The Internet is an amazing technology. You can find information about nearly anything in a fraction of a second. Especially in recent years, it’s become extremely easy to find instruction and advice on just about anything that you’d like to learn. You want to learn how to make sourdough bread on your own? You’ll definitely find that. You want to build your own computer? You bet there’s a blog or a YouTube channel on that. You want to work on your car? There’ entire web sites for that. But have you ever looked on the internet for nursing leadership advice (I mean, you’re reading this article, so I would imagine the answer is “yes”)? If you’re like me, you probably found the information that’s available online somewhat disappointing. In a world where we can literally learn how to do almost anything online, it’s surprising how difficult it can be to find quality information for leadership development as a nurse.

The gap

When I started out as a new nurse leader, I did my fair share of digging on the Internet for advice and useful strategies that would help me become the type of leader I wanted to be. Unfortunately, I didn’t really find what I was looking for. Most of the information on the Internet, if it’s not from a dubious source, falls into a few unhelpful categories:

1. It’s too academic
   1. Too often, the material from reputable sources is found in academic journals that are locked behind a paywall. If I could access them, I often found the content to be verbose, overcomplicated, or theoretical and highly disconnected from real world application.
2. It’s too generic and vague
   1. More often, the content was simply too vague. Generic platitudes like “practice good communication,” “use active listening” and “know your leadership style” are repeated ad nauseam in internet articles. While not completely useless, it’s also not the level of detail or actionability that I was looking for.
3. It’s sales copy for a product (like a course, degree program, or certification)
   1. Many of the articles on nursing leadership you’ll find online are published by universities, and too often the article is just obligatory sales copy for a hard sell on a degree program, course, or certification. So, by nature, the content is shallow and dry, culminating in the inevitable – “to take the next level in your leadership journey, get your DNP at…”

When you compare this information landscape with just about anything else online, it leaves a lot to be desired.

So, What?

This blog, and my accompanying YouTube channel, are my attempt to fill the gap in accessible and, most importantly, actionable online content for early career nurse leaders. Many of the hardest issues I faced transitioning into leadership involved knowledge and skills I was never taught, but that are absolutely teachable concepts like:

• How to influence people without authority
• How to manage mundane, administrative tasks efficiently
• How to recover from leadership mistakes and missteps
• How to measure, manipulate, and analyze data

So rather than wait for someone else, I decided to start creating the content I always wished was out there. I am not claiming to be a leadership expert, just someone who’s on the journey and willing to share the lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn along the way.

If that sounds useful and interesting to you, please join my mailing list, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.