Getting into Good Trouble as a Leader

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

This week, we celebrate the life of and mourn the death of an iconic leader – Congressman John Lewis. Lewis urged us to be courageous and not to walk past things that need to be changed. He recommended that we “find a way to get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.” He wore as a badge of honor his own 45 arrests for protesting change and equality. He understood that any large scale change would require persistence and time.

If there was ever a time that nurse leaders needed to act courageously and get into good trouble, it is now. The past five months have ripped the bandaid off every problem and fragility in our healthcare delivery system. We can no longer deny how much is broken in the system from challenges with our supply chains to ensuring health equity. Many frontline nurses are discouraged by what they see as a failure of national planning that has put them in harm’s way. There is no sugar coating the truth in that fear.

It takes courage in leadership to do what is right and acknowledge what is wrong, despite risking negative repercussions. Fear is the most common reason that people give when they avoid being courageous. Think about how you feel when you watch a leader who demonstrates personal courage. Most likely, you will trust that leader more. You saw it in the bipartisan reaction to John Lewis’s death.

Courage comes from feeling deeply about our values and working to achieve goals that are consistent with those values. Although sticking to the status quo may be tempting, this is not how change occurs. Every leader ultimately has the choice to either lead with courage or lead without it. Taking a risk in situations where you feel passionately or a deep sense of purpose does not guarantee a successful outcome. But many leaders throughout their careers have situations where they did not speak up and later profoundly regret it. Getting into good trouble can begin with small acts such as:

Providing honest feedback in conversations and discussions.
Sharing alternative viewpoints with the rest of the team.
Speaking up rather than being complicit in silence.
Not settling for “we have always done it this way.”
Making decisions when you are in uncharted territory and the safe path is to do nothing.

As we move into the future past COVID-19, we will need innovation in nursing and health care that is both ground-breaking and tradition defying. We need nurse leaders who have a “never again” list that they are willing to put on the table for discussion. We need to be able to talk honestly about what went wrong and how we can better care for our nursing workforce in the future. We need to be clear about honoring our values and building coalitions that are willing to help us. When things have gone wrong, we need to take a lesson from John Lewis who recommended that we get in the way and make some noise

Read to Lead

Love, A. (July 27th 2020 SmartBrief Blog). Leading like John Lewis: 4 pillars of leadership.

Read Rose Sherman’s new book available now – The Nurse Leader Coach: Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave

Virtual Workshops for Nurse Leaders are now available. Learn more at Virtual Workshops