Emerging Nurse Leader

A leadership development blog

Feeling Fear but Taking the Plunge

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN One of my graduate students is a very high potential nurse leader in a rapidly expanding health system.  She is on a fast track to the CNO role and is afraid.   She told me that she was worried about failure - what if I can't do the job and let everyone down.  I asked her what is the worst thing that could possibly happen if she … [Read more...]

Acknowledging Your Mistakes

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN A new manager recently talked with me about mistake that she had made in scheduling staff.  A staff member had asked for time off to attend a relative's wedding.  The manager acknowledged the email request and said yes but then mistakenly deleted it.  When the schedule was posted, the staff member became upset because she was not … [Read more...]

The Perils of Perfectionism in Leadership

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN French author Voltaire wrote, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.”  I thought about this when I was working with a new nurse manager who described herself as a perfectionist.  She has very high standards for both herself and others.  While a little perfectionism can be a good thing in leadership, too much can be a double edged … [Read more...]

Avoiding These Top Ten Leadership Mistakes

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN It is always interesting to ask nurse leaders about the mistakes that they have made in their roles.  Most leadership mistakes are not big failures, but smaller mistakes that they often repeated early in their careers.  Experience is a good teacher but as one seasoned leader laughingly told me, “to be honest, I was not a quick … [Read more...]

Conflict with a New Boss

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Managing conflict well is a challenge for most nurse leaders under the best of circumstances.  When the conflict is with your boss, it can be difficult and stressful.  One of my colleagues talked with me about her dilemma with her boss.  My colleague has been in a director role in her hospital for almost ten years.  A new CNO was … [Read more...]