With the ubiquity of celebrity poker tournaments and amateur Texas Hold 'Em games, many of us have embraced our inner card sharks. Sooner than we can say, "I fold," we quickly find out that to win the game, the cards need to be in perfect alignment. If just one card is out of place, we lose. We inevitably reshuffle the deck and try again, and again, and again, until finally, with skill-and a little luck along the way-we reach our objective and win the game. The same principle applies to leadership-keep reshuffling and success is just one simple card away.
A key to successful leadership is ensuring that you correctly assess the problem, develop an action plan, define your objective, and establish the goal you're trying to achieve. Following these steps will help improve your chances for success. A haphazard approach to resolving an issue can cause frustration, staff disengagement, and failure. It's imperative that you begin by understanding what it is you want to achieve. Secondly, develop a methodical plan to attain a successful outcome.
A leader must have a vision or a mental image of the desired result. In the process of formulating your vision, begin by asking yourself several questions. Is your aim in alignment with the organization's strategic imperatives? Who or what will be affected by the change? Will you be able to garner support from your staff, peers, and supervisor? Are resources available to accomplish your goal? What's your time frame for implementation, and is it realistic?
Alignment of your vision with the goals of the organization begins by considering the culture of the institution. The origins of a vision must be developed through discussion of your ideas and thoughts with your colleagues. A vision can't be developed in isolation. Through collaboration and informal dialogue you can gain an understanding of what people value and hold as important. Exchanging ideas and gearing the conversation toward a common desire will lead to establishing an effective and achievable game plan. Devise action steps in a formal, sequential format that provides structure while maintaining flexibility to allow for creativity.
Once the vision is defined, it must be articulated in a manner that's unambiguous-don't keep people guessing. It's extremely difficult to garner support if people aren't clear on the objective. Educating the staff on the goal through verbal and written communication techniques will facilitate staff buy-in. Be consistent in your message. Use language that's understandable and pertinent to achieve the desired objective. Attend staff meetings, publish newsletters, and be relentless in sending a consistent message.
Staff must be aligned with the vision. Don't be afraid to seek the commitment of others to attain the goal. Ask what others are going to do in their daily practice to achieve the vision. Evaluate everyone's performance on how well they accomplish the goal.
When success is achieved, recognition must be shared. Acknowledging the hard work of the staff will set the foundation for future success. Thanking your staff members goes a long way toward improving work performance and should never be a forgotten step in the process.
Everyone likes to win. Whether it's playing a card game, winning a race, or improving patient satisfaction scores or quality indicators, everyone wants to achieve. Provide an opportunity for the staff and your patients to succeed by shuffling the cards until you get it right. That way, everyone can sit in the winner's box.
This year's Nursing Management Congress2005 will provide attendees with many opportunities to learn how to align their work to meet desired outcomes. Come join us in finding the magic of leadership in Disney World (http://www.nmcongress.com).