Nursing

Ask the expert: Holding other nurse managers or your boss accountable

Nurse Leader Weekly, November 16, 2009

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

This week, Eileen Lavin Dohmann, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, discusses accountability among nurse managers and supervisors, as well as helpful tips to get other staff members involved.

Q: How can I get other nurse managers and supervisors to be accountable?

A: Accountability is about commitments. It is doing what you say you are going to do. To get other managers or your supervisor to be accountable, you use the same accountability tools you use in other situations: your personal accountability and holding your staff and peers accountable.

Here are a few things to remember for how to hold other managers accountable:

  • Start with the language: Listen to whether the person says yes or no to your request. Ask for a commitment and hear the "no," which may be phrased as a "yes, but." 
  • Reset the conversation: When trying to reset a conversation, effective questions are helpful. One effective question is "What worries you?" Asking your supervisor what is preventing him or her from making a commitment, and most especially, from keeping that commitment, is critical.
  • Set the scene: When you deal with other managers or your supervisor, you should try to understand the work at hand and how your manager/supervisor views the work. Once you determine his or her views, you can make requests and offers, or ask effective questions to help them 'be' in the right kind of work.

To read more about holding others accountable, click here.

Editor’s note: Do you have a question for our experts? E-mail your queries to Editorial Assistant Sarah Kearns at skearns@hcpro.com and see your name in print next week! In the meantime, head over to our Web site and view a growing collection of advice from our experts.



Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

Most Popular

Related Articles