Nurse Leaders
An organization is only as strong as its leadership and in long-term care facilities all registered nurses are leaders. Some are directors or assistant directors of nursing, others are nurse managers and supervisors, some lead a team providing daily care for residents, while still others focus on resident assessment, staff development, or quality improvement.
Even unlicensed assistive personnel have expanded responsibilities in the areas of patient evaluation and satisfaction.(1) All require leadership skills. Nurses provide care as well as manage the care environment. Warren Bennis explains the difference between management and leadership by saying, "Management is doing things right.(2) Leadership is doing the right thing." But leadership is defined in many ways so how are we to know if we have it, how to develop it, and how to use it?
The Army has identified eleven leadership principles. These are:
- Be tactically and technically proficient
- Know yourself and seek self-improvement
- Know your soldiers and look out for their welfare
- Keep your soldiers informed
- Set the example
- Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished
- Train your soldiers as a team
- Make sound and timely decisions
- Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates
- Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities
- Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions
Can you relate to these principles? Are they relevant in the long term care environment? Can you provide an example of how you use one or more of them in your work?
References
1. Kleinman, C. S. and Saccomano, S. (2006). Registered nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel: An uneasy alliance. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 37(4), 152-170.
2. Bennis, W. (1994). On Becoming a Leader. (2nd ed.) Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group.