For nurse leaders in South Africa, back to basics includes writing for publication

Irrespective of your seniority or what stage you’re at in your academic career, getting back to basics is essential. In South Africa, that includes going back to the basics of writing for publication, because the benefits are both individual and institutional.

So, when nurse leaders in my country gathered outside Pretoria the week of 4 March, one of their priorities was to learn more about writing for publication. Leading the workshop was Hester Klopper, president-elect of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI).

STTI President-Elect Hester Klopper conducts writing for
publication seminar near Pretoria, South Africa.

To obtain financial subsidy for tertiary academic institution in South Africa, academicians must publish in accredited journals. A list of qualifying journals for which subsidies are allocated is published by South Africa's Department of Higher Education & Training. Moreover, to achieve National Research Foundation status, nurse leaders must focus their writing on a specific niche.

I would like to know if other countries have similar systems in place. I welcome your comments.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

Nurse educators take lead in leadership research programme

I am part of a new journey in establishing a leadership development research programme within the context of a university. Its aim? To establish one of the niche areas of the School of Nursing at the University of the Western Cape. Over the last few years, the focus on leadership development has surfaced in many national health care documents. However, few research-based studies have been implemented in the public health care sector of South Africa. It was decided that self-leadership in professionalism would be the focus of our proposal.

A group of eight nursing lecturers gathered in Franshoek, near Cape Town, where we worked on developing a broad framework for the programme and establishing objectives. It was quite a challenge for so large a group to work together in writing one proposal. Apart from that, it was cold, with snow on the mountains around us—not a common phenomenon in Africa. But, what made the writing retreat a great success was the enthusiasm and commitment members showed in writing a proposal that could benefit the community of nurses in the Western Cape.

The Franshoek collaborators

Writing the proposal was, in itself, an opportunity to develop self-leadership. It served as a tool for helping individual participants think about their own self-leadership, in practice. Group discussions led to the realization that self-leadership expands one’s capacity to be effective, both in leadership roles and processes.

It was wonderful to observe how, in the process of developing a leadership research programme, participants assumed leadership roles and worked together in a productive and meaningful way.

Now, the next step—getting funding for the project!

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

Leading from home

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been thinking about a career option that is becoming more common in South African universities, that of “home professor.” It is not an option I would have previously considered, but one I temporarily adopted during my recuperation from surgery.

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.

On self-leadership

It is wonderful to be able to do something positive about yourself. Lead yourself.

Self-leadership is one of my favorite topics. When personal influence is enacted in one’s own life and work environment, things happen. Personal changes involve training and building capacity, sharing skills and knowledge, and empowering oneself to contribute to the well-being of others and a leader of change.

After identifying upcoming nurse leaders in Africa, the Academic Leadership Development Academy (ALDA), an initiative of Africa’s Tau Lambda-at-Large Chapter, sponsored them to attend a leadership development program in Pretoria, South Africa. This nurse leader initiative was created to “educate and empower nurse leaders to think and act with a broader mindset, bringing the nursing perspective to influence the work of multinational health endeavors.”

As one of the presenters of the program, I was in the fortunate position to observe nurses developing personally and professionally. At our last gathering in April 2012, we talked about self-leadership. The purpose of this session was to learn to think more critically about one’s leadership style and practices—about modeling, mentoring and coaching within professional constraints and pressures. Participants were expected to show evidence of their own self- leadership practices, using various strategies for addressing interdisciplinary and multicultural team building and management.

After reflecting on their experiences while attending the program over the course of two years, the participants shared best practices they had learned about leading themselves and others. Observing that nurses are uniquely positioned to influence others about health issues that affect people everywhere, they shared their commitment to improving the health of people in their countries and leading in their work environments. I encourage nurses who have experienced personal change after participating in such staff development or training opportunities to influence nursing practice and thus advance sustained change.

I wish to acknowledge the fellows who attended my last session on self-leadership at ALDA in April 2012. Representing the University of Malawi; University of Fort Hare, Free State Province; University of Swaziland; and Tshwane University of Technology, they are shown in the photograph below.

Participants in Academic Leadership Development Academy

We dedicated this session to a dear colleague—part of this group—who passed away during our journey to becoming leaders.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

Changing to a new, multicultural environment

Taking a step to change your workplace at age 50 is not an easy thing. For me, however, it was a conscious decision and non-negotiable. South Africa’s Gauteng Province, where I moved from—I came from Pretoria—is a rat race. The Cape, where I moved to, is seen by many as having a slow pace. I think everyone would wish for the latter!

Cape Town attracts people from many cultures, so I’ve found myself working with people from a culture different from my own, one that is entirely new and unfamiliar to me. Indeed, I found myself not only in a new workplace, but also part of the minority culture. It is neither uncomfortable nor a source of stress, and I have actually gained some insight into my own feelings and perceptions.

I’m finding that, by acquiring an understanding of my own cultural patterns and those of my colleagues, I am developing the ability to recognise and handle situations differently. As with any new workplace, it has brought different challenges, issues, policies and ways of doing things, and how I respond has to do with how I view it from “the outside.” Sometimes, I even enjoy the different ways in which my colleagues do things. At one stage in the process, I thought, I actually belong in this new culture. But then I posed a question that put it in a different perspective: Are nurses not all from one culture?

Maybe nurses are one culture working in a multicultural environment. In the context of health care delivery, we are seeking to meet the growing and diverse health care needs of people from diverse cultures worldwide. Or does this sound bizarre?

Well, all I know is, tomorrow is another step in the journey, and I will be welcomed in my workplace by nurse educators who also want to make a positive contribution to the educational development of students.

I believe I have the ability to work simultaneously in two cultures.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

At the waterfront

As I was visiting the waterfront in Cape Town the end of December, I was thinking about what was lying ahead for me in 2012.

I was watching boats in the harbor that were involved with trading and realized that nothing happens unless an individual makes it happen. A harbor functions under strict regulations and rules of movement for boats. To a certain extent, I had freedom to manage my own destination through development or progression, although I would have to make choices (that are intrinsic to every decision).

Capetown waterfront

The waiter gave us the menu, and we ordered the most marvelous seafood platter. The fish, caught that same morning, tasted out of this world. Daily, fresh fish, born in the deep sea, are caught and brought to restaurants on the waterfront. Nurse leaders, on the other hand, are made, not born. They are developed through a never-ending process.

My husband Willem and me.

It is up to us to decide what it means to be a successful individual and leader in 2012. To be a good leader is a never-ending process of experience.

Still eating, I wondered how it was to be a fish freely swimming wherever you choose.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

Taking steps to form partnerships

A workshop is like a partnership, and partnerships were indeed formed during a workshop I presented recently in Cape Town to a group of 12 nursing service managers. Throughout, the underlying dynamics of collaboration and shared leadership were emphasized and enforced.

Designed to develop dialogue between partners by pushing them beyond their comfort zone and challenging their thinking, the workshop exposed these health practitioners to a variety of new legislative measures related to health care delivery and required them to explore differences in the legislation through questioning, prodding and reflecting upon underlying principles. It was an environment that involved voluntary cooperation and commitment.

Workshop participants

As equal partners in the process, the workshop participants felt free to openly air their views. As a result, members shared information, creative ideas and solutions that applied in their work settings that, inter alia, included the specialities of psychiatric nursing, infection control and forensic nursing in healthcare settings of various sizes.

In the various sessions, all participants took an active role in sharing their unique qualities and work responsibilities and how they were professionally accountable in practice. This further enhanced a sense of partnership in identifying shared problems and helped foster suggestions for problem-solving strategies.

Throughout the workshop, participants drew upon previous experiences and personal reflection to coach each other. The opportunity to use past experiences as resources was essential and led to the development of a united team. By valuing the motivational needs of the group and their contributions as partners in health care delivery, all participants felt empowered to accept responsibility for transformation in their health care organisations. The coordination of information between different hospitals and services will lead to future collaboration among participants.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.