Abstract:

How can management be assured they have developed the appropriate leadership behaviors in their front-line managers that will ultimately produce successful results when senior leadership is not present?  This article contends that if management has taken the time to create authentic relationships that result in trust, respect, and accountability with their staff that this will in fact insure that front-line supervision will be able to sustain the institutional values and customer care standards even when senior leaders are not present in the facility.

The article examines four basic, authentic relationship principles of:  1) Being Transparent, Vulnerable, and Real; 2) Opening the Books and Teaching Financial Responsibility; 3) Truly Leveraging Diversity; and 4) Customizing Delegation and Managing to the Individual.   These are not newly researched principles but they are principles, according to employees, that are not being provided to them by today's managers and principles that have been proven through over 30 years of professional experience to change the behavior of employees and motive those employees to be their best regardless of supervision.

Employees are tired of micro-management and lip service that says they are the organizations most important asset but being treated like they are only objects that take orders and should not be involved in evaluating the horrible management they are being provided.  These principles were initially developed and successfully practiced by a Senior Manager at a 350 bed urban hospital (which was a part of a larger hospital system), equally successful as a Nursing Director at a 130 bed rural community hospital, and then continued to be valuable as a Nursing Director at a 100 bed rural community hospital.

Publication:

When the Cat's Away, Will the Mice Play? Nurse Leader, August, 2011; Charles R. Retts, Ed.D. / Elizabeth S. Retts, R.N., M.S.N.L.

Facutly Spotlight:

Charles (Charlie) Retts has spent 30 years in leadership positions with Aerospace, Utility, and University organizations.  He was the manager for Corporate Training and Organizational Development, Residential Customer Services, and Commercial Customer Services for Salt River Project during his 24 year career, a staffing specialist for Honeywell, and Dean of Student Affairs for Bethel University. He also has international training experience with the Government of Egypt and National Panasonic in Japan.

Charlie has taught as an Adjunct Faculty Member for 24 years for Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Phoenix, and Grand Canyon University.  He is currently teaching for Grand Canyon University in the Masters in Leadership, Masters in Nursing Leadership, and PHD in Leadership graduate programs.  His holds an Ed.D. Degree in Higher Education with an emphasis in Adult Learning and Human Resources.  He also was awarded a full scholarship by Carnegie-Mellon University to attend their summer Executive Management Program for outstanding educational administrators.  Along with teaching Charlie is currently consulting under Retts Leadership Training.