By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN
“Change before you have to change.” Jack Welch
We are living in a health care environment that is undergoing massive change. Although there are still many unknowns with health reform, one certainty is that things will never be the same again. The delivery of health care is shifting from a “hospital centric” environment to one that is more “community based”. If you are a practicing nurse leader today, it is very likely that over the next decade your role will change in significant ways. The future healthcare environment will require a different leadership mindset and possibly new competencies. So how can you prepare today for the future and acquire new skill sets? Here are five suggestions to begin rebooting your leadership career:
1. Broaden you horizons and networks
If you have spent your career in an acute care environment, you may have few professional friends working in community-based settings, long-term care settings, hospice or home care. Broaden your professional network to include leaders in these areas so you can learn more about their challenges and the expertise to lead in these areas. With the evolution of accountable care organizations, there will be more leadership opportunity to manage patients across the continuum of care but to effectively do this – you will need a broader knowledge base.
2. Be a continuous learner
The challenge to continue to grow and learn as a leader is one that each person must accept for themselves. Personal leadership development is just that—personal. There are many excellent free resources that can help you do this. The following are some of my top recommendations of free resources to help you grown as a leader and stay informed about changes in the healthcare environment:
Hospitals and Health Networks
Hospitals and Health Networks is published by Health Forum and is the official publication of the American Hospital Association. Free digital and magazine subscriptions are available for nurse leaders. The publication covers a wide range of healthcare leadership topics and is providing very up to date information on changes in healthcare and the hospital industry. Podcast interviews with health leaders are also available on the site. http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/index.jsp
Fierce Healthcare
FierceHealthcare is a daily newsletter that is a leading source of healthcare management news. This is an excellent resource for nurse leaders on a wide range of healthcare leadership topics and will keep you up to date on all aspects of health reform. Subscriptions are free. http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/
Kaiser Health News
Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news organization committed to in-depth coverage of health care policy and politics of interest to healthcare leaders. A free email news subscription is available. at http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/?utm_source=khn&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=nav-bar
Harvard Business Review Ideacast
The HBR IdeaCast, from the publishers of Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Press, and hbr.org, features breakthrough ideas and commentary from the leading thinkers in business and management. These are weekly podcasts and you can subscribe to them for free on Itunes. https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/hbr-ideacast/id152022135?mt=2
Ted Talks on Leadership
TED is a nonprofit devoted to ideas worth spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. The Ted talks on leadership are wonderful short videos from some of the most creative thinkers in the world on leadership. http://www.ted.com/search?cat=ss_all&q=leadership
3. Update your education
In times of change, advancing your education can prove to be a wise investment. Advanced education programs give you an opportunity to explore new areas of health care that you may know less about and do leadership practicum hours with community-based leaders. When you return to school, you will also enhance your skills with technology as many courses are offered online using some of the latest networking innovations. This will be a key skill in the future when patients are managed and monitored in their homes via technology.
4. Explore different career possibilities
Up to this point in your career, you may have limited your job searches to acute care settings. Why not consider a broader range of community settings including corporate settings and insurance companies. Learn the key competencies that employers seek today so you can update your skills if needed. Don’t be afraid to move outside your comfort zone for it is here that the opportunity lies for great personal development.
5. Volunteer for stretch assignments
Many health care organizations today are forming new teams to explore patient transition across the continuum of care. Why not be proactive – and volunteer to become part of a task force even if it means doing additional work on your personal time. It is often these stretch assignments that lead to new career options.
Abraham Lincoln once wisely observed that “the best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” We have the ability to give ourselves the future that we desire if we consider in advance what we need to do to prepare. For most of us, this will involve rebooting our leadership career – beginning now.
Read to Lead
Cardillo, D. (March 2014). Ten tips to help reboot your nursing career. American Nurse Today.
© emergingrnleader.com 2014
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