Which leadership skills were the most difficult to develop?

leader interview
Instructions:
Interview should NOT be in question-and-answer format. Rather, the interview should be written as a “paper” that flows from question to answer throughout the document.
(The Capstone has been an overall great experience. I have interviewed patients regarding their experience and their wait times in the outpatient radiology setting. Wait times between checking in with the secretary to be called to registration and wait time after registration is complete to start test/exam……If needed additional positive information can be added.)
Name of mentor—Rachael F
• Position— Reginal Patient Experience Manager for the Western Florida Division
• Name of agency or school affiliation—Town and County hospital is a 120-bed facility specializing in providing comprehensive medical services to community residents. It is a part of Adventist Health System in the northern Tampa Bay area.
• Educational background or preparation— Rachael went to Nursing school right out of high school and went to a hospital nursing school and obtained an Associate degree in Nursing. After several years of practicing, I returned to school to obtain my Bachelors in Nursing. After my children were all out of high school, I returned again and completed my Masters in Nursing specializing in Clinical Nurse Leader.
• Brief description (approximately one paragraph) of your Capstone experience and the role that the mentor played in that experience——The Capstone experience has been more than what I ever could have imaged. The opportunity to interact with outpatients and hear first-hand their experience has been eye-opening. Wait times for an exam can be nerve racking to anyone. By finding ways to minizine their wait lead to improve patient experience. In this time spent listening to patients, they experienced communication was important to them. My mentor’s goal is to improve patient experience. She has taught me to listen and go the extra mile to have that patient satisfied. She has taught me to communicate, respond to patient concerns, and listen to their needs.
• Summary of the interview including: Your overall impression of the mentor’s position–after your experience with the mentor, and perceiving the skills, values, and professional behaviors of the mentor, is this a position that you would aspire to be in one day?
This Capstone has shown me a different avenue and possible career path. Being the Reginal Patient Experience Manager is a critical position. Patient experience/satisfaction scores are essential to healthcare facilities. My mentor has managed a variety of patient concerns in a professional matter and always placed the patient’s needs first. Being able to see the importance of treating the patient as a whole has given me another point-of-view. I hope one day in my career to work as a patient experience manager.

An aspect of your position what do you find to be the most challenging and most rewarding?
The most challenging aspect of my position is creating buy in with staff that what we do is important to the patients and the hospital. The most rewarding is when you see the staff get it or truly understand what you are teaching and practices it consistently.
What do you like best and least about your position?
The things I like best and least are the same that I find challenging and rewarding.
What advice or direction would you give to an aspiring mentee in a similar position?
Advice that I would give to an aspiring mentee in a similar position is to have a lot of patience when trying to change behaviors. When it happens though, it is very rewarding.
What do you wish you had known before taking your first management role?
What I wish I had known before taking my first management role is even though you are told the job is 40 hours per week and that is what you are paid for; you work many, many more hours per week than 40 hours.
Can you tell me about a time when you had a difficult boss and how did you handle the situation?
I have had several difficult bosses in my career. As a novice manager I had a difficult boss that I could not agree with her vision and plan for the nursing department. I resigned from the job and left the organization. As I matured in the management aspect of my career and had a second difficult boss, I was able to vocalize my concerns in a professional manner and come to a mutual disagreement.
Think back to five years ago. Did you envision your career as it is today?
I did not envision my career in Nursing as it is in Nursing 5 years ago. I have always wanted to remain at the bedside because I truly enjoy the daily interactions with the patients and families. But sometimes you meet folks that see something in you that you did not see yourself. I was gently pushed towards management and even though it was challenging, I truly have enjoyed it. I started out as an Assistant Head Nurse and progressed to Interim CNO twice.
How did you learn to embrace risk taking?
I am not sure I have learned to embrace risk taking. I still get very nervous with new situations. Sometimes though, I fake confidence until I get it.

Which leadership skills were the most difficult to develop?
The leadership skill that was the most difficult to develop was performing disciplinary actions. Everyone responds differently, but I have learned over the years that if I do my job of having open communication then when we get to the point of disciplinary actions, it should not be a surprise to the employee.