After interviewing the nurse leader, I learned that leadership in nursing can take many different forms and can come about in many different ways. It doesn’t always have to be the stereotypical manager position, but it can come in the form of being the one that your colleagues come to when they need help with a problem. When talking with her, she seemed like she was very self-aware of her management skills and abilities. She knew that had some weak spots, but knew where she could go to get help and was able to work on improving the weak areas. These actions showed how aware she was of herself and her limitations. I found that she was also very socially aware during her time as a nurse leader. She talked about how she would always make sure her staff was content and how she would do anything to help make their day easier. I think this shows that she was very socially aware of her co-workers and knew that a department could not run without the staff.

During the interview, I was not really surprised by anything that she said because of the personal relationship that I have with her. She was very open about the transition process and what it was like going from the clinical leadership roles to the formal leadership role. When talking about her role, I asked her if she had any tips to being a good leader. She responded by telling me to listen to others and to know where the people you lead are coming from so that you can make their day easier and to not be afraid to say you don’t know an answer. This response really reinforced my knowledge of leadership because I have always learned and thought that a good leader needed to listen, help out their staff, and admit when they don’t know something, but make sure they find the answer to educate themselves and their staff. 

This interview didn’t really change my feelings about this leader because I already knew her, respected her, and knew how great of a leader she was. From the conversation I had with her, I will be able to use the tips she gave me to become a better leader in the future. Also, I will be able to go to some of the resources that are available to me that other new employees may not know about.