Being in a healthcare team is a tough job and even more when you stand as the leader. You have to be someone your team members can rely on especially during the most difficult times.

It’s not enough to have the courage and strength of a leader. It is most important to keep the compassion that you had since the moment you entered this line of work to keep an open and honest culture for everyone’s well-being. 

In this episode, Nathan Illman has a conversation with Jackie Dominick, the head of nursing for a hospital in the UK. They talk about many different topics about leadership. Jackie shares the principles and philosophy that have guided her leadership for years.

Listen and learn in this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Leaders need to try to have a different persona at work and check on themselves first to be able to do their work well.
• You must not lose the compassion that you have along the way. 
• You can’t lead on the phone. You have to be with people. You have to be visible.
• You have to be strong as a leader and you have to say no to unimportant tasks or demands.
• Your gut instinct takes you a long way. If you can articulate your gut feeling, they will respect your opinion and they will think that you know what you’re talking about.
• Always have an honest relationship with your team members.
• If a team member makes a mistake, take it slow but get them to talk about what led up to that incident, understand it, and make a conclusion.
• If you want an open and honest culture, in healthcare, you have to create an environment where people feel safe to tell you their mistakes.
• Coaching means letting people come to a solution for themselves, say very little, reflect back with them, and come up with a conclusion together.
• If you always tell people what to do, they won’t learn and you are not developing future leaders.
• If you have a team that pulled together and solves problems together, that’s a great team.
• You spend a lot of time at work, enjoy it.
• As long as you’d say it in the right way, you’re compassionate and caring, you can say anything to anybody. Don’t be frightened to tell someone when you’re not happy with what they’re doing.

Today’s Guest:

Jackie Dominick has been a nurse for 30 years and is now the head of nursing for a hospital in the UK. 

Website: https://www.nursewellbeingmission.co.uk

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nursewellbeingmission