By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN
“We spend a lot of time teaching our leaders what to do. We don’t spend enough time teaching them what to stop.”
The above quote from Peter Drucker, the father of modern management practice, is an interesting one and includes an idea that rarely receives leadership development attention. Knowing what leadership behaviors to practice are important, but it is equally important to consider behaviors that you exhibit that are not helpful to your team. Here are 10 leadership behaviors to stop doing in 2021.
1. Adding too much value
Do you feel compelled to comment on every situation or wordsmith every document you are given to review? You don’t need to do this. Your team probably finds this behavior annoying, but few people will say anything. Consider whether what you are about to say really adds value to the discussion. Learning when to say nothing and let others talk is a skill that many leaders need to develop. Be More like Yoda and less Superman to develop your staff.
2. Passing judgment too quickly
Many good ideas are never implemented because nurse leaders are too quick to pass judgment on the idea or the person. Staff will stop offering suggestions if they feel that their leader will shut down the discussion. Some nurse leaders pass judgment on their diverse workforce’s values, beliefs, and attitudes without trying to understand others’ viewpoints in today’s environment. Don’t be this leader.
3. Passing the buck
Some nurse leaders present changes in policies or procedures as decisions that are entirely outside of their control that has been imposed by out of touch administrators. Often there is a good rationale for changes that staff is not educated about. Interestingly leaders who do this are viewed as being powerless in the eyes of their staff.
4. Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However.”
Some leaders shut down discussion with the use of words like no, but, or however. The message to the other person is not that they have a different opinion but rather that they are wrong. Monitor your conversations to see how often you use these words – you may be surprised.
5. Speaking when angry
Emotional volatility is not a good management tool. Nurse leaders must learn to control their anger, even in challenging conversations. Leadership reputations can be severely damaged when leaders have an angry emotional response to a situation. It is far better to say nothing or walk away from the other person with the words you need to think about what has happened.
6. Withholding information
Some nurse leaders falsely believe that information is power. This can work in the short run to maintain an advantage over someone else, but it rarely works in the long run. Withholding information breeds distrust. In today’s environment, our younger generations of nurses look for transparency and want information shared with them. Sharing information will, in fact, make you a more powerful leader.
7. Failing to give proper recognition
All staff wants to be valued for their contributions to the work of the team. When leaders fail to say thank you or take the recognition for themselves, staff feel devalued. Great leaders understand a need to shift the focus of recognition from themselves to their teams.
8. Playing favorites
Naturally, nurse leaders may feel closer to some staff than others. What is important as a leader is to be fair and discourage behaviors that appear to others as “fawning over you” to engender favoritism. Sometimes nurse leaders play favorites with staff who are not their top performers, which tilts the field against honest, principled employees who won’t play along.
9. Multitasking instead of listening
Nurse leaders have extremely challenging and busy roles. The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for a staff member is to continue multitasking (reading email, answering phone calls) when trying to have an important conversation with you. An interesting thing about listening is that people don’t notice when you do it but are certainly aware when you are not listening.
10. Failing to express gratitude
Thank you is a magical gesture that some nurse leaders don’t use enough. There is nothing more disheartening to staff than to be short-staffed, work hard, and hear nothing from their leader. Gratitude is important in leadership, especially today.
As leaders, all of us have things that we do well. Most of us also have annoying habits that we need to stop doing. Make 2021 your year to stop some behaviors that are not serving you well in your leadership.
Read to Lead
Goldsmith, M. (2007). What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. New York: Hyperion.
Launch 2021 by giving your leadership team the gift of a highly rated webinar – Nursing Leadership in 2021: Rebooting after a Life-Quake A Nursing Leadership Reboot Workshop
Coming Soon a New Book to Strengthen Your Leadership in 2021 – The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership: Your Toolkit for Success
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
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