The following is a guest post by Joyce Fiodembo of InternationalNurseSupport.com
There are managers getting hired daily, and lots of nurses apply to be Nurse Managers. If you ask the staff to describe their own manager, many will simply say, “OK.” How does your staff describe you? In this article, I want to discuss how you can go from being just an “OK” leader to a great one. Having worked with all sorts of managers during my nursing career, I have seen some common traits that make some managers really stand out from the rest.
Motivation
It often begins with your motivation. What motivated you to become a manager? Do you genuinely like the responsibility of leading others?
If you genuinely like to lead and you love responsibilities, then you are on your way to becoming a great leader. Many nurses might choose the wrong reasons when deciding to become managers. Some of these reasons may include being in a position of power, higher salary, working better hours, not being a bedside nurse, or hanging with the company or organization’s senior administration, among others. Some of these reasons are not necessarily bad. For instance, wanting to move away from bedside work or seek more pay is not bad reasoning, but the question should always be the same: Are you a good leader?
Inspire
A great leader inspires his or her staff. When you inspire staff, you encourage and motivate them. You inspire people by showing them that you trust and respect them. Having a lot of positive energy and a great attitude while connecting with them on a personal level will be inspiring as well.
Delegate Appropriately
Delegation and trust is essential to being a great leader. However, this delegation should be without favoring some workers and giving huge workload assignments to those workers you do not necessarily like.
Use a system that is fair to all when you are delegating. This way, everyone can see that the assignments are thought out. Favoritism and openly showing staff that you do not care for them will cause your team to lose respect for you and your position. This will kill the motivation and people will only do the bare minimum.
Communication
Communicate your expectations clearly and listen to what your staff has to say. Communication is a two-way street. If you find that you are the only one speaking, then there is a problem. Always remember to listen. A great leader takes his or her time to listen to the staff.
Avoid being too busy to listen. Listening to your staff’s issues is the main reason you are a leader or manager in the first place.
Listen and make good judgment. If someone reports another staff member to you, investigate before reacting. Take your time and talk to the person that has been brought to your attention. Poor managers make mistakes by quickly reacting to reports from staff members before finding out the facts.
Teach
A great leader is a good teacher.
If you ask your staff to take on a task, make sure it is something you can do yourself. As a leader you are a teacher, and if your staff has any questions, you should be in a position to mentor them.
Leave a Legacy
Make it your mission to leave a legacy behind. Let other nurses emulate your leadership style because you are a great Manager.
Share your tips on being a good leader with us. We would love to hear them!
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About the Author
Joyce Fiodembo, InternationalNurseSupport.com
Joyce’s blog, InternationalNurseSupport.com is dedicated to writing and publishing material that will give you practical ideas as well as inspire and support you. The goal of this site is to make it easier for you to settle and thrive as a nurse.
