Nurse Leader Resilience

The topic of resiliency for nurses and nurse leaders is prevalent in the literature these days. The need for personal and professional resilience has never been greater. The healthcare arena continues to be more complex with adversity and disruptive change the tune of the day. Resilience is defined as how we rebound, survive, or withstand difficult conditions. (Bernard, 2019, Cline, 2015, Dempsey, 2018, Hanrahan & Gonzalez, 2019, Allison-Napolitanao & Pesut, 2017, Sherman, 2017, Stagman-Tyrer, 2014).

Two essential competencies for developing ourselves as nurse leaders, according to the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL), are self-reflection and self-awareness (Hanrahan & Gonzalez, 2019). These two competencies allow us to understand what is happening in any given situation and goes beyond simple survival to thriving in today’s tumultuous environment (Stagman-Tyrer, 2014). We have a personal and professional obligation to develop these competencies so we are prepared to lead in the upcoming chaotic healthcare arena. Charles R. Swindoll said “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it” (Stagman-Tyrer, 2014).

Renewal, resonance, and relationships are the three enabling capacities for building leadership resilience. Renewal, professionally and personally, requires equal prioritization and helps us regain energy as we problem solve through daily challenges (Allison-Napolitanao & Pesut, 2017). The work we do matters and as nurse leaders we are driven by our values and commitment to our organizations and our profession. To renew we must practice healthy coping strategies, regulate our emotions, focus on our strengths and practice self-confidence (Hudgins, 2015).

Resonance is the lifeblood of transformational leadership. Nursing leadership resonance creates an environment that is positive, empowers others to excel, role models, and creates the vision for others to connect with. Resonant leaders are contagious in their positivity and dynamism and motivate individuals to tackle the tough problems (Allison-Napolitanao & Pesut, 2017). Transformational leaders know who they are and live by the values of integrity, authenticity, and honesty (Stagman-Tyrer, 2014). When the transformational leader engages their teams, the energy is palpable and the future is clear so that the team moves forward in alignment towards a common goal and overcomes obstacles together.

A personal and professional network of mentors and cheerleaders can result in reduced burnout and turnover for increased resilience and engagement in our work (Hudgins, 2015, Thomas, Oliver, & Hampton, 2019). Relationships promote our well-being emotionally and physiologically and give us courage and strength to manage the times of disruptive change (Allison-Napolitanao & Pesut, 2017). Building networks of professional colleagues provides a venue to work through complex problems, provides a sounding board, and offers hope in difficult scenarios. Professional networks create a mental path to review our decisions that take us from potential failure to a place where we are stronger (Anchor, 2010). The importance of professional networks can’t be overlooked and the equal importance of personal and social relationships should not be minimized. The personal outlet allows us to be relieved of work challenges and bring balance into our worlds.

Resilience is an integral skill for nurse leaders and needs to be fostered, mentored, and taught to nurse leaders at all levels of an organization. Resilience gives us the benefit of learning life lessons in tough times and the ability to face future tough times with new insight (Hudgins, 2015). The competency for nurse leaders, related to resilience, needs to be practiced daily so the skill set becomes a habit that benefits our teams, our organization, and our profession.

References

• Allison-Napolitanao, E. and Pesut, D.J. (2015).  Bounce forward: The extraordinary resilience of nurse leadership.  American Nurses Association, Silver Spring, MD.
• Anchor, S. (2010). The happiness advantage. Crown Business, New York, 105-109.
• Bernard, N. (2019). Resilience and professional joy: A toolkit for nurse leaders. Nurse Leader, February, 43-48.
• Cline, S. (2015). Nurse leader resilience; Career defining moments, 39(2), 117-122. Retrieved from https://doi:10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000087
• Dempsey, C. (2018).  The antidote to suffering. Press Ganey Associations, Inc., 133-137.
• Hanrahan, K. & Gonzalez, K. (2019). Happiness: The highest form of health. Nurse Leader, 308-313.
• Hudgins, T. A. (2015). Resilience, job satisfaction and anticipated turnover in nurse leaders. Journal of Nursing Management 24, E62-E69. https://doi:10.1111/jonm.12289.
• Sherman, R.O. (2017). Leadership resiliency. Retrieved from https://www.emergingrnleader.com/leadership-resiliency.
• Stagman-Tyrer, D. (2014). Resiliency and the nurse leader: The importance of equanimity, optimism, and perseverance, 45(6), 46-50. Retrieved from https://doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000449763.7f.
• Thomas, J., Oliver, H. & Hampton, D. (2019). Building support: Innovative initiatives to retain nurse managers. Voice of Nursing Leadership, March, 14-16.