'Your enthusiasm and commitment will rub off on others' | Nursing Times

Energetic leaders with positive attitudes motivate their staff, says Dickon Weir-Hughes

One important concept that leaders should try to promote within their workplace is excitement.

Without excitement the workplace can be dull, and staff will not be motivated to give their best. A good leader keeps the workplace alive with excitement, making it somewhere staff look

forward to coming to.

As a leader, you should be enthusiastic about work and delivering your best. This enthusiasm and commitment will rub off on others.

To be excited, you need to possess a certain amount of energy, although not too much as overenthusiastic individuals can come across as inauthentic. A moderate amount of energy and positive

attitude will encourage others to feel the same way and will result in a happier workplace.

Excitement is vital to change management. Healthcare is constantly evolving, and, as such, new schools of thought about the best ways of working are being implemented. This will involve

change, which will unnerve some of the team.

If you approach change with a positive “can do” attitude, this will inspire others to adopt a similar stance. A feeling of excitement rather than dread about change will help you lead it.

There are ways you can foster excitement - having a complementary mix of staff who are extroverted and introverted. The former add excitement and a motivational atmosphere, while the latter

may be daunted by this.

You have to get to know your workforce so that you can determine what makes them tick and get them to be excited about their day-to-day work.

Individuals have to be excited about their work. It’s unrealistic to think as a leader you can ensure this, but you can achieve this more if you allow individuals to change their normal

working patterns or to lead on different areas.

This will make them excited and also help you to see your team gain confidence.

You can also think of new ways to deliver a mundane project.

Think about doing different things to inject more excitement into the workplace, such as a staff lunch or a team away day. These types of morale-boosting occasions help bring a team together

and add excitement.

Lead by example - always make sure that you are excited about your role and the impact your efforts will have on the organisation and patient care.

You should be motivated and be able to express this. An excited team will be productive and effective in delivering the goals and vision you set.

This is an excerpt from Clinical Leadership from A to Z by Dickon Weir-Hughes. Available from Amazon.co.uk

Dickon Weir-Hughes is chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Before his appointment in 2009, Professor Weir-Hughes held senior roles at Barking, Havering and

Redbridge, The Royal and Westminster hospitals