Are you thinking about moving into a leadership position, but not sure if you should take the leap? If you clicked on this article, you probably have a position in mind. Maybe you’ve already updated your resume, reviewed interview questions. Perhaps you even filled out the application, but haven’t clicked “submit” yet. Something’s holding you back. Maybe this is your first leadership role, and you’re not sure if you’re ready. How do you know? How can you decide if you should apply to a leadership position?
Why are you applying to this role?
Whatever role you’re considering, it’s important to consider why you want it in the first place. Sometimes it’s tempting to jump on any advancement opportunity just because its there. However, being clear on what’s driving your interest is a vital starting point when applying for a new role. Transitioning from a staff role into leadership is particularly fraught with difficulty, so its worth taking extra care to get this right. I recommend thinking about three key areas before applying – your motives, your expectations, and your qualifications.
Why do I want this?
Are you clear about your motives for applying? What are you looking to achieve with this new role? Are you seeking a higher salary? More influence in the organization or on patient care? Is it a step toward longer-term career goals? Are you looking to move away from the bedside? All of those can be perfectly legitimate motivations, and most people will have more than one reason in mind. However, only you know what your true motivations are, and being honest with yourself will help you determine whether to apply or not.
What will it be like?
Second, you need to examine your expectations. Do you really understand the role you’re applying to? What you want to avoid here is making a decision based on a fantasy of what you think a leadership role is like. Instead, you need to gather real evidence so you know what the roles look like. Reading articles online could be a nice place to start; However, your best tool here is to leverage your network. Talk to real nurses in leadership roles. A good start is your current manager. Find out what the day to day rhythm of the job is like. What do they find most frustrating or rewarding? Explore the impact on their lifestyle – how freely can they unplug from work? Are they frequently dealing with work off-hours? How does being in a leadership role impact their working relationships with staff and colleagues? These are areas where you don’t want your decision based on wishful thinking. Get real data so you can set your expectations accordingly.
Am I qualified?
Third, its helpful to consider your qualifications. I’m not talking about your credentials and resume as much as your qualities and habits. Of course, you should read the job posting and know the required experience and credentials, but it does not stop there. ou may want to apply even if you dont meet all the listed qualifications in the posting. Much of what separates effective leaders are intangibles, or “soft skills.” You’ll want to have an inventory of strengths you bring to the table, as well as areas where you may need to grow. This will not only help you “sell yourself” in the interviews, but also to succeed if you get the job.
Reasons to reconsider
As you are considering your motives, expectations, and qualifications, what might be some reasons to take pause?
1. You’re primarily after money or status
There’s nothing wrong with seeking a higher salary. Most of us work so that we can pay our bills, so I’m not suggesting you should volunteer your time for free. I am, however, suggesting there are easier ways to increase your earning potential as a nurse than taking a leadership role. Leadership is challenging both cognitively and emotionally, and most roles are highly stressful. If you’re mainly motivated by a paycheck, the challenge may not be worth it in the long run.
If status or recognition is more important to you than salary, I have bad news – taking a leadership role probably wont do it for you, either. While leadership titles often sound grandiose, the day to day reality often means doing a lot of work no one ever sees or recognizes. If you want validation, you probably wont get it from taking a leadership role. This isn’t to say that if you want either of these things it spells doom for your leadership career, but you’ll need other motivators besides these to keep you going. Otherwise you’ll find yourself frustrated, burnt out, and resenting your work.
2. You want to control how your peers do their work
If you frequently think that everyone would be better off if they just listened to you or did things the way you do, you might think that moving into a leadership role is meant to be. However, you would find that being the leader doesn’t actually give you the right to tell everyone what to do. Yes, you might gain a measure of authority, but you’ll also learn that people are not only very difficult to control, they actively resist efforts to do so. You’ll also find that leaders don’t always get their own way, and have to be skilled at negotiating and exploring alternatives. If you frequently think you’re way is best, it might be a sign you need to work on those skills before you take on a leadership role.
3. You expect the work to be easier than bedside care
Frontline nursing can be brutal. I don’t need to convince you of the steep physical, mental, and emotional demands of bedside nursing roles. If you’re younger or earlier in your career you might have a bit of shellshock; if you’ve been a nurse for a while, you might feel a bit burned out. In either case, you want something less taxing. You might look at those nurse managers and directors who have an office, wear pantsuits, and go to myriad meetings and think “that seems a lot easier than this.” Spoiler – it’s not. Its just different. What leadership roles lack in physical exertion, they make up for in decisional, relational, and emotional complexity. Many leadership roles in nursing also involve 24/7 accountability, you don’t get to punch out and hand off your shift to the next nurse. You will be responsible to solve the “sticky wicket” issues that your staff escalate up to you. You’ll need to mediate conflicts and advocate for resources. As you move up the chain, the problems just get bigger, more complicated, and further from your direct control. If what you’re looking for is a change of pace and less strenuous work, there are other nursing roles that can offer this without the challenges of leadership.
4. Someone else is obviously “tagged” to take the role
This mainly applies to internal positions or promotion opportunities. Its common for multiple internal candidates to apply when leadership roles open up. Most of the time, the hiring team doesn’t have a specific candidate in mind and there is a true selection process involved. In some cases, thought, there’s a person lined up for a role and everybody knows it. They may have been groomed for the role by a previous leader, have tenure, or relationship capital. In whatever case, powerful people have noticed them and see potential. You might disagree with this person’s qualifications or think you could do it better. Depending on the situation, you might be wise to wait for a better opportunity than to pit yourself against an internal “shoe in.” At best, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. At worst, you might risk damaging relationships that could prove valuable.
5. You frequently disagree with current leadership and think you could do it better
Trust me, this is a minefield. As I mentioned earlier, taking a leadership position doesn’t mean you’ll get to do things your way. If your main motivation or goal for seeking a leadership position is to right the wrongs of a previous leader or to show “them” how it’s done, you’ll want to consider things carefully. It might be that there were real problems with the previous leader and a fresh approach is exactly what’s needed. However, if you find yourself critical of the current or previous leadership, it could also be a sign that you lack humility, are disagreeable, or don’t fully understand the factors at play. Often “problems” look very different from an expanded organizational perspective and context. Another factor to consider is that leaders work as a team with other leaders in the organization; there’s always a bigger fish. Leaders often have to implement plans and strategies they don’t fully agree with, and support their success. Don’t be quick to assume you know why certain initiatives or decisions did or did not succeed. In the best case scenario, you’ll find your understanding was limited by your perspective. In the worst case scenario, you’ll find yourself chafing against leaders more senior to you and set yourself up for failure.
Reasons to go for it
So perhaps you’ve made it this far and haven’t tripped over the red flags we just discussed. What are some reasons you might want to “pull the trigger” and go for it?
1. You are already leading
The best indicator of your readiness to lead is if you’re already successfully leading. This is especially true if you don’t have a formal leadership role or assignment; if people follow you because they want to and not because they have to. If you’re already engaged in a unit-based council, leading projects, or taking initiative in team building, those are good signs that you have some leadership aptitude. Any situation where you are organizing and motivating people to accomplish a common goal is a form of leadership. Do people come to you for mentorship or advice? This can be an indicator of trust, credibility, and relational skills. Has a leader you respect asked you about whether you’d consider a leadership role, or even suggested that you should? This could be a nudge from someone who sees potential in you. While you want to be wary of overconfidence, you shouldn’t overlook the signs that you are already successfully practicing leadership.
2. You’re unsure if you can meet the challenge
Are you hesitating to apply because you’re not sure you have what it takes? Are you worried about the new skills you’ll have to learn? What about all the financial stuff you have to manage? What if you have to discipline or fire someone? How do you even interview people and make good hires? What if you end up being a bad manager? These thoughts are normal, especially if you’ve never done this before.
Trepidation about whether you’ll succeed is a good thing; it’s a sign of humility. You should feel a little intimidated by the prospect of leading others. It shows that you appreciate the weight of the responsibility, and the challenges that it entails. Knowingly stepping out of your comfort zone is how you grow, and if you’re paying attention to your shortfalls, you are on the right track. Remember that every beginner starts incompetent, its the people who don’t recognize their own incompetence that are dangerous.
3. You know what you have to offer… and what you don’t
Some uncertainty is okay; but on the other hand you should have an idea what kind of strengths you can contribute as a leader. Are you especially good with managing conflict and relationships? Are you an expert clinician and deeply understand the patient population you work with? Do you have deep knowledge of the organization, its history and culture? Are you exceptionally organized and methodical? You wont be good at everything, but you should have an idea of two or three areas of strength that will serve you as a leader. You will be opting into a steep learning curve, and self awareness will help you maximize those strengths and use them to your advantage. It will also help you manage expectations and relationships with others by not pretending to be what you aren’t. On the flip side, you should also be aware of your weaknesses. Identify a similar number of areas for growth and have a general idea of how you will close those gaps. This will likely come up in the interview, and more importantly it will help you round out your skill set much faster. Your identity and leadership style will evolve over time, but having a sense of your assets and liabilities is a good place to begin.
Growing forward
Hopefully reading this post has helped you to reflect on your motives, expectations, and qualifications and helped you get closer to deciding whether you should submit that application.
If some of the reasons to reconsider resonated with you, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’ll never be a leader. You might simply need more information or evidence to make this decision. You might need more opportunities to practice leading in informal roles. You might benefit from a mentor who can give you honest feedback and highlight your blind spots. Or, you might need to adjust your goals to align more closely with your strengths.
On the other hand, if you recognized some of the reasons to take the leap, that leadership role you’ve been eyeing might be worth applying for. That said, be humble and open to the possibility that you might be rejected, or even fail in the role. Regardless of the outcome of this job, keep looking for opportunities, building on your strengths, and seeking feedback.Should I apply for a nursing leadership role?
Are you thinking about moving into a leadership position, but not sure if you should take the leap? If you clicked on this article, you probably have a position in mind. Maybe you’ve already updated your resume, reviewed interview questions. Perhaps you even filled out the application, but haven’t clicked “submit” yet. Something’s holding you back. Maybe this is your first leadership role, and you’re not sure if you’re ready. How do you know? How can you decide if you should apply to a leadership position?
Why are you applying to this role?
Whatever role you’re considering, it’s important to consider why you want it in the first place. Sometimes it’s tempting to jump on any advancement opportunity just because its there. However, being clear on what’s driving your interest is a vital starting point when applying for a new role. Transitioning from a staff role into leadership is particularly fraught with difficulty, so its worth taking extra care to get this right. I recommend thinking about three key areas before applying – your motives, your expectations, and your qualifications.
Why do I want this?
Are you clear about your motives for applying? What are you looking to achieve with this new role? Are you seeking a higher salary? More influence in the organization or on patient care? Is it a step toward longer-term career goals? Are you looking to move away from the bedside? All of those can be perfectly legitimate motivations, and most people will have more than one reason in mind. However, only you know what your true motivations are, and being honest with yourself will help you determine whether to apply or not.
What will it be like?
Second, you need to examine your expectations. Do you really understand the role you’re applying to? What you want to avoid here is making a decision based on a fantasy of what you think a leadership role is like. Instead, you need to gather real evidence so you know what the roles look like. Reading articles online could be a nice place to start; However, your best tool here is to leverage your network. Talk to real nurses in leadership roles. A good start is your current manager. Find out what the day to day rhythm of the job is like. What do they find most frustrating or rewarding? Explore the impact on their lifestyle – how freely can they unplug from work? Are they frequently dealing with work off-hours? How does being in a leadership role impact their working relationships with staff and colleagues? These are areas where you don’t want your decision based on wishful thinking. Get real data so you can set your expectations accordingly.
Am I qualified?
Third, its helpful to consider your qualifications. I’m not talking about your credentials and resume as much as your qualities and habits. Of course, you should read the job posting and know the required experience and credentials, but it does not stop there. ou may want to apply even if you dont meet all the listed qualifications in the posting. Much of what separates effective leaders are intangibles, or “soft skills.” You’ll want to have an inventory of strengths you bring to the table, as well as areas where you may need to grow. This will not only help you “sell yourself” in the interviews, but also to succeed if you get the job.
Reasons to reconsider
As you are considering your motives, expectations, and qualifications, what might be some reasons to take pause?
1. You’re primarily after money or status
There’s nothing wrong with seeking a higher salary. Most of us work so that we can pay our bills, so I’m not suggesting you should volunteer your time for free. I am, however, suggesting there are easier ways to increase your earning potential as a nurse than taking a leadership role. Leadership is challenging both cognitively and emotionally, and most roles are highly stressful. If you’re mainly motivated by a paycheck, the challenge may not be worth it in the long run.
If status or recognition is more important to you than salary, I have bad news – taking a leadership role probably wont do it for you, either. While leadership titles often sound grandiose, the day to day reality often means doing a lot of work no one ever sees or recognizes. If you want validation, you probably wont get it from taking a leadership role. This isn’t to say that if you want either of these things it spells doom for your leadership career, but you’ll need other motivators besides these to keep you going. Otherwise you’ll find yourself frustrated, burnt out, and resenting your work.
2. You want to control how your peers do their work
If you frequently think that everyone would be better off if they just listened to you or did things the way you do, you might think that moving into a leadership role is meant to be. However, you would find that being the leader doesn’t actually give you the right to tell everyone what to do. Yes, you might gain a measure of authority, but you’ll also learn that people are not only very difficult to control, they actively resist efforts to do so. You’ll also find that leaders don’t always get their own way, and have to be skilled at negotiating and exploring alternatives. If you frequently think you’re way is best, it might be a sign you need to work on those skills before you take on a leadership role.
3. You expect the work to be easier than bedside care
Frontline nursing can be brutal. I don’t need to convince you of the steep physical, mental, and emotional demands of bedside nursing roles. If you’re younger or earlier in your career you might have a bit of shellshock; if you’ve been a nurse for a while, you might feel a bit burned out. In either case, you want something less taxing. You might look at those nurse managers and directors who have an office, wear pantsuits, and go to myriad meetings and think “that seems a lot easier than this.” Spoiler – it’s not. Its just different. What leadership roles lack in physical exertion, they make up for in decisional, relational, and emotional complexity. Many leadership roles in nursing also involve 24/7 accountability, you don’t get to punch out and hand off your shift to the next nurse. You will be responsible to solve the “sticky wicket” issues that your staff escalate up to you. You’ll need to mediate conflicts and advocate for resources. As you move up the chain, the problems just get bigger, more complicated, and further from your direct control. If what you’re looking for is a change of pace and less strenuous work, there are other nursing roles that can offer this without the challenges of leadership.
4. Someone else is obviously “tagged” to take the role
This mainly applies to internal positions or promotion opportunities. Its common for multiple internal candidates to apply when leadership roles open up. Most of the time, the hiring team doesn’t have a specific candidate in mind and there is a true selection process involved. In some cases, thought, there’s a person lined up for a role and everybody knows it. They may have been groomed for the role by a previous leader, have tenure, or relationship capital. In whatever case, powerful people have noticed them and see potential. You might disagree with this person’s qualifications or think you could do it better. Depending on the situation, you might be wise to wait for a better opportunity than to pit yourself against an internal “shoe in.” At best, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. At worst, you might risk damaging relationships that could prove valuable.
5. You frequently disagree with current leadership and think you could do it better
Trust me, this is a minefield. As I mentioned earlier, taking a leadership position doesn’t mean you’ll get to do things your way. If your main motivation or goal for seeking a leadership position is to right the wrongs of a previous leader or to show “them” how it’s done, you’ll want to consider things carefully. It might be that there were real problems with the previous leader and a fresh approach is exactly what’s needed. However, if you find yourself critical of the current or previous leadership, it could also be a sign that you lack humility, are disagreeable, or don’t fully understand the factors at play. Often “problems” look very different from an expanded organizational perspective and context. Another factor to consider is that leaders work as a team with other leaders in the organization; there’s always a bigger fish. Leaders often have to implement plans and strategies they don’t fully agree with, and support their success. Don’t be quick to assume you know why certain initiatives or decisions did or did not succeed. In the best case scenario, you’ll find your understanding was limited by your perspective. In the worst case scenario, you’ll find yourself chafing against leaders more senior to you and set yourself up for failure.
Reasons to go for it
So perhaps you’ve made it this far and haven’t tripped over the red flags we just discussed. What are some reasons you might want to “pull the trigger” and go for it?
1. You are already leading
The best indicator of your readiness to lead is if you’re already successfully leading. This is especially true if you don’t have a formal leadership role or assignment; if people follow you because they want to and not because they have to. If you’re already engaged in a unit-based council, leading projects, or taking initiative in team building, those are good signs that you have some leadership aptitude. Any situation where you are organizing and motivating people to accomplish a common goal is a form of leadership. Do people come to you for mentorship or advice? This can be an indicator of trust, credibility, and relational skills. Has a leader you respect asked you about whether you’d consider a leadership role, or even suggested that you should? This could be a nudge from someone who sees potential in you. While you want to be wary of overconfidence, you shouldn’t overlook the signs that you are already successfully practicing leadership.
2. You’re unsure if you can meet the challenge
Are you hesitating to apply because you’re not sure you have what it takes? Are you worried about the new skills you’ll have to learn? What about all the financial stuff you have to manage? What if you have to discipline or fire someone? How do you even interview people and make good hires? What if you end up being a bad manager? These thoughts are normal, especially if you’ve never done this before.
Trepidation about whether you’ll succeed is a good thing; it’s a sign of humility. You should feel a little intimidated by the prospect of leading others. It shows that you appreciate the weight of the responsibility, and the challenges that it entails. Knowingly stepping out of your comfort zone is how you grow, and if you’re paying attention to your shortfalls, you are on the right track. Remember that every beginner starts incompetent, its the people who don’t recognize their own incompetence that are dangerous.
3. You know what you have to offer… and what you don’t
Some uncertainty is okay; but on the other hand you should have an idea what kind of strengths you can contribute as a leader. Are you especially good with managing conflict and relationships? Are you an expert clinician and deeply understand the patient population you work with? Do you have deep knowledge of the organization, its history and culture? Are you exceptionally organized and methodical? You wont be good at everything, but you should have an idea of two or three areas of strength that will serve you as a leader. You will be opting into a steep learning curve, and self awareness will help you maximize those strengths and use them to your advantage. It will also help you manage expectations and relationships with others by not pretending to be what you aren’t. On the flip side, you should also be aware of your weaknesses. Identify a similar number of areas for growth and have a general idea of how you will close those gaps. This will likely come up in the interview, and more importantly it will help you round out your skill set much faster. Your identity and leadership style will evolve over time, but having a sense of your assets and liabilities is a good place to begin.
Growing forward
Hopefully reading this post has helped you to reflect on your motives, expectations, and qualifications and helped you get closer to deciding whether you should submit that application.
If some of the reasons to reconsider resonated with you, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’ll never be a leader. You might simply need more information or evidence to make this decision. You might need more opportunities to practice leading in informal roles. You might benefit from a mentor who can give you honest feedback and highlight your blind spots. Or, you might need to adjust your goals to align more closely with your strengths.
On the other hand, if you recognized some of the reasons to take the leap, that leadership role you’ve been eyeing might be worth applying for. That said, be humble and open to the possibility that you might be rejected, or even fail in the role. Regardless of the outcome of this job, keep looking for opportunities, building on your strengths, and seeking feedback.
