I have had to adapt to a different situation and environment—staying at home and being constrained to the comfort of my bedroom. It has been a challenge, as I was well acquainted with my normal work environment, but my new situation required me to move my leadership style toward self-leadership, at home.
I know all people are not the same, but academics do have much in common. Nurses as academics are so used to working any time of the day that they, perhaps, have an understanding that you do whatever it takes! Or, maybe it is my generation? Anyway, as I lay in bed, it did not take me long to start thinking about my students and the backlog that was probably building up at work and, before long, I was back on my computer.
Working from home requires adaptation. Recently, I realised I was looking through my own mental window and, therefore, may have failed to notice other views.
Slowly, my days began to fall into a certain routine. I enjoyed seeing my husband more often and listening to the sound of the sea. (I am fortunate to stay at both lake and sea.) While working on documents, I developed certain thought patterns and realised that I needed to interface with others on some aspects. It is known that, to attain goals, leadership involves change that requires interaction with colleagues. One could argue that the latest technology is available for that purpose, but for me, in light of the way I express myself, technology didn’t fully meet my needs for direct communication. I did find, however, that my output was amazing!
To avoid being blinded by their own perspectives and experiences, leaders need to continually assess themselves, recognise changing circumstances and adapt accordingly. Leadership involves influential relationships among people, but working from home required me to use my own influence and power to move forward.
Luckily, one can move from one leadership style to another, depending on the situation. As return to my normal work environment slowly appears on the horizon, I am now ready to leave behind the self-leadership pattern I adopted during my home stay, and I see myself moving back to team leadership. If you have the opportunity to work from home, do not become over-confident and thus overestimate how much you know about your field of interest and what is going on in the working environment.
For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
