By Rose O. Sherman, Ed.D, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
I have been struck over the past two weeks at how many nurses interviewed by the press describe their work environments as “apocalyptic.” An apocalyptic event is defined as an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale. The turmoil in healthcare environments is so extreme that a recent survey from Vidant indicates that more than half of the 1200 nurses surveyed are not optimistic about the future of healthcare.
Nurse leaders are struggling to cope with staffing challenges and the rapidly declining well-being of their staff. What can I do when things seem so out of control is a common question I am asked. Research by the Gallup corporation has consistently found that followers value trust, stability, compassion, and hope most in their leaders. All are important, but many leaders struggle with creating stability for staff in a time of great change. If there was ever a time when stability was important, it’s right now. It is hard to do work when you feel a lack of psychological safety.
As one nurse leader recently told me, The fear is palpable on the faces of my staff – their eyes plead with me to reassure them – not again – tell me that it won’t be like it was last time during this next surge. Like many leaders, she is constantly thinking about what she can do to maintain a basic level of security without certainty because there are no guarantees about that. The following are five things leaders can do today to promote stability:
- Don’t be a manufacturer of chaos – some leaders thrive in chaos. Don’t be one of them. Often these leaders are masking insecurity. If everything is in a state of swirl, it is harder to be held accountable. They create chaos by failing to attend to what matters most during a crisis, including caring for their staff, being transparent in their communication, and focusing on quality and safe patient care. They have great ideas, no follow-through, and staff never know what is real and what is not. In these situations – it is the leader who is the drama king or queen.
- Be transparent in your communication – IHI researchers have recommended that leaders should be clear with staff that there is no clear playbook with COVID-19 “No one has ever gone through before what we are dealing with now – we need to get through this as a team.” This means that the evidence keeps changing, and so do policies and practices. We work from the best information that we have today.
- Be stable in your own behavior and routines – there is much that is not in a leader’s control today but how you show up, what you say, and how you behave is in your circle of influence. If the leader stays balanced and carries out their routines, such as leader rounding, the staff will feel safer. They need you to be their Rock of Gibraltar. To say “you’re my Rock of Gibraltar” is to use the biggest rock one can think of as a metaphor for the feelings of support and confidence that you give them.
- Be much more Yoda and a lot less Superman – many nurses are experiencing issues in their personal lives that are extremely challenging and beyond the help of the leader or even the organization. Recognize there will be things that you can’t fix – make peace with that and plan to be a good listener.
- Don’t make any promises that you can’t directly control – you may be asked by staff about what will happen with staffing as the nursing shortage intensifies or whether the new delta variant is just the first of many more variants to come. Staff wants a level of certainty around these issues that you can’t promise, so don’t. Reiterate that everyone is doing their best, but there are some unknown unknowns.
At this point, nurse leaders need to find the right balance of providing stability while giving followers hope and inspiration for the future. This is not easy, and you are heroes for doing this work during this difficult time.
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
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