Caring for our Staff

     In long term care, we focus our efforts on caring for our residents.  This is an important part of our work.  As a leader, do you think about caring for your staff with the same focus?  We can build better relationships with our staff when we acknowledge their struggles.  In the Nurses as Leaders Curriculum developed by Barbara Frank and Cathy Brady¹ the needs of the staff are viewed from Maslow’s Hierarcy².

Teamwork is Critical

     How important is teamwork within a facility?  Researchers have identified that facilities which have good teamwork have higher performance and have higher quality outcomes (1).  Culture change in nursing homes has focused on resident centered care which allows residents choice in their daily preferences and routines.  Part of the culture change that is less focused on is teamwork among the staff.  Teamwork among staff is a critical element of providing quality care to the residents.

The Pygmalion Effect

Believing in the innate goodness of human beings and helping people achieve their full potential is a characteristic of strong leadership.  The Pygmalion effect occurs when the leader believes so strongly in the abilities of another that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  "When leaders expect people to achieve high standards they do, when people are labeled as underachievers performance suffers" (Kouzes & Posner, 2003, p.21).    Creating a supportive environment in which nurse leaders look for positive performance and expect the best in their staff sets a good tone for the facility and motivates staff to achieve outstanding results.  Managers who walk around and look for negatives are intimidating to staff and lose credibility and respect. A negative atmosphere is created that does not encourage people to be their best.

Inspiring the Heart

     An inspirational nurse leader is able to tap into the hearts of employees and inspire passion in the work.  This helps staff to feel motivated to produce a quality product.  Leaders need to understand that employees want to know their work has meaning and value.

     “When employees believe their work is meaningful then they will be motivated to work harder and will experience a renewal of passion and hopefulness” (Malloch, Dunham-Taylor, & Krueger, 2010, p. 233).  Individuals who are drawn to work in the long term care environment typically do so because they have compassion and want to make a difference for others.  When leaders can tap into these motivating factors employees will achieve higher levels of quality. 

     When you ask staff why they choose to work in long term care they consistently say, “because we love the residents” or “because I know I can make a difference.”  Reminding staff of the importance of their work should be in the forefront of a nurse leaders mind.

      Nurse leaders can set the stage for employees through their body language, speech, and actions.  Talk about these values in staff meetings and in everyday communication with staff.  When someone is passionate about their beliefs, it can be heard in the tone of voice and read in their body language.  Do something each day to communicate the meaning and significance of the work your staff is doing.  Lead by example, when staff sees that the leader is passionate about resident care, they will follow suit.

     Remind staff that what they do is noble.  Caring for frail elders takes patience and love.  Let your staff know what a difference they make in the lives of the residents every day.

 Please post your suggestions for ways to inspire staff.

Reference

Malloch, K., Dunham-Taylor, J., Krueger, J. (2010). Workload management. In J. Dunham-Taylor & J.Pinczuk (Eds), Financial management for nurse managers. Merging the heart with the dollar (183-241).  Sudsbury, MA:  Jones & Bartlett.