The Real Obligation of Leadership

Robin is currently the Chief Nursing Officer at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, the flagship facility of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System in Livingston NJ. Prior to being CNO, Robin has held leadership roles at Mount Sinai Health System and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Evolving Leadership: From Rigidity to Empowerment

When I was learning about leadership very early on in my career, I was under the impression that the tougher I was the better results I would get. The truth is that it worked in getting the job done. I was seeing results and the outcomes either matched or exceeded the expectations of the organization. I developed a reputation as a “rising star”. My boss at the time thought the world of me and my ability in holding people accountable against their goals is what drove me every day. I knew that working in a fast paced, chaotic environment, that we needed structure, stability and consistency. As time passed, I realized that many people could not keep up at this pace for much longer. The constraints and daily rigor were wearing people down and I was trying to keep the place from collapsing. One morning, the patient safety nurse for the department spoke to me after a huddle and said, “Remember that you will catch more flies with sugar and honey than with vinegar”. The quote caused me to reflect and pause.

As I thought about the words she shared with me, it really started to resonate. I was getting the job done, but at the expense of others. How could I change my approach to build relationships and trust? I took time to reflect on my career and asked for advice from my colleagues. At around the same time, my boss assigned me an executive coach. I knew something was happening; someone saw value in me and decided to make an investment. I had learned to do the job, but I hadn’t yet learned how to be a leader of people. I was confusing getting the work/task done with what it means to be a real leader. Most of the time when it came to work, I was non-negotiable. I wanted to win and I wanted to win right now. I was going to compete and show everyone what I was capable of.

I was fortunate that many people in the organization saw my potential and wanted to support my growth and development. This point in time in my career became a pivotal moment, I knew I had to introduce different elements to my leadership and make adjustments. The feedback provided was easy to understand and I didn’t challenge it. The real question was whether or not I was ready to make the change.

The purpose of leadership is to create more leaders, not more followers. I learned this quote when I was in business school and it has resonated with me ever since. A mentor reminded me, “Your job is to help other people be successful and if they’re successful, it will always reflect on you”. As I’ve grown through my career and been exposed to different leadership opportunities, I never take it for granted that in leadership we have a real responsibility of helping, mentoring and coaching today’s leaders to be ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

My job as a leader is to ensure that my team has the tools, resources and support necessary to achieve their day to day goals in addition to helping them grow into their career ambitions. I incorporate coaching in each of my interaction as much as we talk about the business. Milton Hershey once said, “There is not a person alive who should not plant a tree, not for the shade you will enjoy, but for those coming after.”

It’s often said that to whom much is given, much is expected. I couldn’t agree more. The roles that we occupy are temporary and therefore, our obligation to society at large is that we do everything we can to support and nurture someone with potential to develop and grow into their own. If we, as leaders, do this enough times, the impact will be far larger than anything we could have ever imagined. My measure of success will always be determined by how much I did to help someone else.