When faced with challenges as leaders, we sometimes have to think creatively about innovative ways to lead our teams. Sometimes, what we have always done doesn’t work and requires a different approach or way of thinking. I want to share a true story about one such time that I experienced as a senior leader and what I learnt as a result.
Giving ourselves time to pause and draw on all our experiences gives us breathing space to figure out what to do next. In this situation, no leadership manual says, 'Do this or that. ' You have to use everything you know and have learnt, along with your experience, to guide you.
The Challenge: Leading a Major Transition
I was recruited internationally to a senior nursing role in Australia, and this was a role where I brought all of my skills and experience into being. I was the last senior nurse to take up their position and the first service to open in six months from the time I started. I transitioned 200 FTE of nursing staff from an old hospital site to a new state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility. During the first week of my new role, it became self-evident that the teams were experiencing considerable angst directly related to the change process and, from their perspective, a lack of clinician engagement. The teams were in a very negative mindset, stuck in the change process and couldn’t see the way forward or the possibilities and opportunities that working in a brand-new facility could offer them.
An Unexpected Idea: Who Moved My Cheese?
One evening, I was reflecting on the situation and wondering how I was going to turn it around. Then I remembered a book I had read in a previous role called Who Moved My Cheese? You may know this story about two little people and two mice stuck in a maze. When their cheese runs out, the story describes how each character responds to that change.
The next day, I went into the local bookstore and asked for six copies of this book. The shop assistant looked at me and repeated, "Six copies?" Yes, I replied. He said you must be in charge of a huge change project. I smiled and said that I was. I took the books to work and gave each nurse manager and clinical specialist nurse a copy. I told them I was gifting the book and wanted them to share it with the next person when they had read it.
A Ripple Effect: The Power of Storytelling
What happened next surprised me because this book became the topic of conversation everywhere I went. Everyone talked and laughed about the book and could identify which character they were and which character they thought their colleagues were. I even had people email me to tell me they had found a copy of the book online, and sometimes to let me know which character they identified with! This story spread like wildfire. It was being talked about everywhere I went and at every meeting.
This little book undoubtedly created a turning point in the project. It injected humour into a challenging situation, and through humour, the staff began to recognise how entrenched they had become in their resistance and responses to change. They could see the funny side of their resistance to change, which helped unstick their stuckness. This allowed the project to progress, and the team started to see the positive opportunities the move would present.
The Role of Intuition in Leadership
I share this story because sometimes, as leaders, we need to listen to our intuition, which acts as our inner guide when we feel unsure about how to tackle something. To hear our intuition, we must be still and press the pause button to buy ourselves a little time to reflect, regroup, and try something new.
A nurse's intuition, or ‘spidey sense’, as one of my colleagues likes to call it, guides our practice in Nursing and our leadership roles, too. We don’t talk enough about intuition and leadership, even though intuition falls within the remit of emotional intelligence and is something that modern-day leaders are expected to have. Intuition is our inner guidance when we don't have the answer or know what to do, but only if we create space to listen to what it is telling us.
As leaders, we can’t possibly know the answers to every situation. If lucky, we might have encountered a similar experience in our careers along the way, or we might not. Sometimes, listening to those nudges of intuition guides us to something we might not have thought of amidst all the chatter and busyness of health.
The Impact of Embracing Change
Leading this transition remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. It wasn’t easy—change on this scale never is—but the lessons I learned were invaluable. I saw firsthand the power of storytelling to shift mindsets, the importance of humour in breaking down barriers, and the value of trusting my intuition as a leader.
The experience taught me about human behaviour, the importance of effective communication, and the need to view challenges from a fresh perspective. Most importantly, it reinforced the idea that we don’t always need a perfect plan. Sometimes, we just need to press pause, listen to our inner guidance, and be open to trying something new.
Growing the Leaders of Tomorrow
Large-scale change projects can be challenging, but they also have the potential to shape future leaders. By embracing intuition, experimenting with unconventional solutions, and creating a space for reflection, we can help develop confident leaders who trust their instincts and aren’t afraid to listen to those quiet nudges of insight.
So, the next time you’re faced with an impossible challenge, remember the little book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson and the lesson it teaches us about adaptability. Give yourself permission to press pause, trust your intuition, and see where it leads you. You might find the solution you want in the most unexpected place.
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