CNO Advice to Emerging Leaders

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each year as part of a graduate leadership program, my students interview their Chief Nursing Officer.  One of the questions they ask concerns the advice that the CNOs would give to nurses just starting their leadership careers.  The following comments were from interview conducted in September 2018 with 18 Chief Nursing Officers in South Florida.

CNO Advice for Emerging Nurse Leaders

• Be a lifelong learner and keep learning always.
• Take leadership classes ideally before you move into leadership.
• Take care of staff so they can take care of patients – this is your key role as a leader.
• Get involved in projects and committees before you move into leadership to gain experience.
• Believe in yourself in tough times – you can do this.
• Seek out a good leader you respect and ask to be mentored.  Mentorship is key to leadership development.
• Stay positive even when you don’t feel positive.
• Be innovative and willing to take chances.
• Don’t take things so personally or you won’t survive in a leadership role.
• Don’t be afraid to just do it sometimes.
• Leave if you can’t find the joy in a position.
• Ask good questions – this is how you will learn.
• Stay committed and engaged to avoid burnout.
• Make a leadership development plan – don’t leave it to chance and update it every year.
• Keep the focus on the patient and patient-centered care.
• Take opportunities to advance – just say yes and be willing to step outside your comfort zone.
• Develop a career you can be proud of – be true to yourself.
• Look inside yourself first before you lead others – make sure you are ready. Personal mastery is the key.
• Read (a lot) and observe leaders – you can learn a great deal from the experiences of others.
• Put yourself in uncomfortable situations – this is how you learn.
• Don’t try to fix everything that is broken – use your political capital wisely.
• Don’t fight every battle – choose the ones that matter the most.
• Recognize that leadership positions carry enormous responsibilities.
• Get good solid clinical experience before you move into leadership
• Don’t rush to move up the ladder – stop and learn each role
• Be humble and willing to acknowledge your mistakes.
• Be the leader that you would want to follow – you can’t lead if you have no followers.  Leadership is about influence.
• Walk the talk – what you do is so much more important than what you say.
• Be consistent and aim for excellence.
• Be true to who you are.  This is how you will be an authentic leader.
• Advance your education – get certified…stay educated about healthcare changes.
• Be flexible – say yes when possible.
• Don’t get discouraged if you make a mistake and fail.  It is part of learning.
• Think outside the box – seek to be innovative.
• Make the difficult decisions and be decisive.
• Take care of yourself. Leadership requires a high level of energy.

There is so much good advice here from our 18 seasoned nurse leaders.  If you can do all of these things as a leader, you will excel.

© emergingrnleader.com 2018