Page 5 - Secrets of Effective Nurse Leaders-01-11-2018a

ATTENTIVENESS

It’s impossible to avoid advice about becoming a better communicator.
It’s out there everywhere, in lists of tips for both career and interpersonal
success. And it’s true that the ability to express yourself well is essential to
leadership. You have to be able to communicate your vision, mission, and
goals to others in a way that’s inspiring and motivating.

But there’s another whole side to effective communication that’s too often
overlooked: attentiveness. The word can be defined simply as the act of
paying close attention, and there are many ways this translates into good
leadership practices. One of them is attentive listening.
Effective nurse leaders will never under-estimate the importance of
listening with empathy and the goal of understanding another point of view.
Empathizing can help to defuse negative emotions in a conflict. And the
ability to listen attentively can allow you to connect with not only your staff
but with leaders in other departments, who may have a different set of
interests from yours.

A leader’s ability to listen attentively may also have an indirect effect on
patient care. When you have a reputation for being a good listener, you
empower your colleagues and staff to speak up. And when staff nurses,
for example, are free to voice ideas or concerns, it eliminates many of the
disparities in knowledge or power that are common within the healthcare
hierarchy. Why wouldn’t you want to listen to frontline caregivers? Their
ideas can lead to process improvements that can enhance patient safety or
cut operating costs.
Effective leaders also demonstrate attentiveness in the form of positive
feedback. They give praise and make compliments that are timely, sincere,
meaningful, and personal. They know true attentiveness is not a superficial
pat on the back, or an offhand comment like “great job, everyone.” And
they understand that it matters to other team matters to have their efforts
noticed and commented on personally.

If you’re not a nurse leader yet but would like to move into management,
practicing attentiveness can help you climb the career ladder. Your
attentiveness to details can help you provide input for quality initiatives
that lead to better outcomes and patient safety. As an attentive listener,
you can demonstrate your leadership skills by mentoring a younger nurse,
either formally or informally, and helping that person to grow and improve.

www.americansentinel.edu

5
Transforming Healthcare Through Education |