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My Colleague response to assignment:

Kristen William

Discussion 1 - Week 8

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             Now that I have worked through how I would implement the upgrade of the software for the nursing staff of my organization using Kotter’s eight-stage process, I have started to evaluate the effectiveness of my vision.  I believe it is a viable vision, but I am having an “ah-ha” moment regarding teamwork.  The first flaw I noticed in my own leadership skills, is that in the past, I rush through the first four stages.  I know now that I need to take my time on all stages as they are all so important.  But now I am realizing how even though I have a team, I’m not leading them efficiently.  I am from Generation X, but I am very influenced by the Boomer mentality which focuses on talent. “I can also imagine a day when big egos and snakes are eliminated from promotion lists, no matter how smart, clever, hardworking, or well educated they are.  Such people kill teamwork.  They create problems today, but in a more rapidly changing future world, the consequences of their actions might well become completely unacceptable” (Kotter, 2012, p. 172).   Along with talent comes ego.  I know I have great talent understanding the technicalities of our computer software and unfortunately, I’m realizing that my own ego is getting in the way.  I am exhausted just thinking about this projected project because I have an ingrained culture of doing it all myself.  This is what I have always done.  Due to past experiences, I don’t trust many people to do anything correctly.   I need to work through this to embrace these new ideas on teamwork and the idea of removing barriers.  I know in order to succeed; I need to learn to be a leader that empowers my team with my skills.

            My hope is that after the ‘go LIVE’ of the nursing implementation, the focus of the Emergency Department (E.D.) will be back on the patient, not on the tedious software. The factors that will influence my plan would be the hierarchy in the management of the E.D., the ingrained culture, and keeping up with constant change.  The Director of the E.D. may have a change of heart and start to micromanage this project.  The negative culture of the nursing staff towards the Information Technology (I.T) department may resurface.  Turnover of staff may occur which will slow down the progress.  Staying focused, delegating tasks, and taking care of my own stress will be my strategies. “Even today, the best-performing firms I know that operate in highly competitive industries have executives who spend most of their time leading, not managing, and employees who are empowered with the authority to manage their work groups” (Kotter, 2012, p. 175).

            The characteristics I need to let shine through are honestly, patience, and adaptability.  Being willing to learn new things and apply them right away can keep me heading towards my goal of a successful implementation.  “Nowhere are terms such as brilliant, dynamic, visionary or charismatic used to describe him then, much less leader” (Kotter, 2012, p. 185). Let us also never forget kindness.  Being kind is so simple yet so often forgotten in our fast-paced world.  My ego must be placed on the wayside.  It is not important to be the smartest person in the room but rather to be a lifelong learner (Kotter, 2012).  I know that complacency will continue to pop up when I least expect it.  Complacency must be constantly fought. Nursing staff in the E.D. become exhausted, especially with the current pandemic.  The ever-changing policies and procedures can impact my software upgrade project.  My last thought is to avoid fear.  I cannot be afraid of this new model of management, of leading by example, of touching hearts, of letting go of egos; I can’t be afraid of my mistakes.  Mistakes will make me stronger and correcting them will lead to positive social change. “Mistakes are the pathway to great ideas and innovation, and with the support of their leader, people are set up to learn (rather than set up to fail) from experimenting and venturing outside of their comfort zones” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 186).

 

 Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

 Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. Hoboken, NJ:  Wiley & Sons.

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