319chapter THIRTEEN
Refl ective Response 2
Diane S. Hupp
As health care organizations continue to increase in complexity, nurse leaders’ roles only
become more challenging. Priorities are competing including safety and quality, finan-
cial and regulatory issues, patient experience/satisfaction, and staff engagement. Each
of these competing demands has a significant impact on the overall patient outcomes.
Effective leadership is necessary to establish a vision, goals and strategies for each pri-
ority to reach optimal outcomes for our patients, staff, and organizations. An additional
priority for nurse leaders today is to meet the Institute of Medicine’s report The Future
of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health key recommendations including achieving
higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that
promotes seamless academic progression (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Weinstock and
Glasgow clearly demonstrate that executive coaching can help nurse leaders, and in
particular, new doctorally prepared nurse leaders, both professionally and personally,
to overcome these challenges and maximize their potential.
■ PERSONAL JOURNEY
Throughout my personal tenure as a leader, I have experienced and have witnessed
many of the concepts that Weinstock and Glasgow address in this chapter. In particu-
lar, leadership consciousness is the most significant attribute to impacts one’s effective-
ness as a successful leader. Keeping in mind that the world often appears different and
broader as a new doctorally prepared nurse, leadership consciousness is not only being
aware of oneself at all times but more importantly, how your words, actions, and lead-
ership presence impact others.
As I reflect about leadership consciousness, I recall my own experiences recruit-
ing new leaders and doctorally prepared nurses. Certain skills are essential to ensure
one’s success as a nurse leader. Typically, in an interview for a nurse leadership posi-
tion, the candidate is concerned about being familiar with the budgetary, financial, and
regulatory processes, which are all important. However, to me, these competencies can
all be easily taught to a new leader. In my opinion, the candidate who stands out is
the one who is able to demonstrate that he or she will be able to connect with staff and
raise awareness of the culture within the department. This candidate truly possesses