PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE....especially when you feel like everyone in your immediate orbit seems to be willfully tap dancing all over your last nerve.
Hide like a rhinoceros.
The ability to remain calm when the situation (or people you are dealing with) appear to be out of control.
The ability to provide education without making the "student" feel bad.
Willingness to roll up your sleeves and "get dirty" with the rest of your staff.
The discipline to keep negative comments, gestures, and facial expressions to yourself.
One quality that I feel is often overlooked is humility. Leaders should never be above their team, always beside. Don’t ask your staff to do anything you aren’t or wouldn’t do. Leaders are people and to err is human. Admit your mistakes when you make them and apologize appropriately and publicly when necessary. Allow staff to be owners of the department by providing opportunities to assist with projects, quality improvement ideas etc. Ask don’t tell! I was a nurse manager for several years and hated the title ‘Manager’ because Managers control a team in order to achieve a goal. Leaders have the ability to influence, motivate, and enable a team to achieve success.
Politeness, supporting your staff while educating,. For individual issues, provide privacy and detail issues provide coaching and let them know in the course the policy and that you will follow it (to the letter). Recognize abilities, good jobs, great catches- praise when due. Compliments go a long way.Be available. Don’t try to RULE (micro manage),but support to have a functional and efficient team. Let it be know (politely) that office politics will not be tolerated
A team player, A transparent player, a GREAT communicator, A listener, Honesty, and knowledgeable.
Advocate for your staff and patients,
You may not be an expert in some of the service lines but at least become familiar .
Round on pts, get to know them.
Work an occasional eve/ night shift . Connect connect with your staff.
Be aware of staff personal situations that may affect their practice.
Open door , listen
Just some of the ways I practiced as a manager
When RN nurse submits their application to me as a dept manager Ive never looked atvtheir education. Masters/Bachelors degrees don't impress me. I interview them, ask them intelligent questions to find out their work ethic is and how they express themselves. .
Being trustworthy and having integrity as a servant leader. Fin the gifts and talents in your staff and work to help staff see them and develop them.
I'm making the leap that this is your first NM position. There are 1000+ different answers for your question. There are also some questions I would ask you. Are you going to a new unit to be the manager? Where you promoted up from within the unit you are now the NM? Why did you accept the position? Can you flow/ transition between management styles based upon what is needed at the time? What qualities did/do you want from your manager? Have you asked the staff what they want from a NM (not just you, any manager)?
Have you read "The First 90 days." by Watkins? "Crucial Conversations" by Patterson, et al., "Strengths based Leadership" by Rath, "Leading and Managing in Nursing" by my friend and CNO academy mentor Dr. Yoder-Wise?
I mentor for free. Email me at [email protected] and we can set up a time.
INTEGRITY. Many decisions made by leaders are shrouded by confidentiality and privilege. A leader without a stable moral compass may make biased decisions without even realizing it. Integrity should not only be visible in a leader’s outcomes but throughout their processes.
Organization, Understanding, and compassion.
Know what your nurses and other staff do everyday. Be able to step in their shoes and help them. Understand their frustrations and what they need to make their jobs easier. You are their advocate. You are there to support them.
Being a leader as well as team player, being firm with your decisions and showing kindness.
Great Question!
The best managers have a Transformational Leadership style. A calm demeanor that shows confidence is always best. Fairness, inviting staff to be open and developing a relationship of trust while coaching and leading by example yields a cohesive bond and structures a community of teamwork and natural mentoring.
Other important aspects of managing well are knowledge and ability to access references and policies quickly when needed. Maintaining a level playing field in an urgent or emergent situation is key to best outcomes. Patient focused care and being present and available to staff and patients is also important. Ability to manage responsibilities and be present and active in day to day operations is an art developed not taught in a Nursing Program. Every administrative position has its own rhythm and largely depends on the facility, the effectiveness and application of their Mission Statement and how communication and change flow.
Managers must manage work and manage relationships. For managing work it involves planning and organizing, problem solving, clarifying roles and objectives, informing, monitoring, consulting, and delegating. Th roles for managing relationships are networking, supporting, developing and mentoring, managing conflict and team building, motivating and inspiring, and recognizing and rewarding.
Patience, listening and good communication skills, and the ability to put out fires. Be there for your staff, not text or email
Active listening is reciprocal to the voices of your unit staff because they're the ones that are providing the care; they are the ones experiencing the lack of resources, the nursing staff voice matters.
Lead with integrity not bulying and be able to balance short term goals with long term needs.
Listening skills and not judging immediately or allowing others' opinions to control your interaction. As you know, most staff nurses don't feel valued (like they don't count). So, catch them doing something well (or great!) and tell them. Also, meeting with each Staff (ALL STAFF ) is critical in your assessment of the culture of the Unit. Culture just means collective behaviors, which is why each Unit and each shift feel differently. Also, monthly team meetings (offered twice) would be great to make Staff feel connected and that their ideas count. Dr. Lauren Jones
I believe a myriad of qualities make a great manger. Sound clinical experience, exquisite interpersonal relations as everything in leadership is dependent on relationships. An unwavering commitment to patient care and those who deliver that care. Lastly, a commitment to continuous learning.
Patience and continuous learning of new skills and ideas on modern techniques required for Nursing.
Patience
