According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, vulnerability is an adjective that describes someone or something open to attack or harm- capable of being “wounded.” Nurse leaders are tasked with the job of caring for these vulnerable populations.
In healthcare, we’re no strangers to the word “vulnerability.” Frontline workers advocate and care for vulnerable patients. But, more often than not, the term connotates weakness and the inability to keep oneself safe- something not associated with strong leadership.
The truth? We live in a vulnerable world, as storyteller/researcher Brené Brown discusses in her popular TEDx Talk & book, “The Power of Vulnerability.” Doctors, medical staff, and nurses are often conditioned to avoid sharing emotions and let themselves be seen. We associate vulnerability with shame and occasionally avoid it at all costs.
We often forget that nonverbal communication is nearly 80% of the social cues we pick up on, so vulnerability is unavoidable whether words are being spoken or not. But what does it mean to be a vulnerable leader?
Table of Contents
What is vulnerable leadership, and why does it matter?
How a Nurse Leader Can Be Vulnerable with Their Team
How Nurse Leaders Can Be Vulnerable to Their Patients
7 Thought-Provoking Questions to Challenge Your Vulnerability
Conclusion
What is vulnerable leadership, and why does it matter?
While being vulnerable is often considered harmful, wrong, or even weak, it is quite the opposite. Vulnerability is much more than the textbook definition and intertwines delicately with leadership. It is the core of communication. It provides courage and compassion, and deepens connections- all aspects of good nurse leadership.
Vulnerable leadership is the act of exercising great strength and courage to form relationships that are meaningful, open, and honest. It is not suggesting that nurse leaders share their deepest secrets or overshare personal information.
By setting proper boundaries, you can become a pillar of strength, relatability, and comfort for your team. Being vulnerable in a healthcare setting demonstrates that to commit fully to your career and the patients you serve, you must be authentically yourself and do so without fear.
Vulnerable leadership opens up a line of trust and honesty- providing a safe space for you and your team to communicate feelings, concerns, and goals. This connection creates transparency, henceforth dodging errors involved with miscommunication. This form of leadership increases staff and patient satisfaction, keeping employee retention rates high and medical errors low.
The “professional distance” practiced by many healthcare leaders quickly becomes replaced with a level of uncertainty, but the very type that stimulates growth and creativity.
How a Nurse Leader Can Be Vulnerable with Their Team
Nurse leaders can express vulnerability to their teams in many different ways. At the frontline, nurses and other medical assistants work tirelessly at the bedside to ensure patient safety and satisfaction. Depending on your unit or healthcare setting, these bedside moments can be tragic, exciting, victorious, or even bittersweet, among many other words.
Nurses must express their patients’ vulnerability, compassion, and openness daily. They offer comfort and support and even serve as advocates between the patient’s journey and family & friends. As a nurse leader who oversees this care, ensuring quality checks, satisfaction, and positive experiences with patients, it’s also essential to check in on staff.
By being open, honest, and unafraid to admit mistakes or wrongdoings, nurse leaders can pave the way for their team to communicate better, improving satisfaction holistically at nearly every level. For example, there’s no shame in saying, “I don’t know,” or “Let me find the answer to that.” Similarly, opening up about your opinions and thoughts, whether positive or negative, will create a sense of trust with your team.
By being open, the staff is more likely to work harder and feel comfortable confiding in their nurse leader with any questions or concerns regarding patient care or questions regarding the workplace. People naturally work harder when they have a supervisor they admire and respect.
How a Nurse Leaders Can Be Vulnerable to Their Patients
Engaging with patients for nurse leader rounding is a critical aspect of patient satisfaction. It allows nurse leaders to check in on the patient’s care journey and how the team is successfully meeting their needs. In addition, these rounds are critical for gauging the patient experience and honing areas for staff praise and improvement.
Most of the time, patients will not feel satisfied with their experience if the staff is absent of emotion or even overly optimistic. Being vulnerable with a patient means being authentic and setting realistic expectations while being there as support when needed.
Nurse leaders can touch on their vulnerabilities with nurse leader rounding to draw them closer to those patients who are forced into vulnerable situations themselves. Throughout a patient’s continuum of care, it’s possible for them to feel as though they have little control of the situation. By being open and honest with patients and forming professional relationships, you can bond with the patient and offer comfort during difficult times.
7 Thought-Provoking Questions to Challenge Your Vulnerability
- How much would you like to share with your team? Setting appropriate boundaries is critical in ensuring that your openness is not offputting and solidifies your professional relationships.
- Have you been completely honest with yourself and others in the workplace? If not, why? One of the main hindering factors to vulnerability is a shame. This could be as small as being wrong about a minute detail. We often blame others when we feel shame- can you see places where you might blame yourself or others?
- How well do you know yourself as a leader? Think about what type of leader you are; maybe even jot down a list of adjectives that describe your leadership style. Are there opportunities for you to get to know yourself better to be a more vulnerable leader?
- What assumptions do you have about your industry and/or organization that may inhibit you? This allows you to ponder and challenge your assumptions and make room for new opportunities and growth within yourself and you as a nurse leader. How have these assumptions influenced your vulnerability?
- What risks can you take? Can you take those risks effectively and without drawbacks? Think about what these risks look like for you and your team. Will these actions inspire others around you? Sit for a moment and examine the ripple effect if you were to make these choices.
- What skills and knowledge do you need to be a successful leader? Think about any ways in which you may be your own bottleneck. What are opportunities for growth and actionable development strategies you can take to get where you want to?
- How would you describe your communication with the rest of your team? Challenge yourself- what is and is not working? How can you improve?
Conclusion
Practicing vulnerable leadership skills as a nurse leader involves taking a complete inventory of yourself to best figure out how to problem-solve and maximize productivity with others. By being open, honest, and, most of all, vulnerable, you can create a healthy work environment that is trusting and productive. It represents strength and is a gift we can share with others.
Seyzo Health is a digital nurse leader rounding platform that prioritizes communication for nurse leaders, staff, and teams. By creating a system of unwavering communication, you can productively solve problems, increase employee productivity & satisfaction, and improve the patient experience by being authentically yourself.
