Good advice can come from many different sources. According to my mother and a sage Greek philosopher, we should listen twice as much as we talk. As a nurse leader, you should do the same.
As a nurse leader, you should know what your staff thinks about their jobs. Do you know how they feel about their schedules, assignments, patient care and staffing issues, or what may be worrying them and holding them back from moving ahead on their education and careers? Do you make time for these things, or are you too busy running meetings, working on budgets, making announcements, and overseeing new programs, policies, and procedures that add up to a lot more time talking than listening?
These are questions that probably resonate with most of you, and I’m sure you’ve asked yourself similar ones in the past. Maybe they remind you of some good advice you got from your mother a long time ago: “You were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason.” The actual quote, which long predates your mother’s version, came from the Greek philosopher Epictetus from all the way back in 55 A.D.:
“We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Now, more than 2,000 years later it’s still a quote that leaders should consider.
A little quiz for every nurse leader
Leadership isn’t easy, especially in nursing. Its demands can be overwhelming, and at times seem almost insurmountable. Each nurse leader has many responsibilities, and to accomplish everything she or he must constantly work on their skills —important among them — listening.
Listening is necessary to good leadership; hearing is crucial to it. The two go hand in hand.
You can’t fix things you don’t know about. You can’t understand what staff is going through if you don’t ask them. And you’ll never know who’s angry, hurt or worried — or what’s really happening on the unit or in the department — if you don’t listen and really hear them.
Here are a few questions to help you assess how you’re doing with the talking-to-listening ratio Epictetus and your mom suggested:
- Do I know how much my staff knows about the impact of budgetary constraints on patient care ratios, and do I give them opportunities to ask questions and get answers?
- Do I let staff know how to get their voices heard?
- Do I share the “why” of organizational decisions and plans?
- Do let them know I always “go to bat” for them and advocate for them with administration on staffing, scheduling, overtime and work-life balance issues?
- Do I place importance on staff satisfaction and get input from them on how patient acuity, ratios and mix, overtime, scheduling and workload are affecting unit morale and performance?
- Does my staff feel appreciated? Is our unit environment a positive one? Does thanking and recognizing staff go beyond employee award programs and Nurses Week celebrations?
- Do I periodically involve members of the C-suite in staff meetings so my staff can be heard? Do I invite …read more
Read full article here: nurse.com
