Emerging Nurse Leader

A leadership development blog

Building a Culture of Team Backup

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Casey Stengel, the late and great coach of the Yankees, once noted that you can hire great players but getting them to play together is another story.  Most nurse leaders would agree with this assessment. Building effective teams can be very challenging in nursing especially with 12-hour shifts where team composition is constantly … [Read more...]

The High Cost of Lost Trust in Leadership

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN A manager recently asked me what she should do if she no longer trusted her CNO.  She had heard rumors that there was discussion about merging her unit with another unit in the hospital because of their volatile patient volumes.  The CNO told her that there were no such plans.  She soon learned otherwise.  The merger had been … [Read more...]

Recovering after a Negative Conversation

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN, NEA-BC There are few leaders that exquisitely manage every conversation that they have with a boss, a peer or a staff member.  But what do you do if you have really bungled a conversation and now worry that the relationship is damaged - maybe beyond repair.  That was a question I was recently asked by a colleague who lashed out during an … [Read more...]

The Power of Good Leadership Questions

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN             Leadership expert Michael Bungay-Stanier has noted that a great question can unlock powerful important answers. This is a secret that great leaders have always known - which is to talk less and ask more questions.  On his company website Box of Crayons  Bungay-Stanier has short … [Read more...]

When Initiatives Fail

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN A young leader was recently telling me about a wonderful new recognition program that she initiated on her unit.  She was sure that it would result in higher staff engagement.  She is now three months down the road and realizes that nothing has changed.  Staff seemed interested when she initially proposed it but now complain it involves too … [Read more...]