Catching the next wave

From 1-4 August, nurses in Africa will be stepping into the Valley of the Waves and focusing on the theme of Change!, as they attend the Annual Nursing Education Conference at Sun City in South Africa’s North West Province. The event will have a unique heartbeat and an African rhythm of its own. Only 187 kilometers from Johannesburg, Sun City is situated deep in the rugged Bushveld, a subtropical woodland nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano and surrounded by the imposing mountains of the Pilanesberg Game Reserve and National Park.

Sun City in North West Province, South Africa

The conference is a collaborative effort of the Forum of University Nursing Deans in South Africa (FUNDISA), the Nursing Education Association (NEA) and the Tau Lambda-at-Large Chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). Founded in 2001 as the African Honor Society for Nurses, the Tau Lambda-at-Large Chapter was established to connect nurses of Africa with STTI, and a decade has passed since African nurses began to join the honor society.

Catching the waves at Sun City

A leadership-initiative workshop related to the theme of Change! is scheduled for the second day of the conference to challenge fellow nurses from various countries in Africa. In thinking about the workshop, I reflected on the concepts of leadership and change in nursing. During change, it could be that we will move between leadership perspectives—that we should leave a perspective with which we are acquainted and move toward a new perspective appearing on the horizon. Does this happen when changing one leadership position for another?

When we move in a new direction, the most fundamental tenets of what we believe and value are often challenged, and may even change to a certain extent. Conversely, some elements of our former perspectives of leadership remain and continue to guide our actions. We can never cut all ties with a previous perspective in favour of a new one. Or could we? One thing I am convinced of is, different times and waves demand different leadership approaches. Which wave should I ride next?

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

Join the nurses of South Africa in celebrating Mandela Day

Sometimes, a step taken by one person can directly influence the destiny of many others. In South Africa, this happened when Nelson Mandela stepped from Robben Island, where he had been incarcerated for many years for anti-apartheid activism, into the eventual leadership of a new, multiracial democracy. He spent more than 67 years serving his community, his country and the world at large.

Nelson Mandela

In recognition of his contributions, Mandela Day was inaugurated in 2009 on Nelson Mandela’s birthday. Today—Monday, 18 July—he is 93. Mandela Day is a call to action for people everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place—one step at a time—just as Mandela did. It’s also a call to every nurse to be accountable for their responsibilities, to make the environment in which they practice—clinical, educational, management or research—a customer-friendly and focused environment.

We should believe that we can change the world of nursing to make it a better place—a better place not only for the patient or client, but also for ourselves. The decision to make a difference by making changes in our own internal and external environments starts with ourselves, and it can start today. Today, you can make a creative change in your daily routine that will have positive results. Why not take 67 seconds of your workday—one second for each year that Nelson Mandela spent in service to his community—and devote that time contributing to the happiness of others around you?

It’s a small gesture to show our solidarity with humanity. It’s about going that extra mile—or smile. Madiba, as Mandela is known to many, loves the children of Africa, so why not take 67 seconds to do something special for a child? Can you devote 1 minute and 7 seconds of your time to celebrate the theme of Mandela Day with the nurses of South Africa? It would be a small step toward a continuous, global movement for good in nursing.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.