Interview

1. What is your leadership/ management style?

1. I'd like to develop into more of a Transformational Leader, but currently identify best as a Participative (also called Democratic) Leader.

1. What are the most important values you demonstrate in your role as a nursing administrative supervisor?

I seek to promote positivity among staff by demonstrating encouragement and servant leadership. 

What is the best advice that you have ever received in your professional career?

If you come up against a difficult situation you've never experienced before and don't know the answer or what to do, always choose what's best for the patient, and you'll make the right decision every time. 

What is the one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

The ability to always come from a place of "yes". By that I basically mean being open to considering all ideas. It doesn't mean you have to try to implement every idea presented to you, it just means not automatically shooting down an idea right away (coming from a place of "no") and always valuing the input of your team. 

Is there a behavior or trait that you have seen derail leadership careers?

lack of compassion 

What do you do to ensure your own leadership growth and development?

Advancing my professional degrees, maintaining a self-care routine, and keeping up to date via professional journals and podcasts. I also enjoy attending leadership seminars- they are renewing and inspiring!

Continued education (such as a BSN) is highly recommended and encouraged in today’s nursing community environment. Do you feel that nurses should always continue their education? Why or why not?

Yes, I feel nurses should continue their education to promote nursing as a profession. It also fosters lifelong learning and improves patient care. 

What are the major challenges that you currently face in your leadership role?

Two major challenges I currently face are boosting morale (though staffing is improving, patient ratios were so tough for so long that the feeling of being overwhelmed still lingers in the hearts and minds of staff), and working to identify with the needs and desires of different generational groups (current staff spans from Baby Boomers to Generation X to Millennials- and they all have differing needs, values, and desires to feel fulfilled in their work). 

I’m sure you deal with conflict on a daily basis. How do you handle conflict?

I remain calm and diplomatic in the face of conflict. I keep in mind that there is more than one side to any given situation, and try to actively listen and gather all the information I can in order to make the best decision and facilitate a positive outcome for all involved parties. 

In a recent email, LHN’s Interim CEO stated that there have been more than 60 new hires in the network. Have you noticed a positive change in staffing? If so, in what ways? 

I have noticed positive change as evidenced by lower patient ratios reflected in daily staffing grids. Some of this is due to the addition of Agency and Passport Program nurses, and we do seek to get to these better ratios through non-contract employees in the future. 

What advice do you give to nurses going into a leadership position for the first time?

Have confidence, but know your solution isn't always going to be the right answer. Listen earnestly to your team- they are full of great ideas because they are the ones doing the work- then use your judgment, experience, and discretion to come to the best solution/conclusion. 

What is your short-term and long-term vision for the employees under your supervision?

My short-term vision is retention and recruitment of staff members. If we can do that well, it will enable us to achieve the long-term vision of a high level culture that associates are so attracted to that they come to seek out being a part of our team (as opposed to needing to heavily recruit or require use of contract help). My vision of a high level culture is one full of respect, professional collaboration, highly engaged staff, and a lot of "we" language that indicates an openness to and value of everyone's input into how things are run- no matter their position or job description within the organization. 

Any final thoughts/comments related to nursing leadership and management?

It's challenging, sometimes even scary, but people need and want good leaders. Do your best every day, treat your team well, and your patients will be treated well in return!

Choose Your Own Adventure

i consider all the angles.  i analyze and reanalyze many times before i come to the decision or conclusion.  sometimes i do this during plain-old-mind-wandering time.....i fantasize that life could be like a "choose your own adventure" book (remember those?).  
some things that may have happened if i'd chosen an alternate page:

-if i hadn't finally learned to guard my heart, i might actually know my dad and either like him or hate him, instead of just being indifferent when we talk.
-had i gone to valpo u. as hoped, i could be living as a near-old maid in northwestern IN/chicagoland area.
-were i able to capture marty turner's heart as i'd so in wanted in jr. high, we would both be completely miserable right now.  doc's and nurse's schedules don't gel well.
-if sally hadn't suggested doggy treats, i may never have learned that not all men betray, and that some of the really special ones are loyal even to the bitterest of ends, and that i deserve that sort of loyalty.
- had i dated dan: 1)i wouldn't love him this much 2) would've learned how to cook by now b/c he wouldn't have stood for it this long!
-if i hadn't worked radio while going thru nursing school i would be very narrow and only know about one industry.
-had adam and i gone to walmart instead of meijer for the christmas shopping, i may not have reconnected with suzels and the bethie!
-had i just been a stubborn teen and not responded to mom's letters we may not be such great friends now. 
-if heather and i had chosen taco bell instead of powers, my husband may never have noticed me.

see?  that's fun!  what are a couple of your favorite "what-if's" or alternate endings?

Inhumanity

I will never forget the first time I saw mans' inhumanity toward fellow man.  It was a baby.  A small, sweet, surely innocent soul who had no choice in the manner of its suffering. Many more times since, I have witnessed a similar theme. This changes a person.     For me, due to my experiences, so many things are not about religious or political leanings any longer. Or, perhaps due to my intrinsic nature, they never were. No matter the context, once you see bootprints on a person's head, allegedly put there by folks that didn't agree with how that individual preferred to dress, or act, or live out their gift of time here on this earth... Well, you see how ridiculous man can be. And it makes me cry for my fellow man, and how mislead they are.  Because the perpetrator- also my fellow man, they believed in something as well...so strongly that they were compelled to act as they did.  I can't forget.  And very few things will evoke more sadness in me.   You see things your mind can't unsee or undo. You change.

Fathers Day

i was about 9 years old.  

my dad was in state to visit with my brother and i.  he was to take us on a vacation.  the plan was to stay in hotels, and swim in their pools, and just drive here and there, seeing "things" and doing "stuff"...whatever it is people do on summer vacations in the Midwest.

the day prior to our departure, my mother made an attempt to gather contact information: what was the plan?  what phone numbers could be reached in the event of an emergency? 

the usual things folks ask, i guess, when their children are heading off on a trip.

yet, my father wasn't casual or usual about this line of questioning.  he became very agitated.  he tried to argue.  they sort-of argued, right there in the middle of Court Street.  i was only a little embarrassed, wondering if anyone saw or heard.  but, mostly, i was nervous about Dad's agitation, and how it might effect the plan.  he took my brother out after that exchange, with and old friend of Dad's and his sons (just a boys' thing, no girls allowed!), delivering my brother home later to prepare for the Big Trip.

the next day, the Big Day, i was all packed and ready- likely earlier than necessary.  but, hey, i was excited for my special vacation with my daddy- what girl wouldn't be?? 

i watched and watched out of that dining room window for hours, teeming with anticipation.

at some point in the waiting i realized the truth.  but, especially for an optimist like myself, hope always springs anew, and faith always prevails.

when the phone rang, i knew before it was even answered.  but i did have to hear it for myself.

"Hi, Daddy, when will you be here?"

He told me he was already back in Arizona.  Plans had changed.  Vacation was canceled.

i didn't cry.

i went to the McDairmant's house.  i felt safe there. i had fun there.  i always did feel good with them.

we began to play, and things were going as normal.

we were outside, i had some sort of ball in my hands, like a beach ball or kickball.

and then the question was asked:  "weren't you supposed to go on vacation with your dad today?".

i tried, but the tears could not be held back.  i could not stop them.  i used the ball to cover my face.  and then, when i realized that this wouldn't be sufficient enough a shield, i just dropped it.  and i ran home.

the humiliation and shame was overwhelming.

though the the actual problem of my failed visit with my father was disappointing enough in itself, i remember feeling more ashamed about not being able to suppress my emotion.

i have been who i am for a really long time.

The attached photo is one that makes me happy. It's from a lot of years ago, but it's the only one I have of my Father and myself, and my stepmom of sorts. Bless you, Bonnie.  Thank you for making sure Mel is so well cared for.

Bean

This is my favorite coffee cup. A gift, of course, that represents my fondness for the warm beverage as well as a nickname that I'm rarely referred to by these days. Bean was a moniker my husband came up with when we were dating. My initials were LLB, so this was an offshoot of the retailer LL Bean, finally shortened to Bean. It became even more fun when his brother started dating another tall brunette also referred to by her people as Bean (her actual last name) for years before we'd met her. 

Everyone at work called me Bean as well. And I can't quite remember anymore why it wore off, or when most people stopped calling me by the nickname. But it was fun while it lasted. And every time I use this mug, my heart does a little flip, I grin to myself, and I remember younger times before all of our hearts got a little heavier with experience and loss.

A Gatherer

I am a gatherer. I gather in beings that are not mine, and I nurture them. 

Then I free them. Because I have loved them just enough, and as they needed. 

Inherent Goodness

I'm relaxing at home this morning after a long work week. Suddenly, the garage door starts to spontaneously operate. Very random- up, half down, back up, all the way down, etc. I'm kind of creeped out and trying to decide if I should just disable it. I peek outside several times and don't see anyone but a little kid, kicking at the ground, waiting for the bus. Finally I get brave and head outside. A man walking 2 beautiful dogs waves and yells "hey!! I think this is yours!", and holds up the garage door opener we lost last week. Apparently he has been clicking it on all his dog walks lately, trying to find the right house. People are better than we think. Mostly. Thanks, awesome neighbor!! 😁

P.S. I even got to play with the pooches a little, which made it even more perfect.