Last summer, I had the privilege of attending a fundraiser in which, I learned about heart-led leadership. Since that time, heart-led leadership has become the theme for our district. We started the year by defining that ALL Health Services staff are Heart Led leaders. A Heart Led Leader will change the lives of those they lead and work with, every student they serve and everyone they touch (Spaulding, 2015). Caring and love equal results. When we are invested in our students and each other we will have better results. All Health Services staff were given a heart- led leader button as a visual reminder of our they are leaders in our organization. It has been about re-defining the normal in our culture.
The impact on our students, families and our overall culture has been profound. We have not made large changes in our process, it has been the power of passionate positivity. We’ve started to a decrease in health office visits due to School Nurses partnering with administration and teachers to balance trauma informed care with increased instructional time. Heart-led leadership is the essence of school nursing. It is about being a fierce advocate and professional. This is at the center of the Framework for the 21st Century School Nursing Practice. Heart-led leadership happens when we invest in our students, families and in each other we have better results. To effect true transformational change, heart-led leaders utilize their own experience and qualities of humility, vulnerability, transparency, empathy and love. It is a vision of leadership that has the power to transform everything we do, and the lives of everyone we touch. As we look to 2019, I am challenging all School Nurses to become Heart-Led leaders. It will enhance your practice, and help keep your students, “healthy, safe and ready to learn in 2019!” Happy New Year.
#NASNat50
Reference
Spaulding, T. (2015). The Heart Led Leader: How Living and Leading from the Heart Will Change your Organization and Your Life. New York, New York: Penguin Random House.
