Jennifer Willett, Matron, Infectious Diseases, HIV, Immunology and Allergy, reflects on the challenges, knowledge and skill set she has developed by working in different specialities throughout her nursing career. Jennifer shares how she approaches working in a new and unfamiliar area, how to build relationships with and support your team and the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone to further your knowledge and skills.
3 Quotes to lead by...
1. LISTEN AND BE VISIBLE
‘My advice to build those relationships would be to meet people, to listen to people, so for me, on a daily basis, I go out onto the ward to see what’s going on, to see what the staffings like because you need to know what things they’re going to come up against in their day to day.’
Q. Are you regularly visiting your teams to enable you to understand better what is going on for them and to observe any challenges they might face daily?
2. TAKE THAT LEAP
‘I think any new challenge is hard for anybody and stepping outside your comfort zone, but it’s like anything, the more you do it, the more you experience it…it’s about making that jump or that leap because actually you will achieve it, you will succeed at it.’
Q. When was the last time you challenged yourself to further your professional development?
3. IT’S ABOUT TRIAL AND ERROR
‘I think it’s trial and error. There have been times when I’ve probably thought, this is the way forward and this is what I’m going to do, and actually realised, hang on a minute, that’s not the best way of doing it. So it’s going back and rethinking.’
Q. Are there any current practices within your team that could do with a refresh or rethink?
External Resources
Visible leadership is not just about saying good morning every day
10 Tips For Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone And Fueling Professional Development
Trial and Error Leadership
