Leadership

1. Leadership requires personal mastery- In order for nurses to be effective leaders they must first master the art and skills of nursing themselves.

2. Leadership is about values- Nurses must poses good values in order to be viewed as a leader. No one is going to follow someone who the believe has poor values

3. Leadership is about service- Leadership in a sense is service. It is not like a manager where you are getting paid more to do more. You are giving your time and energy to serve those who follow you without compensation for it.

4. Leadership is about people and relationships- Nurses are dealing with people who look up to them on a daily basis. It is important for nurses to build a relationship with these people in order to be view as a good leader. We, as nurses want to influence people to make positive changes in their lives. They are much more likely to make these changes if they trust you.

5. Leadership is contextual- There are different situations in which nurses can be leaders. They can be leaders in the community, on the floor that they work on, in their families, and in their education. In each situation there is a different type of leadership that is necessary in order for success.

6. Leadership is about management of meaning- making things meaningful throughout your nursing career can hep you remember the important things you learn, and thus help improve your leadership skills.

7. Leadership is about balance- In order for a nurse to be a good leader they much have balance in their life. I feel a nurse with a good balance in her life would be more understanding, and work much better under a stressful situation than would a leader without balance.

8. Leadership is about continuous learning and improvement- Nursing roles are always changing and advancing. It is important for a nurse to continuously learn and improve in order to be a good leader.

9. Leadership is about effective decision making- Nurses are continuously in situations where they have to make decisions. A good leader will be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner.

10. Leadership is a political process- When I think of political process I think of democracy. Leaders are chosen by their followers. They are not appointed by someone above them like a manager. If no one chooses to follow you, than you are not a leader. This is true in any setting not just nursing.

11. Leadership is about modeling- I am a firm believer in the saying "lead by example" This is true in every area of life including nursing. It is hard to try to teach a patient about eating healthy and exercising to lose weight and decrease the risk of heart disease if you are over weight yourself.

12. Leadership is about integrity- Integrity is such an important part of being a nurse, integrity is also a very important part of being an effective leader.