Start with Trust
Looking back on the weekly email content around the time of International Nurses Day, these were my thoughts from 2022. The week that New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) launched its Maranga Mai | Rise Up campaign. This campaign is calling for a connected and collaborative voice for all nurses across the sectors to stand together and work for 5 fixes;
te Tiriti firmly being upheld in all health settings so Māori have equal access to a health system that works for them.
4000 more nurses in place as quickly as possible.
pay and conditions that value nurses right across the health sector and keep them in the job.
training that is affordable and accessible so more people study and stay on to become nurses.
more Māori and Pasifika nurses so people receive health care that fits with their culture Tiriti actualised across the health sector.
The healthcare workforces around the world have been in pay disputes resulting in strikes, retention is appalling with thousand of nurses leaving the profession, switching roles and every place I know struggling to keep staff. Take hard-hitting articles such as this to bring to life burnout, moral distress and trauma from the eyes of doctors.
There is much to change in healthcare, there is much to change from a system point of view and there is much to change from day to day how we all connect and create the worlds we work in.
When the problem and the change needed loom large, overwhelming and full of complexity, it can be hard to see where to start. Waiting for a sweeping system change is not going to help us get through today or come back tomorrow. Nor is it likely to be the change you know you need. We need to make today better and tomorrow brighter, now! So I'm not ignoring that there is a need for system change, I'm suggesting we can all make changes where we are. What do we do that can make for a better today and a brighter tomorrow?
I've listened to a lot of stories on this topic this week, and as I've distilled the pain, the themes, the frustrations and the complexity of all that is going on, I think one place to start is trust.
Why Trust? Because we need relationships and connections to do anything, and they need trust. Because all change has to be built on trust, and trust takes time to build so we need to start as soon as we can. We can't speed date trust. It's about knowing and belonging. It is built slowly in small moments, and it can be lost in a flash.
Creating, building and maintaining trust starts with listening. Listening with empathy and with the decision to understand rather than judge or be ready to jump in with a response. Listen. Listen to the stories. Hear what's not being said. Let's hear what others bring, what others think, and what they have to offer. Accept that offering as it comes and let's start with that.
If you're a manager or people leader, show some trust to those you work with. Let go of a little of controlling a task or a process and trust your team to do the work. Yes, that's a risk for you, yes that might be uncomfortable, but show that trust and be prepared to be surprised and delighted. If it doesn't go as planned, show them you've got their back, and look for what you can learn together. Heh presto, more trust built.
Trust that we are all trying to create a better today and a brighter tomorrow. Trust that we all do care about this work. Trust that everyone is trying their best with what they've got. That we can connect, and build relationships and community. Then our lives just got a little easier. We feel a little freer and we've got more people around us that we can call on, trust and depend on. We just made a brighter tomorrow.
Want to talk more?
I work with leaders who are trying to create brighter tomorrows. If you know you need help with delegating, building trust with your team or improving your listening skills book a time to chat and let’s talk.
