For the young nurse that wants to seize the future and express creative genius, they must know how to develop leadership qualities.

Leadership has been a major talk in the world of Nursing lately. 

Global Nursing organizations have been advocating for Nurses to have a place in the leadership and decision-making table of the healthcare systems of nations and the world at large. 

The State of the world’s nursing report of 2020 released by the WHO with contributions from ICN and NursingNow listed investment in Leadership as a major focus for Nursing. 

The future of Nursing is also tied to this subject as ICN’s policy document on the strategic direction for 2021-2025 also stated the same.

Having critically examined all these, I have a few thoughts to share on how young Nurses can begin to build their leadership capacity.

Understanding that leadership is not first a position you occupy but a significant contribution made by an individual per time. 

Let’s consider five quick points on how to get this done:

Understand Yourself, Your Personality and Take a Progressive Journey To self-improvement And Leadership

Becoming a good leader as a Nurse begins with working on YOU. 

It begins with leading yourself. 

Leadership is essentially going to require you to deal with various humans with varying personalities but you have to be in touch with yourself before attempting to touch other lives.

For example, you must deal with your weakness of anger if you have any issues with that. A good leader is not someone who boils at every minor trigger. 

A leader is not expected to be reactionary but intentional. 

In simple terms, take an emotional intelligence test and be true to yourself on how much of your emotions you bring into decision-making. 

Once you notice any deficit, take intentional steps to work on it. There’s no great Leader who has not mastered the art of emotional intelligence. 

Mind you, a gifted rebel is not an asset to any organization! Without Character, a leader only becomes a pain to the heart of the laity. 

Identify Your Interest, Passion And Create A Personal Mission Statement 

If you want to be useful to your generation, you need to first know your place or niche. 

We are designed with unique talents, gifts, and passions. When you identify your place, you can then begin to work towards making significant contributions in that space. 

For example, As a Nurse, I have a personal interest in addressing the increasing prevalence of Diabetes, especially in Africa. 

Now, with this area of interest identified, I can begin to seek resources, mentors, and opportunities to grow and give expression to my passion. 

You have to do this so that the trajectory of your career will be well defined very early on. 

With this too, people know you for one thing and it becomes easy to pick you for any opportunity in that field because you have a track record of impact already. 

Begin To Take Responsibility In Your Little Space 

Leadership can also be redefined as taking responsibility. 

As a young nurse, you must begin to audit your mindset and clear off any idea that someone is expected to make life better for you. 

Know this, you are responsible for your happiness. 

If you are in school, understand that you are responsible for what you make out of school whether your lecturer and school management makes adequate provision or not. 

In the same vein too, begin to take responsibility for things not working well around you. 

If you’re working, see yourself as the owner of the hospital and work with such a mindset. 

It is when you take responsibility like this that you find your creative genius being expressed.

You will be able to ask questions like, WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS? Truthfully, you can’t solve every problem but trust me, your mind will be stretched by thinking and you will surely be different from someone who has never attempted to do something differently. 

Volunteer To Serve 

There is a popular saying that “if you are too big to serve, then you are too small to lead.”

Leadership is essentially a life devoted to serving others. 

This is not time to be all about money and rewards. Money is the least reward you get for service. 

Someone even said that some people are so poor that money (riches) is all they’ve got.

Volunteering will expose you to opportunities that suit your interests and abilities. 

Find an organization of your interest and give your best to any cause that can better humanity. 

Don’t limit your mind to Nursing alone. There is a whole world outside the healthcare space that you can explore and learn from. 

You can serve with a mentor and don’t just be used in the process, LEARN. 

Recommended Read:

What To Do Before Setting Goals As A Young Nurse

Get Exposed And Never Joke With Visibility

Once you have come to understand your place and you are taking responsibility with a heart of service, you must realize that whatever you know today is never enough. 

You must seek to know more. Within your area of interest, you should begin to explore opportunities to know more. 

Make use of available means first — the internet. 

Search out notable organizations and subscribe to newsletters from them. 

Read as many articles online as you can. When you hear or read people’s thoughts, it refines yours. 

YouTube is an amazing resource too. 

Watch how things operate in other climes and borrow a leaf from them. 

This is just how to optimize your mind to generate winning ideas. 

Next to this is Visibility. Begin to create an online presence. 

Please, don’t joke with the internet in this century. Showcase your good works to the world. 

There is no wisdom in lighting a candle and putting it under a table. 

Let people know about your impact. Share on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. 

Write articles about it and do everything to leave a traceable footprint for every great work you’re doing

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