With my recent run in with a burst appendix and subsequent septicaemia I was given a front row (bed) seat to observe teams and leadership in action. Almost to a person the nursing staff, despite poor salaries, are dedicated trainees and professionals who really care about the treatment they give their patients. But one thing become glaringly apparent; two of the head ward sisters made a point of going to speak to every patient every day to monitor mood and progress. These same sisters were not only window dressing but also available to coach and train and up skill and motivate their teams.
By comparison one of the glaring counter examples was a sister who I only saw once when she came in to dismissively tell the trainee nurse how she had botched a dressing. Her offence in this was compounded in that it was done In front of me, the patient, having previously refused to come coach the trainee in how to do the job despite being requested to do so
For anyone who has ever had an infected wound irrigated and packed can tell you if done correctly it is uncomfortable and if done wrong the pain will have you climbing the walls. And the difference between these lies predominantly in the confidence of the person performing the procedure and to much lesser extent their skills.
So what's the leadership lesson? Do you imperiously dictate instructions to people who are nervous and out of their depth in your organisation and then further undermine them by critiquing that work in from of their client? Or do you monitor the pulse of your organisation and step in, not to take over, but to support your team when they need it, thereby building confidence and comfort in asking for help.
I believe that we all need to step off our podiums to work with our teams instead of working off flawed assumptions of skillsets and competence and then blaming those who never had a chance in the first place. Otherwise we risk stifling ourselves and our teams potential for success in the rarified atmosphere of the ivory tower.
