Nurse Leader Insight: Are You an Idea Killer?

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

I occasionally get emails from young emerging nurse leaders who read this blog or other articles that I have written. Some letters are quite compelling as these young leaders ask for advice on dilemmas that they face in the work environment. The following is an email that I received last week – reprinted with permission of the author without the use of her name.

I just finished reading your article, “Growing Future Nurse Leaders to Build and Sustain Healthy Work Environments at the Unit Level”. I was so happy to see that everything I have been saying we need in leaders is in print (and have found more and more support through research)! I am a relatively new nurse, I started as a Nurse’s Aide, then LPN, then on to ADN, and have been in healthcare a total of 14 years. Through the years I have said time and time again that we need leaders that “lead” by example, are honest, empowering, open minded, not afraid of change, are visible, and fair (can you tell I am a Gen Xer?) I have seen nurses broken down mentally, physically, and spiritually with no one to pick them up. So, I finally made the decision to change things from the inside out. I enrolled in our organization’s “Leadership Track” to help identify those interested in management, and to help us learn what Nurse Leadership is all about. My BIG dilemma is, all of the people “teaching me how to lead”. Our current Nurse Leaders have been with our organization for 30+ years. Every time someone brings up an idea, the response is mostly, “Well that’s a great idea, but we can’t do that here. We’ve never done anything like that”. I want to break out of the rut we are stuck in with our leadership. Do you have any suggestions on how to ease them into the new way of thinking? I have said time and time again that I am sick of being a NEW generation nurse stuck in an OLD generation way of nurse thinking!

The irony of this letter is that the killing of new ideas occurred within the context of a leadership development course where you would hope creativity would be fostered. It is reminder for all of us who in have been in leadership for years to ask ourselves whether we are idea killers. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Do you believe that your experience entitles you to judge whether an idea is a good one or bad one?

As a leader, you naturally have preferred ways of getting things done or solving problems BUT your way may not be the only way. It is important to give staff the accountability and responsibility to make decisions and take action without constantly having to seek your approval. Ask yourself whether you feel threatened when presented with new information.

2. Do you believe that failure is not an option?

There is much that can be learned from failure. Some initiatives don’t work but we have to be willing to let others try. As a nurse leader, you quickly learn that not every staff member on your team will be successful. Letting someone fail and leave with dignity can be the absolutely right thing to do in leadership.

3. Do you regularly question your own assumptions?

Killing new ideas means that you are failing to question your own assumptions which may not be correct. What if you are wrong? What if circumstances have changed? What if there is new evidence to support that something should be done a different way?

4. Do you respond to new ideas by saying “that can’t be done”?

There is no greater idea killer than the phrase “that can’t be done.” Some leaders quickly respond to suggestions with this phrase. Even when the suggestion seems outside the bounds of what can be done in an organization – a better response would be that you are not sure it is doable but together you should investigate the possibilities.

As we move forward with healthcare reform, it is likely that some of our basic assumptions about nursing and healthcare will be tested. Yet the key to effective nursing leadership will be this “unlearning” of what we may have always believed and willingness to set aside some of our sacred cows. This means listening to and being open to new and different ideas. If we to be serious about nurse leader succession planning, we need to be open to the ideas of our emerging nurse leaders. I would be interested in your thoughts and comments on this topic.