Be More Yoda and Less Superman

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

A nurse manager tells the following story. I manage a small unit and often take patient care assignments. This means I take work home and do it on the weekends – never fully recharging my batteries. I just took a two-week vacation over Christmas and things imploded. My staff was on the phone nonstop with the leader who covered my area for all things big and small. My colleague told me that I had not empowered the team and they were too reliant on me. Sadly, she is right. I want to be supportive and be there with them, working side by side, but it is all too much now. 

I hear stories like this every week from managers. They work with young staff with little experience who, in the words of one manager, can melt down very quickly when overwhelmed. Nurse leaders like the manager above are often selected for their positions because they are both great problem solvers and responsible for ensuring things get done. These are wonderful strengths, but when you move into leadership, you must transition from being an individual performer to being a team coach who gets work done through others. This means that you must be less like Superman and more like Yoda.

The Yoda is there to coach and support the team but will not solve all their problems.  The Yoda is okay with things not being done their way and recognizes that mistakes will be part of the learning.  When confronted with problems brought by staff, the Yoda asks questions that point staff in the right direction but does not give them the solution.  The Yoda leader can take a day off and not receive 50 texts from staff about what is happening in the unit.  The Yoda recognizes that they should not be indispensable or believe no one in the unit could take their place if they left.

Some steps to move from being Superman to Yoda include the following:

• Set boundaries around your work and home life – no one will do this for you in your leadership role.
• Discuss with staff what critical problems you need to be informed about at home and what issues and problems they should try to solve without your input.
• Don’t be afraid to close your office door to complete your work and hang a sign indicating that you are available for “emergency issues,” and then be clear about those issues.
• Avoid solving the problem even if you can do it quickly – instead, give guidance and ask questions such as what should your next step be in this situation.
• Accept that staff may make decisions that are different from how you would have managed the situation – offer thoughtful and supportive feedback if you feel they have made a mistake, such as how could you have managed this situation differently?

Being more Yoda takes more of your time initially, but the long-term payoff can be significant.  As one of my mentors once told me – when I look at nurse manager success – I study what happens when the leader is not there much more than when they are there.  The sign of a good leader is being able to take time off and trust that things will work smoothly.