Whether you’re getting ready to launch an important project on your nursing unit or you’re organizing a nursing team to travel to the remote jungles of South America or distant lands in Africa, the principles are the same. You’ll need the commitment of nurses and other team members who will get the job done. How do you begin?
Here are seven important tips that will help motivate your nurses and transform your project.
1. Be Completely Transparent
Never underestimate the effects of a well-informed team. Transparency is vital to empowering individuals. Begin by approaching individuals one-on-one. Share with them the vision, your scope with the project and personally invite them to be a part of the team. Discuss the challenges you face and acknowledge the specific gifts they can bring to the table. Then, invite the appointed team to a meeting and show them the ‘end product’ of what you’re trying to achieve. Use pictures and other visuals to explain the scope of the project. Start by sharing the ‘end result’ and then work backwards to achieve it.
2. Empower Your Team. Motivate Them!
Developing partnerships and professional relationships with those who work for you is important for successful outcomes. Command and control models (the you do what I say mentality) encourages resistance, frustration and resentment. Individuals need to be a part of the growth and evolution of a project and feel important. Engage them by encouraging their ideas and feedback. More often than not, they understand the issues at hand because they work the front lines every day. Put out a request for specific individuals to lead special components of your project. Most times, individuals will rise to the occasion. Work with them to establish strong peer nursing network groups who will support the goals of the project and provide ideas, feedback and new approaches to solving some of the more difficult issues. Keep dialogue open and flowing. Mentor and coach your lead people. Schedule weekly feedback sessions with individuals you’ve put in charge to help you. Most importantly, let go of some of the control! As hard as that may be for you, it will have big payoffs in the long run.
3. Encourage Innate Skills
Encourage your team to use their innate skills to solve the issues. These include: intuitiveness, practicality, social and emotional intelligence, creativity, life experience, motivational skills, artistic ability, communication skills, natural talent and out-of-the-box thinking. Yes, that’s right. Your team is loaded with all sorts of innate gifts and while their ‘educational background and nursing ability’ is important, don’t forget to tap into their innate gifts; they are integral human beings and aren’t disassociated from their natural God-given abilities to create and solve issues. These components of team dynamics are often times missed, put in the ‘parking lot’ or ignored in organizations, especially in the nursing team setting.
4. Develop Your Professional Relationships
Relationship building is important. There is only one way to get to know the members of the project team. Spend one-on-one time with them. Use e-mail as the LAST resort to communicate with them. Rather, call them on the phone, talk with them in person and encourage them to call you when ever needed. Build trust with those who are working for you; it will go a long way. Get to know your team and encourage their positive qualities and contributions.
5. Encourage Out of the Box Thinking
Albert Einstein once said “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” Often times, organizations utilize the same processes over and over again to complete their project work at hand and can’t understand why they’re not working or why they’re not getting the results they’re looking for. Choose a process that best works for your team. This may mean thinking out of the box, scheduling meetings at a restaurant or holding meetings by rotating groups at each member’s home – and or scheduling dinner and celebrations at the time of your meetings! Whatever works for the team! Encourage a ‘personal touch’ that promotes socialization and bonding. Encourage your team leaders to rotate with leading your team sessions.
6. Foster Self-Governance and Allow Mistakes
We all make mistakes. Give your team permission to make mistakes as they begin to take on greater responsibility with the project. Offer guidelines to keep them on track or ask them to develop their own guidelines that will provide target dates and goal setting. Promote an environment where they can share their mistakes freely without retribution. Allow them to set plans that coincide with specific target dates. Help them to use their mistakes as a stepping stone for future success.
7. Reward and Recognize
Share the Glory. The true success of any transformational leader is the people who work for them and not the opposite way around. Give your team the credit they deserve. Don’t ever take for granted that what they’re doing is part of their job description. Have a team member celebration or employee of the month corner, or feature your team members in the news, on your web site or place their pictures on a recognition board for all to see! Share with your team the outstanding work they’re doing. Send them a personal thank you card. But be sure to publicly thank them for a job well done.
Practicing these seven tips will allow you, as a transformational leader, to promote inspiration, motivation, shared governance and ability for individuals to tap into their skills and abilities and achieve the successful outcomes you’re all looking for.
By Mary F. McMahon, RN
Click here for more information on Mary Frances McMahon.
(Photo provided by Nurses for the Nations)
Visit Nurses for the Nations web site at http://www.nursesforthenations.org and read their nursing stories. Learn about their international service trips or feel free to email Mary at mmcmahon@nursesforthenations.org.
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