COVID-19 leveled assaults on nurses that far exceeded almost anything faced or addressed before in health care. Around the world, nurses experienced trauma and burnout (Chen et al., 2021) as they did their work in the context of pandemic-driven needs. Many times, nurses felt that they were in a war zone; this time, the enemy was a deadly and mysterious virus.
Even as the worst assaults of the pandemic waned, nurses faced a "new normal" (Sampaio et al., 2021) that incorporated constant change and unpredictability. Staff and resource shortages demanded rapid and decisive action often in the absence of assured outcomes. Exposure to often-immeasurable risk characterized nurses' everyday experiences (Galanis et al., 2021).
The need for competent leadership in response to COVID-19's assaults on nurses was clear. Nurse leaders' commitment in the time of COVID-19 extended far beyond that required in less tumultuous circumstances. Addressing and supporting nurses' personal needs for being heard, protected, prepared, supported, and genuinely cared about (Shanafelt et al., 2020) became central to nurse leaders' daily work. Their charge was "to nurse" the entire system and all its parts. When they did, their leadership was not only visible (Rosser et al., 2020) but deeply respected. They were beloved in the midst of COVID-19's inherent calamity.
I write today to share a reflection I had several years ago during a conversation with my dad, a veteran of World War II. Growing up, my dad always lauded the praises of General Eisenhower, a general he served under and knew personally. He would say, "we loved him"; "he [General Eisenhower] was the best general to serve under; there wasn't one soldier that I knew who, upon his direction, wouldn't march into hell for him." These were astonishing words! March into hell? I wondered what kind of leader could engender a level of confidence, loyalty, commitment, trust, and love that would bring another human to follow such orders.
By the time I became a nurse, I truly understood the importance of leadership to the quality of my work. So I asked my dad, "What did Eisenhower do to command that much respect and authority?" The response was, "It's simple. We knew there was danger. Our lives were at stake with any wrong move, there was a lot of risk-after all, we were at war. But Eisenhower never sent us in without measuring the risk very carefully. And there were times he refused to go forward because too many of us would lose our lives. Each and every soldier was important to him. The mission had to happen and we needed to win but he cared about each of us as if we were his own sons-and we knew that. That's all you can ask of a leader."
As nurses, we know the importance of our work for achieving optimal patient outcomes. Our skills as nurses-our critical thinking, our organization, and our insight into the needs of patients-are vital to quality care. We know, too, that the work we do-especially in the complex aftermath of COVID-19-is not without its inherent dangers. But feeling that our leaders are watching over us, that they recognize our needs as nurses, and that they always measure the risks that threaten us as nurses-that they hear our needs for support as we face what is often unknowable-is priceless.
The lesson I learned from my dad is clear to me each day. Being there for us and for the work we do (Wei et al., 2019), visibly responding rapidly and decisively (James & Bennett, 2020; Rosser et al., 2020), but never without measuring the risks. That's all you can ask of a leader.
Thank you, Dad, for your service. Also, thank you, General Eisenhower, for your example.
[In loving memory of Master Staff Sergeant Steven Belonick, Army Air Corps World War II, died in 2019, at the age of 103].
Cynthia Belonick, PMHCNS, APRN, RN
Conflict of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest
Funding
There is no funding associated with this project.
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