48// Accelerating Your Nursing Career: Lessons in Leadership from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (Replay)

Join me,  as we celebrate Black History Month by exploring how these figures' can invigorate your own approach to leadership in healthcare. This episode is a treasure trove of insights into leading with love, kindness, and assertive strategies when necessary, all aimed at empowering you to make a real difference in advocating for patients.

Explore the secrets to amplifying your influence in the nursing field without relying on titles. We delve into the power of community, the importance of exposure and experiences, and why great communication is your ally on this leadership journey.

 You'll come to see that nurturing your unique leadership style can have a ripple effect, sharpening your peers as you grow. So tune in, absorb the lessons, and let's advance together on this path of professional and personal development. 

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Transcript

2:10

Are you feeling stuck in your current clinical environment? Do you want to make a change in your nursing career but not sure what to do next? Exhausted, burnt out, and maybe even ready for different leadership? I'm Bonnie Meadows, a Board Center 5 Clinical Nurse Specialist, Influential Leader, Career Coach, and Well Being Coach. Being in the nursing and healthcare profession since 2004, I have felt stuck and unsure about what was next for me. I wanted to be fulfilled in my purpose, to have a voice at the table, and to be a resource for others. I kept telling myself I wanted more, but didn't have the direction I needed. Until I found Clarity and Career Growth Strategies for Experienced Nurses like Me. In this podcast, you will find simple tactical steps that allow you to gain the clarity you need solutions for how to grow even without supportive leadership and guidelines for setting boundaries at work so that you can grow purposefully in your career as a nurse with a graduate degree who makes a huge impact in the profession. So get ready to trade your scrubs for yoga pants, pop in those earbuds and let's chat. Hello, and welcome back. So excited to be back again. To talk about a fresh topic on today. I have a, um, pretty interesting take as we are going into the month of February. And February not only is the month of love, but it is also black history month. And I'm going to use Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. And Malcolm X as my two examples in talking about leadership. And so this concept came to me a bout sometime last year. And. I am. Always on Twitter. I'm usually just scrolling every once in a while. I might say a little something, but there are a few people that I follow. Lots of people that I follow. Some are nurses. On Twitter. And I typically follow a lot of black nurses on Twitter, or maybe an maybe not a lot. I mean, they just show up on my feet. And then if they have something interesting that they're saying, then I pretty much, I try to follow them. I look at their timeline and see what they've been talking about. And if it's somewhat in the positive arena, then I click and follow them. I will say one thing that we tend to deal with. As black nurses. And I know everyone that's listening to this podcast is not black. So I am pretty much, the whole podcast is not going to be about that, but I do give you a peek inside our world of the way many of us view it. And so there are some of us as black women or black nurses. I'm going to say that Experienced black nurses. So we, um, I am still in that realm of how do you grow professionally as an experienced nurse? And a lot of that is leadership. Many of you who are listening to this podcast, you want to grow, you are ambitious. You want to do other things besides work at the bedside. You want to expand your reach. And a lot of it has to do with you want to grow in leadership. John Maxwell gives me just at such a comforting definition of leadership. Because I have been in leadership since high school. Captain of the cheerleading squad. I reached up to Colonel, which is like the highest rank in our junior ROTC. They don't give that out to everybody. And then held several leadership roles when I was in college. And then it just continues to spilled over. Like when, when I was in high school, you had to be invited to go to leadership school. And that's where I learned a lot of my training was in my junior ROTC program. Um, and it was air force, shout out to air force. Um, but I learned a lot in, in that. And back to John Maxwell, he gives the, give this definition of leadership. And he said that leadership is not about a title. But it's about your influence. And if we think about Dr. Martin Luther king, Jr. And we think about. Malcolm X. Yes, they were leaders. Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. He was a pastor. And Malcolm X. He was a leader in his. Own right. And, And the Islamic faith. And. And y'all. If I get that wrong, please forgive me. Please forgive me. Um, I am not going to be, I am going to be in general terms here. I am not going to be factual today. So this is all opinion. This is all just my thoughts. Just to kind of get you thinking about. Let's stay focused. We are, I am here to get you thinking about what does influence look like for you? That is what this podcast is about. And so if we think about how Dr. Martin Luther king Jr led. His way of leading with influence was through love and kindness. They both had the same mission. Martin Malcolm, same mission. Generally. They wanted. Black people to be treated equal. Martin was probably a little bit broader. However, once Malcolm came back from Mecca, his definition probably became a little bit broader because he was exposed. Two different ways of thinking and a different understanding. So just let that settle their exposure. Can give you a whole lot. Sometimes it's not just about what credentials you have, but it is what exposures. That you've had in your career. That you can put in your back pocket. That will help you to grow. And make an impact. And so Martins method was by loving kindness. You know, do unto others as you would have them to do unto you? This, that and the other. Malcolm's method was by any means necessary. Hands down. They both had a heart for the people. They both wanted justice for those who were wronged. And they both had a great following. And we, as nurses who are ambitious, who want to grow our careers, we have a heart for our patients. If you're listening to this podcast, you more than likely have a love for healthcare. And you want to see it grow and you want to see it flourish. And you want. To reduce the injustices that are happening to our patients. And you want to figure out ways to, to fix it. And so I wanted to do a short exploration on their influence and the way they went about it. So one thing they had in common was that they were both great speakers. I'm not saying that that's what you have to do, but let's just state the obvious they were great speakers. And I'm not saying that you have to go out and start creating all of these speeches and speaking to the masses and doing this, that, and the other. But you need to have an understanding of what, what is it that I stand for? And what can I speak on and how can I hone? That area of impact and influence. What am I passionate about? What more can I learn about it? So that I can speak to it. When someone needs an cause people do need an opinion on things. It does need to be. Factual. Your opinion, like you are putting the pieces together using your scientific method of, of these facts, say this, then this is cause and effect of this. This should happen. Hypothesis, this, that, and the other. And then pulling together those things to say, Here's what I believe we need in healthcare in order to. Improve the care for our patients. They both had a message placed in their hearts and others resonated with that message. So don't have a message to people don't resonate with. Like I said, Martins messages was rooted in loving others and treating them with kindness regardless of how they treat you. Malcolm's message. Like I said, it was by any means necessary. It was. On the front part of his, his career, it was more so. A put down of another area and I lift up over another and I'm not condoning that. But I will tell you what I see. On Twitter. And sometimes a lot of times it's with black nurses and sometimes it's white nurses, or sometimes it's limited everybody. But we do this thing where we're putting down another, just to elevate another and it shouldn't have to be that way. You can elevate your own group, your own value. Some go at it like hardcore, like they're going for your neck. When they come for you. And then there are others who will kind of weave it into telling you you're wrong. Others will flat out, tell you you're wrong. And then they'll tell you why. So they'll beat you down to it. And then others will just kind of lovingly say, well, you're wrong. I do, you know, and here's why. I am a Martin. Type of person. I will tell you that you're wrong, but I will do it in a lovingly way. And then. If I don't feel like a you're going to receive the fact that I'm telling you you're wrong, then I'm going to ask you enough questions for you to think about whether you are wrong or whether you're right. When I'm having a discussion with someone who thinks totally different from wet. I think one, I am a stickler about standing on the facts and to. I'm not here to change your mind. my goal is to. Get you to a point to where you're understanding where I'm coming from, and then you can make a decision as to whether you want to change your mind or not. And so. The point from this one is what is your message? What do you want to get out to the world? Where do you want to make that impact? And then what is your stance? On nursing and in healthcare. What are those things that you believe. Should be focused on in nursing and in health care. That helps you to. To solidify your value. It helps your already valuable with the knowledge that you have. It just takes a moment to sit and reflect. People don't know who they are because they don't sit down and reflect. We fly off the handle and we do just whatever, because we're not sitting down to reflect. But you end up getting yourself in trouble along the way. If you don't stop and think. Number two. They believed in getting in the fight. But in different ways. Martin's message was don't fight back with your fist and weapons. But fight back with action and with love talk, the talk. And love them along the way. Montgomery busboy caught. Talk the talk, walk the wall. Cause they weren't necessarily like in a position to talk. But they was walking the walk. And that money did to walk him. Of the loss of billions of dollars from not riding on a bus. Take action. In love. Fight back with your dollar. Malcolm's message was more so five for what's right for Lou yours. And if they come for you, be prepared to fight back. By any means necessary. Let me tell you. Both methods are effective. And you actually need both methods in the fight. Because I am a Martin type of leader. I actually do need a Malcolm on my team. It's like Steph Curry and Draymond green. He needs to be the antagonist. So Steph Curry can be who he is. Because somebody got the ruffle, the feathers and not think. That the team is soft. Same way in healthcare. If you've got somebody who is like a negative Nancy or a no, but they do great work. Listen to them. Because they've got an opinion about something. And if they're really trying to do right about the patient, it's, it's very appropriate for you to listen. And understand where they're coming from and then y'all team together. To work on improving. Your workplace. Your hospital. Your state work together. That's what ended up happening in the long run. Malcolm and Martin started working together cause they're like, we're better together than apart. That was my people. I'm just like, go for it. You push me hard enough. And I'll come for you, but that's not my initial, emo. It's not. And so. You have to think about which one do you want to be portrayed as. And be okay with that. Do you want to be, the one who is able to win others over with words? Or do you want to win others over by force? By any means necessary. Sometimes it takes by any means necessary. I'm just going to tell you. I probably use that maybe once or twice in my life. That's not my initial ammo, but if it's yours great. Number three, last one. They both had influenced. And like I said, at the top, Influence is leadership. Leadership is influence. It is not about your title. There are plenty of people. Who have a title? And they don't have influence. They don't have respect. I'd rather have influence all day long. Then for you to give me a title. Actually, let me back that up. I would rather have influence and walk in the freedom. To do. What. I've been called to do. In an unconventional way. Then to have a title. But you micromanaged me. At the CA whatever level. I'm good on that. I'm not knocking those titles. I think those titles are great. And you can have influence and be in those titles at the same time. And they do give you some influence. I do. But just remember that just because you have the title. Like that influence might be there initially. But if you're not really leading, then you lose it. You lose the influence that you have. So it is better to build up your, your leadership skills. So that you can have influence. Then for you to get a title and just be like, oh, well y'all should listen to me just because I am who I am. What have you done? And not even physically, like how are you motivating the people? How are you supporting the people? That's just like, and I've seen this several times before. Nurses will get a master's degree in nursing. And then we'll apply for these jobs that they've not. The date. They qualify for on paper. But when they were at the bedside, they weren't doing anything. And I believe that even if you have lots of kids there's always something that you can be involved in that doesn't take time outside of work. If that is your struggle. But you need to be building your resume along the way. So that when it is time for you to move forward, You've built resources and influence in other areas. I will say. I believe Martin's. Message went further because he was able to influence at a very high level. And politics and in government, He seemed. And someone had said to me, before. You are very accepting. Uh, of, of people. And I said, I am very accepting of everyone because I believe everyone is a human being. I believe everyone. Has a chance at growing at doing, at being. And everyone is valuable as a human being. But just because you're. X acceptable of everyone. It doesn't mean you're agreeable. And I believe that that's the stance that Martin took. He was accepting of everyone because he felt like every human being. It was valuable. But it doesn't mean you have to be agreeable and people mistake acceptableness with agreeableness, two different things. But you can have influence. In not being agreeable. And that's what I'm. Saying. Take your stance. Lead how you're going to lead, whether it'd be the Malcolm way or the Martin way. Let your goal be about the mission, not the title. So that you can have influence. influence. to be able to make impact. People are less guarded when you lead with love. So if you have a hard time leading the Martin way and you're, you're leading. The Malcolm way. Then partner. With someone who is leading the Martin way. Cause they need you too. Work together. You can be strong in your stance. Without strong arming someone else. To convince them that your way is right. However, when the strong arm is needed, you need to raise up. raise up. cause we need you. I hope you. enjoyed this podcast on today. I really want you to consider and think about, are you a Martin leader or are you a Malcolm leader and what are you doing? What is, what is your stance in nursing and in healthcare? What are those things that you truly have a heart for believe in? Those are the things that make up your personal, your professional brand. You can't be about everything. So, what is that thing that you're going to hone in on? And say, these are the few things that I choose. To focus on as I build my career. Because this is what I've learned that I do. I love about healthcare and nursing and where I feel like I have the most passion around him. I am. If you figure that out. Let me know. Thanks. See you next time. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with another nurse who may be unsure of where to go next in their career, or maybe need some career clarity? Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple podcast. It brings me so much joy and so much encouragement to know this podcast is helping you. Now go get the career you want and not the one you settle for. And I'll meet you back here next Thursday for another episode. See you soon!