Julie Hey

N160
March 2023

Case Study Week 1 – Nursing Leadership

Michael is a new graduate who is excited to be working on the unit. You become concerned

when you notice Michael seems frustrated with his patient assignments. You ask Michael to

meet with you so you can attempt to understand his frustration. He states, “I am not frustrated, I

just want to be heard. I had a suggestion to improve handoff reports, but no one seems to be

taking me seriously since I am new.”

1. As the nurse manager in this situation, what leadership competencies can help you respond

positively to Michael and decrease his frustration? Provide a detailed response.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a key leadership competency that will help me understand

the situation more fully, build his trust in me, and ultimately help him feel heard. Active

listening, empathy, and effective communication are all components of EI that I would use in

this situation. Active listening without interruption or judgement would indicate to Michael that

his feelings are important to me. Empathy would allow me to see things from his perspective

and respond with compassion and support. Effective communication is critical to guide

Michael to explaining the root of his frustrations and potentially finding a solution.

Another leadership competency that is useful in this situation is decision-making. As the

nurse manager, I would need to incorporate all that I have learned from Michael’s information

and decide whether it is important to gather more data and feedback from others, make any

changes, or help Michael to understand that his suggestions may not be appropriate at this

juncture (again, effective communication skills here are very important to ensure that there are

no misunderstandings about my reasons and that his being a new graduate had no bearing on

the decision).
Julie Hey
N160
March 2023

Finally, being motivational will help to foster a more positive outlook on the situation. I

would encourage Michael to keep finding areas for quality improvement and efficiency and

praise him for being proactive. I would also offer constructive feedback on ways to make change

by being an influencer and help him to develop his skills and knowledge through mentorship

and training opportunities.

2. As the nurse leader, what do you feel your role is in this situation?

My role in this situation is to be a listener, an advisor, a mentor, and a decision-maker.

These are some attributes that a transformational leader would have. By taking on these

roles, the outcome will hopefully be that Michael feels validated as a contributing member of the

unit, empowered to continue making improvement suggestions, and grows his confidence in

himself.

3. Michael is not playing a passive role in this scenario. Can you identify why his role is as

important as the nurse leader’s role?

Michael’s role is as a collaborator, which is necessary in order for the nurse leader to be

properly informed of issues on the unit. Michael’s contributions help to foster the spirit of

collaboration, and if supported properly by the nurse leader, can ultimately create a culture of

respect, engagement, quality improvement, and better outcomes for patients.