Authors

  1. Hader, Richard RN, CHE, CPHQ, NE, BC, PhD, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief

Article Content

Having trouble balancing quality, safety, patient and employee satisfaction, and efficiency concerns? You're not alone. Tens of thousands of nurse leaders throughout the United States and abroad are attempting to solve similar mandates. The mounting intensity of not only meeting but also consistently exceeding expectations appears on every healthcare leader's agenda. The industry is becoming acutely more complex, resulting in leadership frustration and burnout. How can we best ensure that we possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to achieve while remaining committed and engaged to the profession of leading others?

  
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Taking the time to garnish support and learn from our colleagues' experience is prudent because it stimulates ideas to bring resolution to seemingly unsolvable problems. Engaging in constructive networking with those who have similar roles and responsibilities as your own may yield answers to questions you've been unable to solve. Dialoguing with colleagues will enable you to learn from the experience of others while simultaneously learning new methods to decode puzzling problems.

 

Seeking out new information and staying current with trends in the profession can be accomplished by attending professional conferences. This will provide several opportunities to exchange knowledge with experts in the nursing leadership field. Many of these professionals have extensive experience and built their careers on studying the business of the profession, making them adept at conveying important messages.

 

To avoid being stagnant in your job, it's important to take time to intermittently remove yourself from the daily operations of the business unit so that you have more time to think about strategies for success without being caught up in daily activities. Stepping back will allow you to be more objective, visionary, and action oriented. By failing to appropriately plan, your implementation efforts will be thwarted, leading to vexation and disengagement by both you and your staff. By taking time away, you'll be able to revitalize your commitment by reflecting on innovative ideas and strategies that will help you generate solutions to burning issues.

 

A great opportunity to network with your colleagues, speak with vendors, and learn from experts in the field is by attending Nursing Management Congress2008 in Las Vegas September 28 through October 2, 2008 at the Las Vegas Hilton. A relaxing yet invigorating environment will provide you with time to create your vision for your business unit. The speakers are nationally recognized experts in the field of business and healthcare leadership. Come share your ideas and bring home tools to help you achieve your goals. For more information, visit http://www.nmcongress.com. Hope to see you placing your bets on the best nursing leadership conference in the country!!

 

Richard Hader

 

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