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EVERY NURSE IS A LEADER
Leadership can arise at any level and take shape informally and
informally. The hallmarks of a leader are:
Taking ownership; not waiting for delegated authority,
Building interpersonal relationships,
Inspiring others to follow their lead,
Embracing creativity and innovation,
Empowering others, and
Challenging the status quo.
3. Leader ship in Nur sing
Laura Wisniewski, RN, BS, CIC in All Nurses are Leaders, uses the letters
in the word LEADERSHIP as an acronym for the ten learnable
characteristics of all nurses as leaders:
L: LIFE-LONG LEARNER
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy
Whether in nursing school, passing the nursing state board exam,
clinical specialization and advanced certifications or obtaining other
advanced degrees, nursing students are constantly learning. Once in
the profession and throughout their careers, nurses must continuously
learn, unlearn and re-learn to keep up with changes in health care
deliver, technology and evidence-based practice.
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E: EMPATHETIC
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato
Empathy is the capacity to recognize or understand
another’s state of mind or emotion. It is characterized as
the ability to put your self into someone else’s shoes.
Empathy is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to effectively
perceive, express, and understand your emotions and the
emotions of others.
Nurses are called upon day in and day out to help others,
so recognizing how those people feel is critical to
delivering superior health care.
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A: ADVOCATE
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
An advocate is one who speaks on behalf of
another person. Nurses have a legal and
moral duty to speak and act on the behalf of
their patients. There is no greater privilege or
responsibility in the profession of nursing.
Nurses should also be advocates for each
other in order to strengthen the profession
and provide even better patient care.
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D: DECISIVE
“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to
decide.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
Critical thinking is non-linear thinking,
recognizing potential consequences and
preparing for various outcomes. Critical
thinkers have the ability to prioritize,
problem-solve, utilize available resources,
collaborate, and ultimately decide on a
course of action.
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E: EXTRAORDINARY
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an
uncommon way.” – Booker T. Washington
Nurses often hear the comment from others, “I
could never do what you do.” The U.S.
Department of Labor identifies eight universal
job skills. Most occupations require four or
less of these skills. Nursing requires all eight
skills which include: leadership/ persuasion,
problem solving, teamwork, manual dexterity,
instructing others, intuition, frequent public
contact and physical stamina.
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R: RESILIENT
“There are three constants in life; change, choice and principles.” –
Stephen R. Covey
All industries, including health care, are experiencing
unprecedented rapid “white water” change. Change now occurs
faster in a year than previously during a decade. How can nurses
keep up with this pace while remaining both safe and relevant? As
nurses follow their personal and professional guiding principles
they will effectively choose what must change and what must not
change in nursing.
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S: SUPPORTIVE
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
Nurses depend on the support of other nurses. This support is
demonstrated through teamwork, mentoring and the deeper bonds
of friendship. These unique relationships are forged through
shared experiences, successes and overcoming challenges.
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H: HEROIC
“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do
things with great love.” – Mother Teresa
The literal meaning of the word hero is protector,
defender or guardian. To be heroic is having or
displaying the character or attributes of a hero such
as being extraordinarily bold, altruistic, and
determined.
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I: INTUITIVE
“It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what
my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea.” – Jonas Salk
Intuition is insight or understanding of a
situation that cannot be explained logically.
It is often described as a “gut feeling”.
According to nursing expert Patricia Benner,
“Intuition is not the lack of knowledge;
rather it is a result of “deep” knowledge.”
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P: PURPOSE DRIVEN
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” – Robert
Byrne
According to the American Nurses Association,
“Nursing is the protection, promotion, and
optimization of health and abilities, prevention of
illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through
the diagnosis and treatment of human response,
and advocacy in the care of individuals, families,
communities, and populations.” It is difficult to
imagine a more significant life purpose than
becoming a nurse.
