The Care Facilitator

Anyone who has been in the medical field for any length of time knows that “eating our young” is part of the culture. There have been many articles, publications, blogs, etc. discussing this and its detriment to the profession yet it remains prevalent. Personally, I’ve always tried to boost any orientees or new staff, but after that “grace” period I have not always been the best at continuing that. As a leader I would just expect that people know and do their jobs at a high level of performance. I always wanted to be approachable, but I wasn’t good at “thank yous,” I didn’t have a strong level of emotional intelligence, and I may have had some unrealistic expectations when it came to my staff. A recent experience has really made me take a hard look inward and I wanted to share.

Many years ago, in my former role, I hired a nurse who was smart but I didn’t see a lot of leadership potential. She always seemed meek, slow, a follower. She ended up leaving after a few years and has returned since I left. Recently, I met with her and immediately, I could see incredible professional growth in and I was shocked at the change and how she flourished since she was part of my staff. I couldn’t help but wonder if my leadership in some way held her back.

After while our meeting but on that same day, I pulled her aside and told her I was proud of her. That I could see how she had grown as a nurse and a leader. That I thought she could be a great leader. She cried and thanked me and I was a little stunned.

This was an eye opener for me as both a leader and a learner. How could I have been better at fostering her growth? What could I have done differently to bring out this emerging leader? I don’t have the answers but I am really doing a hard introspection.

I encourage you, as a leader, to evaluate yourself just as you do your staff. How are they growing? How are they learning? Do they actually feel they can approach you? What does that say about you?

I also encourage you to assess your emotional intelligence regularly. It’s easy to become cynical and contrite- we are humans! But we need to shake that off to be supportive and encouraging of meaningful growth.

I challenge you today to give someone a compliment. Watch that reaction. Examine your feelings afterward. It’s kind of awesome.

Emily