Why Leaders Need to Bend

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

During a recent live workshop, a nurse manager posed the following question:

I understand what you are saying about a new world of work and agree that our Generation Z nurses view their work and the organizations they work for differently. What troubles me is why I, as a leader, must be the one who bends. Why can’t today’s nurses come into organizations and go with the flow rather than always trying to redirect the flow? 

This leader poses an interesting question that frustrates many seasoned leaders. What is different about today’s nursing staff is that they are willing to vote with their feet and leave (sometimes before the end of orientation) if they feel their needs will not be accommodated. Leaders who refuse to bend in this environment may find themselves with a revolving door of staff that will ultimately impact the quality and safety of care.

In his new book, Ask, Jeff Wetzler points out that people do things that work for them. Leaders, too, do things based on what they believe to be true and makes sense to them. He warns that just because something makes sense to you does not mean that others will see it the same way. The older you get, the easier it is to hold viewpoints out of sync with the current workforce.

As I explained to this leader, most of the leaders I initially worked with in my career would probably not be successful today. For them, it was my way or the highway, and it worked in society at that time. But not today. Leaders today must see their leadership as a journey with curves in the road. Agility is essential, as is a willingness to change your mind. When I debated in high school, my coach had the mantra – “strong beliefs – weakly held.”  That was wise guidance because, in the sport of debate, you never knew which side of an argument you might be given to debate ahead of the competition.

Wetzler advises staying curious about behaviors, words, and actions you observe. Ask yourself questions like:

How does what they are doing make sense to them?

How do their viewpoints or actions serve their needs and make sense from their perspective?

How might your actions be contributing to their resistance? 

We can’t assume that we understand the true motivations or intentions of others unless we ask. I reminded this leader that young nurses today enter a turbulent practice environment with challenges that previous generations of nurses did not confront. Nursing is more complex; we have high volumes, and the acuity of patients grows as the population ages. Couple these work changes with changes in the workforce, which have led to staffing shortages and few expert nurses left at the bedside. It is not surprising that young staff are hyperfocused on their wellbeing.

So yes – wise leaders can read the tea leaves, ask good questions, and bend when the situation warrants it. And yes – this advice is simple but not easy for leaders to implement.

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