316chapter THIRTEEN
Refl ective Response 1
Margo A. Karsten
Health care reform, countless stories about the eroding ethics in leadership, lack of trust
among the front line staff with administration, and a disengaged workforce are ingre-
dients for a perfect storm. However, Weinstock and Glasgow provide a silver lining to
this dark health care landscape, by articulating the importance of executive coaching for
nursing leaders. They not only explored the many domains of leadership consciousness,
but reinforced that executive coaching is an intervention that assists leaders, in this case
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates, to achieve their full potential. The recog-
nition of the impact executive coaching can have on a leader comes at a critical time in
health care. Articulating the transition that health care and nursing are currently expe-
riencing, they have highlighted the critical need to have a neutral person that a leader
can candidly talk to about the various challenges that face them on a day-to-day basis.
My experience of more than 16 years of administrative practice, including over
a decade as chief nurse in various medical centers and experience as a chief operat-
ing officer and chief executive officer, gives me firsthand knowledge of what it feels
like to transition into various executive roles. The majority of my transitions have
come from within the same facility. Learning how to manage former relationships in
a new role is an art. New competencies are needed as a person accepts various roles.
According to Anderson (2010), organizations are transitioning from traditional pater-
nal forms of organizations to high involvement, empowered partnership, and collab-
orative learning organizations. These changes warrant a new set of competencies and
behaviors. Weinstock and Glasgow captured these new competencies and behaviors in
their two case studies.
These two case studies highlight the need for an objective and supportive coach.
Growing into a new position can be an awkward transition. Balancing the appropriate
autonomy and authority is a challenge that many new leaders struggle to accomplish. As
demonstrated in the first case study, an executive coach can assist in this balancing act.
The second case study demonstrates another common challenge for leaders; new lead-
ers find themselves at times in a role with high expectations of outgoing sociability. This
new expectation of building relationships and creating connections can feel like foreign
territory. It has been my experience that new leaders do not understand the importance
and value of creating connections with their newly acquired direct reports. Successful
leader takes time to create and nurture relationships throughout the work environment.
Weinstock and Smith Glasgow highlight the importance of finding the balance of being