Meet Upcoming Challenges with Authentic Leadership

A number of challenges are expected to plague the nursing profession in the coming years, not least of which is the expected shortfall of tens of thousands of nurses. In order to meet these challenges, nurses will need to employ an element of authenticity in their leadership as explained by Patricia A. Moloney-Harmon, advanced practice nurse and clinical nurse specialist for Children’s Services at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and Sharon Rossi, director of patient care, women’s and children’s services at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, at yesterday’s session, “Authentic Leadership: This Will Be Nursing’s Finest Hour.”

“Becoming an authentic leader is not the destination,” Rossi said. “It is the journey.”

Characteristics of an Authentic Leader

“The most effective strategy for impacting this [nursing] shortage is improving the work environment,” Rossi said. “So what is a healthy work environment?”

Rossi explained the elements that are necessary for authentic leaders to employ in order to sustain a healthy work environment, which include mutual trust, respect, promoting a culture that supports communication and collaboration and a positive tone that allows for a cheerful family atmosphere.

“The Institute of Medicine has stated that the leader has a key role in transporting the work environment for nurses and keeping patients safe,” Rossi said.

Building a Framework

The basic foundation from which an authentic leader builds his or her style relies on five main components – understanding his or her purpose, the practice of solid values, the ability to lead with heart, the establishment of lasting relationships and the practice of self-discipline.

“Life is not always going to be easy but I think that it is important as an authentic leader to work together and to really trust yourselves during stressful times,” Rossi said. “Everyone working together can make the situation better.”

From these components, professionals can develop a framework within which to develop a positive working relationship with colleagues and coworkers.

Dialogue Heals

Taking cues from the book Crucial Conversations, Moloney-Harmon explained that authentic leaders do not underestimate the power of conversation.

Overcoming communication problems relies greatly on repairing communication breakdowns and recognizing the power of dialogue to truly transform a work environment into a healthy work environment.

Additionally, taking the time to recognize and address the ways authentic leaders handle different situations, specifically under stress, can also reduce confrontation in the workplace.

“Given all the challenges that we have… we could choose to say that nursing is in a really bad place right now and this could be the worst of times for us or it could be our finest hour,” she said.