There are a number
of books I’ve purchased recently to read for my professional and
personal development. Some I have gotten to and others I have yet to
open. The list includes:
Never Check E-Mail in
the Morning
by Julie Morgenstern (of Oprah fame)
7 Measures of Success
– What
Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don’t Blue Ocean
Strategy – How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the
Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
The Perfect Board
by Calvin
Clemons,CAE
The Color Code - A New
Way To See Yourself, Your Relationships, and Life
by Taylor Hartman, Ph.D
The Five Dysfunctions
of a Team by
Patrick Leneioni
As I stepped back to
look at the stack I found a common theme threaded between all of them: a
call for leadership. Why all of a sudden is there such a void of
community leaders? I view the providing of leadership as an intensely
rewarding experience. Are there less people interested in leading or is
it that the skills necessary to lead are changing? Is this a
generational obstacle or have we failed to ask the next generation to
contribute as a leader on a level playing field? Are there unattractive
consequences for those who choose to lead? Leaders inspire others and
the human chain of progress and success is the reward. As the old
saying goes “if you snooze, you loose.” Do we want a vanilla existence
with no risk-taking or advancement? Leadership requires as much courage
as it does education or insight. Are we leaving outcomes that will
affect us to others? Don’t we all want to reach our full potential?
My favorite of the
books I read is Never Check E-mail in the Morning. It is a
modern approach to time management addressing the current day realities
that confound our workday and leave us stressed and worn out. Each one
of the GNA staff members received a copy for Christmas with a heartfelt
wish that they could find the time to read it during the holiday break.
I feel fortunate to have a staff that leads. Each of them in their own
way demonstrates positive leadership throughout their work day. They
may not feel that they are leaders but they are. And you are too.
Because whether we recognize it or not; whether we hold official
leadership positions or not; whether you have an impressive title or
not; or perhaps you may have “been around the block” and are now a
mentor—in all cases you are still leading. The choice is about what
kind of leader you want to be—a positive and engaging leader or someone
who leads others to be negative and destructive.
GNA will be celebrating
the organization’s centennial this year. Throughout the organization’s
history there have been all manner of leaders who have contributed to
what we are and where we are today. Standing on the shoulder of giants
is a metaphor about leadership. It reflects the leveraged advantage
that an organization and a profession gains by the legacy building
efforts of its leadership who successfully build on the good work of
leaders who preceded them. GNA’s organizational elders have left their
mark on the profession of nursing and you can too.
I’ve often wondered why
it is that the most respected profession (as reflected each year in the
Gallup polls) finds it difficult to respect itself more and finds
it difficult to demonstrate more respect for their peers within the
profession. I’d look forward to your leadership on that issue and
invite you to share with me (ceo@georgianurses.org)
and the GNA elected leadership how together we might bring about
positive and continual legacy building for the profession. I am clear
that the profession of nursing is the giant in the healthcare system and
as such has a responsibility to affect it in the most positive of ways.
In order to accomplish GNA’s full potential in service to the profession
and assist with leading the professional evolution that the environment
requires, GNA will need your shoulders to stand on. I am sure you will
be pleased to engage with those reaching out to take your hand, in the
bond that all leaders share, as you choose to rise and stand on their
shoulders.
- Hackman is currently CEO
of the Georgia Nurses Association (GNA) and Georgia Nurses Foundation
(GNF).-
