By Bhargavi (Bee) Simhadri
John F. Kennedy said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” Let’s continuously learn, adapt, and inspire those around us to do the same. Today, we’ll explore the American Organization for Nursing Leadership Core Competencies, powerful tools that turn vision into reality for nurse leaders. The AONL Core Competencies aren’t isolated skills; they’re interconnected, guided by the “Leader Within” domain.
Let’s see how these competencies translate into measurable outcomes:
Organizational Accountability
Organizational accountability is a cornerstone of effective leadership. It’s a shared responsibility within a team to achieve goals, deliver results, and adhere to ethical standards. It’s achieved by actively understanding process gaps to address them through teamwork. The result? Moving beyond the status quo through continuous improvement.
Imagine a well-oiled program running smoothly and meeting targets, yet lacking optimal outcomes. This is where a leader who embraces organizational accountability steps in, leading the way for continuous improvement. They actively seek to understand process gaps, ask tough questions, and advocate for change. The examples could be process gaps identified and addressed in
- Emergency preparedness drills
- Just-in orientation checklists
- Developed and socialized process algorithms
These examples illustrate how interdepartmental teams can and should work together, holding each other accountable to ultimately achieve patient-centered care. Effective collaboration requires strong communication and relationships. A leader who struggles to connect with diverse stakeholders can create misunderstandings and fractured teams.
Relationship Management
Imagine leadership as a journey, and strong relationships as the bridges that connect teams and help achieve common goals. Effective communication involves actively listening to teams and patients, and cultivating trust through empathy and respect. The result? Building bridges through team collaboration.
A key aspect of relationship management is building bridges for collaboration and influence. Examples of this could be found throughout the responsive healthcare systems. Examples could be effective interdepartmental collaborations and arriving at solutions such as
- Daily safety huddles to objectively listening to both sides,
- Understanding the stand-by/on call system in procedural areas and ensuring efficient resource allocation
- Collaborating with the teams in different areas during organizational changes
Teamwork in leadership is a strategic approach where a leader fosters collaboration to achieve goals. This ultimately increases teams’ knowledge of the healthcare environment, another core AONL competency.
Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment
Teams that embrace AONL’s Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment competency stay informed about policy changes, emerging technologies, and evolving patient needs. The result? Providing fiscally responsible high quality patient centered care by understanding complex healthcare landscape.
A leader who understands regulations and reimbursement structures, and stays informed about policy changes and emerging technologies, steers the organization towards success. Examples of how leaders have adapted their processes based on latest evidence, translating into business skills in healthcare are as follows
- Transitioning from aPTT (activated partial thromboplastin) draws to anti-Xa assays
- Point-of care testing to help guide the antibiotic therapy
- Use of multimodal pain management
- Use of early ambulation, Fall prevention, and Central line associated infection prevention bundles
Leaders thus well versed in knowledge of healthcare to translate clinical expertise into financial management. They understand healthcare finance, navigate resource allocation, and develop sustainable budgets.
Finally, leaders who embrace these principles recognize the power of teamwork. They invest in team development, fostering a space where strengths complement each other and collective responsibility thrives. They champion the term “We’, which transcends to the individuals working in their departments.
