Leadership and Management
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Volume 24, Number 3 The Journal of School Nursing 107June 2008
Editorial
Leadership Characteristics
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qual- ities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Lead- ers are made rather than born.
Warren G. Bennis
Cultivating leadership skills is important for school nurses as they carry out their many and varied roles in the school setting. Exhibiting leadership is impor- tant for all nurses, but even more so for school nurses who are likely to be the only health care professional in their school(s). In addition, their autonomous role makes it imperative that they are prepared to take the lead in promoting the health of the school commu- nity and in creating a healthy school environment. School nurses need to advocate for students, families, staff, as well as themselves; they need to anticipate and identify concerns that may affect the health of the school community and then have the skills to mo- bilize existing resources in addressing the identified problems.
Given their role and wide scope of practice, one might think that all school nurses are or consider themselves to be leaders. However, as I have listened to school nurses over the years, read numerous man- uscripts submitted to the Journal, and observed their posts to the school nurse listserv, it is obvious that many lack the skills or the courage to take the lead in their schools on issues related to the health of chil- dren. Some have complained that others do not know what school nurses do, they are not appreciated or taken seriously, they are not included on multidisci- plinary teams, and they do not have time to take care of the large numbers of students in their school(s), much less have time to have a lunch or occasional much needed break. Others are concerned about sal- ary issues that reflect the education they have and the valuable services they provide, as well as having ade- quate budgets for supplies needed in their health of- fices or for health education programs—to say noth- ing about having a health office that is appropriate to see students in a setting that affords privacy and has the technology needed to support the transition to electronic health care records.
The event that prompted this editorial, however, was none of these observations, but a manuscript I
recently received that proposed new and expanded roles for school nurses—leadership and collaboration! This proposal along with the things mentioned above made me wonder about leadership characteristics and how they relate to school nurses.
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) defines school nursing as ‘‘a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well being, ac- ademic success, and life-long achievement of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and ac- tively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self management, self advocacy, and learning’’ (Adopted June 1999) (NASN, 2002). In an Issue Brief on The Role of the School Nurse, there are seven roles of the school nurse that have come out of this definition:
1. The school nurse provides direct health care to students and staff.
2. The school nurse provides leadership for the pro- vision of health services.
3. The school nurse provides screening and referral for health conditions.
4. The school nurse promotes a healthy school en- vironment.
5. The school nurse promotes health. 6. The school nurse serves in a leadership role for
health policies and programs. 7. The school nurse serves as a liaison between
school personnel, family, community, and health care providers (NASN, 2002).
It is interesting to note that all of these roles no doubt require some leadership skill to execute, and two of the seven roles listed actually include the term ‘‘lead- ership.’’ While school nurses generally feel comfort- able in providing direct care to students, providing in- direct care—collaborating, serving on multidisciplin- ary teams, policy development and implementation, documentation, delegation, budget management, making presentations to school and community offi- cials, and integrating research findings into practice— is more challenging and often requires specialized knowledge and skills.
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108 The Journal of School Nursing Volume 24, Number 3June 2008
Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.
Vince Lombardi
Leadership is skill that is developed over a lifetime and develops from hard work as Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach, has noted. Leadership is a part of everyday life and is an integral part of our role as employees, parents, spouses, and community mem- bers. Our leadership skills grow as we consider the challenges and opportunities inherent in each role we undertake. In our professional capacity, leadership is a vital component in not only getting the job done, but in going the extra mile in promoting the health of the school community.
Leadership is the challenge to be something more than av- erage.
Jim Rohn
Leaders are able to identify needs and develop an action plan to meet their goals in improving a situa- tion, setting, or policy. They are able to clearly artic- ulate the problem and bring others on board in ad- dressing the identified need. They have a vision of what they want the future to look like and the steps that need to take place on the way to realizing that vision. Leaders are able to cultivate a sense of team- work and delegate the work of the group to qualified team members. In the end, an effective leader gives credit to members of the team for a job well done, whether or not they were able to completely reach their goals. This team spirit will carry on as work con- tinues in realizing a vision that is often a long-term endeavor that takes place in small but purposeful steps.
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
John C. Maxwell
Much has been written about leadership. In fact, most baccalaureate nursing students today will have a class on leadership as part of their nursing curriculum as leadership is such an important part of nursing practice in all settings. There has been considerable research in psychology and business management on characteristics of leaders that has been used to form checklists and individual profiles that are valuable in employee selection as well as employee development. Each year, the NASN Board members elected from each state attend a leadership institute designed to de- velop leadership skills needed for state school nursing leaders who have been charged with promoting their state school nursing organization as well promoting the development of the school nurses in their state. This is designed to promote leadership for the spe- cialty of school nursing that will increase the visibility of school nursing as well as enhancing the quality of care given to students.
Competence goes beyond words. It’s the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how—and know that they want to follow you.
John C. Maxwell
Leadership is something that is a much talked about and a seemingly desirable trait, however, it is difficult to define. ‘‘ As General Patton once exclaimed: ‘I [have] it, but I’ll be damned if I can define it.‘ Lead- ership, in its essence, is the ability to articulate a vi- sion or a desired path of progress and to motivate oth- ers to strive for that vision. The common perception is that leadership is an art, not a science’’ (American Library Association, 2005a). There are many lists of characteristics of good leaders. A list complied at Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group included the following traits: (1) honest, (2) competent, (3) for- ward-looking, (4) inspiring, (5) intelligent, (6) fair- minded, (7) broad-minded, (8) courageous, (9) straightforward, and (10) imaginative. These traits are valuable when attempting to address problems, change policies, develop teamwork, delegate tasks, and see a problem through to its solution. Leadership involves sound judgment, good communication skills, and showing confidence and skill in getting the job done. The more of these traits you exhibit, the more colleagues will trust and be inspired by your vision.
People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. John C. Maxwell
The American Library Association (2005b) has de- veloped a long list of leadership traits organized into seven categories: (1) physical, (2) emotional, (3) social, (4) intellectual/intelligence, (5), communication, (6) experience, and (7) trustworthiness. Although it is not possible to list or discuss the 101 traits included in these seven categories, a few that seem particularly ap- plicable to school nursing are included below.
The five traits in the physical category seem to have special relevance for school nurses given their busy days and high student to nurse ratios. These include vitality, physical stamina, and a high energy level. Also included is a tolerance for stress and not being concerned about being overworked. Leadership is a higher energy endeavor and not for the faint of heart!
Emotional traits of leaders include self-confidence, a desire to improve oneself, courage, optimism, loving what he/she is doing, being a risk taker, empathy, and a belief that they have control over their own destiny. People with these traits are positive, forward thinking, and are not satisfied with the status quo. They will confidently take risks in their quest for changes that will benefit the health of children, families, and the school community.
If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.
John C. Maxwell
Traits in the social category include honesty, trust- worthiness, flexibility, objectivity, behavior consistent
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Volume 24, Number 3 The Journal of School Nursing 109June 2008
with values, understanding how to influence people, being a superior listener, knowing group dynamics, persuading others to follow, determining readiness to take action, and taking initiative in social situations. Leaders are comfortable with themselves and others; they promote an atmosphere of collegiality with co- workers.
Knowing how to delegate and asking for more re- sponsibility are intellectual leadership traits. I have of- ten said, ‘‘The sign of a good leader is how well they delegate.’’ Leaders do not have to do it all or be in the spot light. They seek out those around them to ex- plore options to challenges. An intelligent leader will understand the organization and the people they serve, basing decisions on sound judgment.
Communication, the fifth category, is critical for the school nurse in working with students, family, staff members, and the community. This requires skills in working with individuals from different age and ethnic groups, and people from all educational back- grounds and walks of life. Good communicators are effective one-on-one as well as in giving presentations to both small and large groups. Leaders with excellent communication skills develop and maintain a net- work of support and resource people. They are also proficient in keeping others informed of their contri- bution to the organization. Finally, they communicate with passion, a trait that inspires others.
Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people.
Brian Tracy
Leadership also comes with experience. Successful leaders often have a variety of experience in differ- ent situations that contribute to their expertise and their broad perspective when dealing with prob- lems. They are comfortable with delegating and col- laborating with others. Not only are they compe- tent, they are skillful in mentoring others. Leaders see the need to nurture the leaders of the future. In school nursing this is particularly timely as a large number of today’s leaders will be retiring in the near future (Denehy, 2007), therefore mentoring is essen- tial to insure the growth of the specialty. In addi- tion, in this era when there is an explosion of new health-related knowledge, it is essential that tomor- row’s school nurses are not only good leaders but change agents that will facilitate evidence-based practice in the school setting.
We know that leadership is very much related to change. As the pace of change accelerates, there is naturally a greater need for effective leadership.
John Kotter
Finally, trustworthiness is an important leadership trait. This category includes caring, empathy, and con- stancy. Nursing is regularly rated as the most respected profession, a factor that works to the advantage of
school nurses in the school setting. This respect has been well earned and gives school nurses an open door to propose programs and policies that will ad- vance the health and academic success of the students they serve.
Leadership is an important skill for school nurses to develop. Becoming an effective leader is part of each school nurse’s professional growth. Developing lead- ership skills helps school nurses be more effective in organizing their work, be more confident in working with others in the school and community setting, and be more open to innovative solutions to old problems. Developing leadership traits will help school nurses address the complex challenges faced by today’s stu- dents and families. Leaders are positive and optimistic about the future and refuse to become bogged down in the same old problems and complaints. Their belief and vision for the future inspires others.
Leaders make decisions that create the future they desire. Mike Murdock
Are school nurses leaders? Certainly, many school nurses are providing leadership in their individual schools and in their states to improve the quality of care delivered and to promote the specialty of school nursing. However, many others may need to cultivate some of the leadership skills mentioned in this edi- torial. Every school nurse has the potential to become a more effective leader with purposeful effort, educa- tion, experience, and mentorship. Even seasoned lead- ers work hard to refine their leadership abilities and learn new skills that will enhance their work. NASN provides many resources and opportunities for school nurses to grow as leaders. Their publications, continu- ing education programs, and conferences are designed to increase the knowledge and skills of school nurses in addressing the challenges they face daily in their work setting.
Leadership isn’t for the other guy. Because school nurses are usually the only health care professional in their school setting, each will need to step up to the plate and become a leader in his/her school.
Leadership is not a one-day thing. It is a constant commit- ment to excellence, a habit . . . a daily practice.
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REFERENCES
American Library Association. (2005a). Ladders to leadership: Leadership and vision. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www.ala.org/ala/ nmrtbucket/leadvision/leadvision.cfm
American Library Association. (2005b). Leadership traits. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www.ala.org/ala/nmrtbucket/traits/traits.cfm
Denehy, J. (2007). The aging school nurse work force. Journal of School Nursing, 23(6), 307–309.
National Association of School Nursing (NASN). (2002). Issue Brief: Role of the School Nurse. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://www. nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid�57
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SOURCES FOR QUOTATIONS Warren G. Bennis, http://www3.thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/
leadership/2.html Vince Lombardi, http://humanresources.about.com/od/
workrelationships/a/quotes�leaders.htm John Kotter, http://www3.thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/
leadership/2.html John C. Maxwell, http://thinkexist.com/quotes/like/
a-leader-is-one-who-knows-the-way-goes-the-way/535658/ Mike Murdock, http://www.inspirational-quotations.com/
leadership-quotes.html Jim Rohn, http://www3.thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/
bleadership/2.html Brian Tracy, http://www.inspirational-quotations.com/
leadership-quotes.html Unknown, http://www.inspirational-quotations.com/leadership-quotes.
html
Janice Denehy, RN, PhD, Executive Editor
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