It’s OK to Switch Horses in Midstream
You probably started your leadership journey by being a good problem solver.
You were a go-to for other staff. You loved solving problems and enjoyed that others saw that skill in you. You started getting noticed by your supervisors for your talents. Then one day, someone offered you a leadership position and your skills in decision-making and problem solving developed even further. Now you are a leader with experience.
A year ago, we would have taken issue with you if you were still solving problems single-handedly. If staff were still bringing you their issues about their practice so you could solve the issues for them. We would have said that is not your job. We would have asked that you consider helping staff solve their own problems, asking staff to lead their own improvement plans, giving guidance for their own decision-making, and helping them take ownership of their own practice. But a year ago, we did not have COVID-19.
Now, circumstances have changed. We are in a crisis and staff need you to be doing whatever you can to facilitate their ability to care for their patients. That may very well mean that you make the decisions, remove the barriers, straighten out system problems, improve processes. The staff can tell you what is not working and how it might be improved, but they need you to run the interference and fix it. That is what they may need from leadership right now.
What we all need to think about is what will our leadership behavior look like post crisis. We will have a better handle on our environments and our practice when we have a large portion of the healthcare workforce vaccinated. What will the staff expect from us then? We will want to ask you the questions that were relevant a year ago. Let us be wary of getting comfortable in the command and control that works well in a crisis. We want to build a strong and confident workforce that does not require direction, but rather can be a partner in the design of our practice and patient care systems. What will your leadership look like a year from now?
“A true leader asks advice, when he has time to think; but he never asks advice in a crisis. He acts.” — Herbert Newton Casson
About the Authors
Pam Thompson MS, RN, FAAN is the CEO Emeritus of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, formerly AONE. During the same time, 2000–2016, she was the Senior VP of Nursing for the American Hospital Association. After retiring in 2017, she now serves as a healthcare consultant and volunteer board member and trustee for several healthcare entities.
Marla Weston PhD, RN, FAAN is the past CEO of the American Nurses Association Enterprise which included the American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center and American Nurses Foundation, serving from 2009 to 2018. She now is a consultant and facilitator in leadership development, organizational strategy and growth, and future trends.
