Leading Your Former Peers - Emerging Nurse Leader

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

Even during COVID-19, nurses are moving into leadership roles for the first time. Many of these nurses find themselves leading their former peers. The transition can be rocky, especially during these turbulent times. One new manager recently shared with me that several of her former peers are questioning her on her decisions. She wonders if she made a wise move taking the role.

Getting promoted from within has always been tricky. Not all your peers will be thrilled you were selected for the position. While having work experience in an organization when you accept a leadership role is often a tremendous advantage, it can also present some unique challenges. On the positive side, you will not have the steep learning curve about the unit/organizational culture or staff that a leader selected outside the unit might experience. But managing former peers when you have worked as a staff nurse co-worker, can be challenging even when they are supportive of your selection.

Your former opinions about unit functioning and your work habits are well known to your co-workers. In your new leadership role, you need to support and implement decisions made by your organizational leadership. Your relationship with your co-workers will inevitably change as you move from friend and confidant to manager and coach. This can lead to awkwardness as you seek a balance in a new and different relationship. There may also be a few staff who don’t support your selection and may have even applied for the position themselves. Navigating these changes can be challenging, but the following are some essential dos and don’ts.

The Dos

Meet individually with each staff member regardless of how well you know them. Inquire about their goals and expectations in the same way you would with new staff.
Tackle any awkwardness head-on by letting staff know that it can be challenging to switch from peer to nurse leader both for them and for you.
Acknowledge the disappointment of staff who may have applied for the role and were not selected.
Accept that some staff may decide to transfer or leave the unit because they are not happy with the change, including your selection.
Ask for the support of each staff member. Let them know that they are valued, and you need their assistance to be effective in your new role.
Use organizational knowledge that you have about staff from your previous role to your advantage by working hard to help the team achieve their goals and capitalize on their strengths.
Seek to achieve some early wins by helping to solve a few frustrating process or procedure problems in your area.
Work hard to earn trust and respect or your staff. Please don’t assume it will be automatic.
Seek out an experienced leader-mentor in your organization to talk through how to manage stressful situations.
Talk with staff members that you have had close friendships about how your relationship may need to change.

The Don’ts

Don’t begin your leadership role like a bull in a china shop, even if you know that significant change is needed. Initiate change incrementally.
Don’t play favorites with former friends. Work to be seen as someone who is consistently fair to everyone.
Be very cautious about socializing with former peers. It is often best to maintain a distance, especially in the initial stages of your transition.
Resist taking a patient assignment or getting too involved in clinical care if you have moved into a management role. You will neglect other responsibilities.
Don’t ignore performance problems in a former peer.
Don’t immediately de-friend everyone on your Facebook page, but do consider starting a professional page and don’t post personal items.

Leading former peers takes diplomacy and emotional intelligence. You can be friendly without being a friend. If it’s handled well, there comes a time when people forget that you were a peer and see you as their leader.

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

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