achieve clinical and organizational outcomes. Some studies of leadership have suggested various qualities that people often associate with leaders that go beyond the aforementioned attributes.1 The common denominator, however, is always the ability of the leader to develop these attributes to communicate his or her vision and move others toward it. Whether you hold a leadership position in your organization or are a staff nurse caring for 10-12 patients on the night shift, you possess and demonstrate organizational skills and effective communication skills to manage all aspects of patient care safely. On any given day, consider how you use your organizational skills, such as delegation and communication, to coordinate and participate with the health care team and achieve a common vision of safe, effective and personalized care for your patients.
Many of us deny or diminish our ability to lead by believing that we do not have an innate talent or skill to lead. Trait theories suggest that there are certain personality characteristics that successful leaders possess, and intuitively this makes sense to most of us.2 Certain people do seem to rise to the top of an organization for one reason or another; however, that doesn't mean that you can't be a leader within your own working environment. If we choose to believe that all leaders are innately endowed, we are doing ourselves a disservice. Research has shown that students can learn leadership skills when they are taught. Incorporating leadership and management concepts into nursing school curricula and within continuing education programs can be an effective strategy to develop these skills.3 The acquisition of new knowledge and a person's ability to convey it to others are also major elements of what makes a good leader. Education is powerful and in its many forms contributes to making leaders.
Leaders can and must exist throughout our nursing profession and within its organizational structures. At every level of nursing, from staff nurse to educator to case manager, leadership and management skills can be advantageous attributes to attain. If you're looking for your inner leader, seek out continuing education programs specifically designed to help you develop managerial or leadership skills. Become involved in your nursing unit's activities and committees. Become involved in your organization's shared governance committees. Become involved in our professional societies. Consider writing for publication. We know that personal and professional success can enhance job satisfaction, foster better relationships with colleagues, promote better outcomes for patients, and stimulate growth for our nursing profession. Be a leader; become involved. Contact me; I hope to hear from you soon!
References
PII: S1062-0303(08)00160-X
doi:10.1016/j.jvn.2008.12.004
© 2009 Society for Vascular Nursing, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.