Leader Presence In A Crisis - Emerging Nurse Leader

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

Things are not good in most hospitals in our country right now. Staff is exhausted and overwhelmed with the fourth surge of COVID patients. At the same time, some in the public continue to believe that mask mandates and vaccine requirements violate their freedom. Nurses talk about feeling like expendable heroes whose mental health and wellness no longer matters. Nurse leaders worry about what will happen with the nursing workforce when all of this is over.

In the face of all this turbulence, nurse leader presence (at all levels of the organization) and visibility matter now more than ever. The two most important things that leaders can do in a crisis are to be visible and express gratitude to the staff for showing up every day to do the hard work of patient care. This is not happening in all organizations. I was struck by a study published this month in the Journal of Nursing Administration about the lived experiences of critical care nurses during COVID. While nurses interviewed applauded their director for her continuous and unfailing presence, they did not feel that other levels of nursing administrators were present or seen during hard times. They really wanted their nurse executives to come to the unit and see what conditions were really like.

I have heard the same sentiments expressed by front-line leaders in the workshops I have been conducting. One told me she wished her CNO would just come to the unit and thank these nurses for showing up and doing this incredibly exhausting work. Some staff are just going so far above and beyond but feel invisible. It seems like all of this craziness and the unrelenting workload is how healthcare is today, so nurses should get used to it. It is bizarre for nurses to glance at televisions during their shift and see politicians act like nothing is happening while patients are dying all around them. They are beyond discouraged.

We know that command posts have been restarted in hospitals. Planning around meeting patient surges and staffing needs is non-stop. Yet while planning is essential, leadership visibility at all levels during crisis times is important to reduce rumors and communicate what is known. Without information, the staff fills the vacuum with stories and half-truths. Nurse leaders at every level need to be visibly present to support their teams. Ask the staff how they are doing and what you can do to help them right now.

During times like this, nurse leaders must think about their staff’s health and well-being as most have not recovered from previous COVID patient surges. Nurse leaders need to be the guardians of the health of the staff. You will only know how your staff is doing if you pay attention to what is happening and do your own observations.

We often learn the most about ourselves and our leadership during a time of crisis. While we know that this too will pass at some point, how we lead during the next few months in this high-stakes situation is critically important for the future of the nursing workforce.

Read to Lead

Brockopp, D. et al. (2021). Covid 19: The lived experiences of critical care nurses. Journal of Nursing Administration. 51(7/8). 374-378.

BRAND NEW WEBINAR Flyer Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave Nurse Retention in Turbulent Times

Give your leadership team the gift of a highly rated webinar – Nursing Leadership in 2021: Rebooting after a Life-Quake A Nursing Leadership Reboot Workshop.

Read the Nurse Leader Coach – Available at Amazon and Other Book Sellers.

Now Available to Strengthen Your Leadership in 2021 – The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership: Your Toolkit for Success