Category: Courageous Leadership

Resilience

By Cathy Converse

“What’s comin’ will come and we’ll meet it when it does.” –Hagrid

Have you ever thought about the relationship between success and failure? Sure, they’re opposites, but they also go hand in hand more often than we think. Success is almost always built upon failed attempts. Almost every successful person we can think of has actually failed numerous times or has overcome significant hardships. J. K. Rowling and Stephen King were rejected by publishers many times before landing book deals that launched incredibly successful careers. Joe Biden overcame a severe stutter to become President of the United States. The Ford Motor Company was the third automobile company Henry Ford started—the first two went bankrupt. Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were notoriously poor students.

And yet, these people, and many more like them, went on to incredible success. There may have been many reasons they were able to overcome tough times, but almost certainly one of these was that they were resilient. Continue reading “Resilience”

Connectivity

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Those of us who have worked in an environment that lifts us up, encouraging our commitment to the mission of the organization and the people we work with, know how fortunate we were to be in such a situation. When we are lucky enough to be a part of this type of organization, our work may not be easy, but it seems worth the effort we put into it. We recognize that leadership throughout the organization strongly influences the work environment, but what do leaders in this type of organization do to stimulate our commitment?

Our literature review regarding Courageous Leadership suggests that one characteristic, Connectivity, may be responsible for Continue reading “Connectivity”

Trustworthiness

By Cathy Converse

If you’ve ever worked in an environment where trust is in short supply, you know how debilitating it can be. Work goes undone as people scramble to protect themselves and try to distinguish fact from fiction. Gossip increases and morale declines. Creativity and innovation come to a screeching halt. Trustworthiness is driven by an organization’s leaders, and it is one of the ten characteristics of courageous leadership, our research has determined. Continue reading “Trustworthiness”

Honesty

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

 We often hear colleagues say, “To be honest…” Although this phrase is typically only used for emphasis, I always think to myself, “If you are being honest now, WHEN were you NOT honest?” My immediate reaction illustrates how important the perception of honesty is in human interaction. Nowhere is honesty more critical than in the leadership arena. For this reason, honesty is one of the ten characteristics of Courageous Leadership. Continue reading “Honesty”

Decisiveness

By Cathy Converse

Have you ever been in a meeting where the only decision that was made was to have another meeting? Chances are you have been—I certainly have. And if you’re particularly unlucky, you’ve been in a string of such meetings, where over the course of weeks or months no definitive decisions are made, and consequently no action is taken, and no progress is made.

Whether you are the leader or a participant in such a meeting, a lack of decisiveness can be frustrating at best, and yet leaders often struggle with Continue reading “Decisiveness”

The Case for Courageous Leadership

by Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN and Cathy Converse

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it’s the quality that guarantees the others.” –Aristotle

 Introduction

Leadership is on the hearts and minds of most of us as we navigate the complexities of our personal and professional lives. Although volumes have been written about effective leadership using a variety of perspectives, the need for courage in times of conflict and discord, particularly in situations of perceived high risk, seems particularly relevant. Few environments represent higher risk than health care. Continue reading “The Case for Courageous Leadership”

Coping with Change in a Multigenerational Context

by Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

We would all agree that change in our world continues to escalate. Change impacts every aspect of our lives, including our work environments. One factor that complicates our response to change in the workplace is the number of generations represented by employees. Colleagues who grew up in different times often see the world through a different lens, which may lead to conflict. As multiple generations attempt to address challenges of change, different perceptions of the best way forward can complicate planning and decision-making. Continue reading “Coping with Change in a Multigenerational Context”

Courageous Leadership: A Construct Important for Nursing Educators

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN and Cathy Converse

We recently had the opportunity to give a presentation about our work on Courageous Leadership at the 2019 National League for Nurses (NLN) Summit.  Stimulated by our interest in helping nurses and others effectively navigate the organizations in which they work, we explored the health care and business literature to evaluate others’ ideas of the relationship between courage and leadership. Continue reading “Courageous Leadership: A Construct Important for Nursing Educators”

Empowerment

By Cathy Converse

I am one of the lucky ones. Very early in my career when I had a relatively low-level job, my boss gave me responsibility for all sorts of things that were well beyond my “pay-grade.” Assigned to the most important products in our division, I was making decisions and managing resources and timelines that had a big impact on our success or failure. Being given this kind of authority was exhilarating—and a bit terrifying: I was 23 and just one year out of college. It was stressful, but it made a big difference in my career and I am forever grateful for the opportunity. Continue reading “Empowerment”

Risk-taking: The Heart of Courageous Leadership

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Collaborative Momentum Consulting defines courageous leadership as “the heart to step up front and transform vision into reality.” Courage is required for us to “step up” to lead—often in uncomfortable or risky situations. Addressing these situations requires the leader to be a calculated risk-taker—someone who not only takes risks, but encourages others to walk a similar path. The risk-taker accepts the possibility of failure and despite this potential, encourages innovation, creativity, and change in themselves and others. Continue reading “Risk-taking: The Heart of Courageous Leadership”