Nurses are intuitive problem solvers, so it’s only natural that as your career unfolds, you will see the holes needing to be filled in your workplace. And as some of us may have experienced, there’s nothing more frustrating than having a non-medical person making decisions that affect us—the “suits upstairs”— as they are sometimes referred to.

One thing is true—healthcare is complex and nurses deserve a seat at the table when it comes to its delivery. Why not grab that seat for yourself, on behalf on your fellow nurses?

Whether your leadership goal manifests into a charge nurse, managerial, or nursing administration role is a personal decision—each has their appeal for different reasons. But great leaders in nursing all possess a handful of qualities that make them successful; an effective leader can bring about positive change by inspiring those around them to improve, all while maintaining their drive to pursue the organization’s operation. While leadership style will be something unique to you, nurturing the following qualities and characteristics will help you stand out. 

Empathy

How often have you been in a workplace setting with a manger who just doesn't “get it?” This is one of the quickest ways entire departments can crumble to the floor, plagued with high turn-over rates and disgruntled teams. People yearn to be understood. We’re taught this in nursing school — that our patients won't care what we know until they know that we care.

A leader with strong empathic skills goes beyond this basic principle to make her unit feel heard and seen. It is only from this vantage point that effective change can take place. In the workforce, empathy equals respect. And the forged relationships that spring from such a foundation will only serve to strengthen your team. 

A listening ear

In order to engage your team, you must allow them to participate. Autocratic and delegative leaders are lazy and behaving in this way allows contempt to fester. Appreciating your teams’ input translates into higher job satisfaction from them and you, and it ensures no one is left out when it comes to making improvements.

An engaged team has peak productivity, which becomes vital during busy times on your floor. If you’re still climbing the leadership ladder, practicing good listening is the best thing you can do to improve your communication skill set. Think of someone you know that does this well, and observe how people react to them; chances are, the charisma they possess springs from a well-honed listening ear. 

See the forest for the trees

Leading in healthcare is challenging, to put it mildly. Each day is different and new things are being thrown at us week-to-week (I’m looking at you, Covid Pandemic). Good leaders can problem solve with the best attention-to-detail skill when necessary, but they also possess a broader vision of the big picture. Great leaders are willing to examine what they did right—and wrong—in any given situation, and make a plan to move forward, adjusting where necessary.

Sometimes that means approaching problems from the top down—staying true to the goal and troubleshooting the ways to get there. Being willing to commit to a successful outcome and pursue it from every angle will be immensely helpful to your organization and deepen the trust that your team has in you to boot. 

Attitude

Maintaining an optimistic attitude in a leadership role can be tough. The stress facing healthcare workers is very real, and can have consequences far past clock-out. The toll our nursing jobs take on our mental health is well-documented—and a strong leader knows that they need to be a true north star for their teams.

This means showing your team that you can stand and face problems head on with a willing and positive attitude no matter how imperfectly they are solved. This models what you wish to see from them, too. Working with a positive attitude is a skill you can start from day one of your very first nursing job. Be the team member you wish to work with; it has a contagiousness that will inspire others to rise to the occasion with you. 

Integrity

As a nurse, your role is defined in its simplest terms, as someone who helps others. Never forget this, no matter how far you rise in your leadership aspirations. We all know someone, promoted fairly and enthusiastically, who goes to the ‘dark side’ of admin. Being able to hold tight to your moral compass and never forgetting where you started will keep you from losing sight of the reasons you got into healthcare to begin with. Remember that your role is to both help your department and the team members in it. Their successes are your own, and vice versa. Units that fall into an ‘us vs. them’ atmosphere are horrible to work in; divisiveness of any kind is a poison that can be hard to excise once it’s taken hold.

Not allowing team members to throw each other under the bus by standing beside them is perhaps the best thing you can do; another is calling out bad behavior in fair ways (without turning a blind eye to your ‘favorites’ —something that happens all to often in an environment prone to cliques). It’s difficult to hold space here, but your team will respect you for it.

Even if you're not in a leadership role as of yet, developing these five qualities now will only help you. It will make you a better employee, nurse, and co-worker regardless of where it ultimately leads you. And once you get to where you’re going, continuing to nurture these characteristics will keep you solidly standing on your own two feet while there.