Leadership: 3 Keys to Managing Your Career Like a Boss

Recognize and develop skills that are crucial for your leadership success.

What is your leadership style?

That question has been posed to me virtually every time I interviewed for a leadership position, and it’s a question I’ve often asked candidates myself. 

I no longer ask the leadership-style question. It simply doesn’t get to the heart of what being an exceptional leader is all about. Leadership is less about what you do and more about how you cultivate relationships from your critical vantage point. Learning to build relationships requires these three key strategies for self-reflection and growth.

1. Recognize and develop your strengths

Anybody can — and will — tell you what you need to do differently. While it’s important to identify and recognize your areas for improvement, it’s equally as important to recognize your strengths. When I was in the third grade, my teacher would say, “Why can’t you be like Lisa?”

Lisa was a quiet little girl who often smiled and wore frilly dresses, socks with lace on them and Mary Jane shoes — during a time when frilly dresses were not worn to school (I’m giving away my age here). Though I was a compliant child, I also liked to chat with my classmates and laugh. I would never have said anything disrespectful to my teacher, but what she said hurt my feelings. So much so I still remember it all these years later.  Ironically, the things that she disliked — my chattiness and laughter — are two of the things that helped me the most in my career as a consultant, a national speaker and an architect of mutually beneficial relationships. Learning to recognize your natural strengths, and tuning out unwarranted criticism, sharpens your ability to recognize the strengths in those you lead. 

2. Safeguard against the ‘she’s a great nurse but …’ criticism

Thirty-five years ago, when I became an OR nurse, skills were heavily weighted toward technical skills. Today, technical skills alone will not ensure your success. How many times have you heard someone say, “She’s a great nurse but …,”? The “but” indicates that she’s technically a good nurse, but she may not know how to appropriately interact with her peers, physicians or leadership. If you’re “a great nurse but …” others probably can’t hear what you’re trying to say over what you’re doing. I had a good friend who was a phenomenal nurse and her technical skills were peerless; however, she often came across as argumentative when talking to others. She may have been right, but her point wasn’t heard because of the way she said it.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to influence and motivate others by being attuned to their needs, handling conflict effectively and creating an environment where people can be their best. Patients and their family members are more exacting and less forgiving about what is required of a nurse. Their expectation is that we exhibit empathy and, in the brief time we have with them, create an environment of trust when they are most vulnerable. Attorneys have often said that patients are less likely to sue those who show empathy and caring.

To do that, we must first take a personal inventory of our EQ and take concrete steps to develop it:

• Self-awareness. Take personal responsibility for your actions and own your mistakes. Shifting the blame not only makes you look worse in the eyes of others, it also undermines your ability to be effective as others will not trust you.
• Self-management. Periop people are high achievers. Many say we’re perfectionists. Truth is, we’re actutely aware of our margin for error in taking care of patients. In developing self-management skills, we learn to better control our feelings, manage our emotions (no instrument throwing for those who practice self-management!) and adjust to change.  
• Empathy. Understanding what the other person is communicating goes beyond the words they say. Empathy involves reading body language and actively listening to others. By developing empathy for staff, leaders also develop trust and loyalty. 
• Social skills. Leaders with high social skills find and develop common ground with others. They build rapport easily with others — and this rapport can build positive motivation for the team. More than once, I’ve taken jobs that at first glance didn’t seem like the right job for me. In each case, I accepted because of the social skills of my boss in verbalizing their passion for building teams and their ability to make a difference.  

3. Find and say ‘Yes’ to opportunities

It’s easy to say ‘No’ when asked to do something outside your comfort zone, but it also sends a message you think you might not be ready — or you’re concerned your boss may not think you’re ready. You remember the leaders who say ‘Yes.’ 

I’ll never forget a regional vice president who said ‘Yes’ to every opportunity that came her way. Take an additional surgery center under her belt? You bet. Take on growth as a concrete objective in challenging times? You got it. Take a chance on a surgery center that everyone said would not make it? Yes, please. This inspirational leader excelled in every challenge she accepted. Not only did she lead by example, but she also inspired confidence in those she led. Compare that with the leader who followed her and who was known as the leader of ‘No.’ She sought to get rid of the additional surgery center her predecessor led — even though it was a large, profitable center. She said ‘No’ when challenged with case and revenue growth at the centers where her predecessor had excelled. The result? Several of the surgery centers were closed and others were barely able to survive. Saying ‘Yes’ could have made a huge difference in the lives of those she led — and provided them with ongoing jobs. 

Managing your career isn’t particularly hard. It just takes some serious self-analysis of where you are and where you’d like to be. While it won’t happen overnight, leadership skills can be developed in a way that not only impacts the lives of those you work with, but the patients for whom you provide care. OSM