Nursing the System

67: Taylor Puts Me in the Hot Seat

🎙 EPISODE OVERVIEW This one's a little different. Taylor (my right-hand at NTS) is putting me in the hot seat, running a Q&A pulled from Instagram submissions and a few of her own curveballs. I'm going in blind. We get into a day in my life, what people get wrong about me, what moving abroad taught me, when I first realized I was a systems thinker, the things I'm still figuring out about running NTS while working full-time corporate, and a lot more. It's a little more personal, a little less curriculum—and if you've been around for a while, this is your chance to get to know me (and Taylor) a bit better. 📣 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS This is Taylor's first episode where she has had to edit herself and being featured—if you liked the format, let us know and we'll do more Q&A episodes. If you want to dig into Map Your Impact but aren't sure what's actually inside, there's a walkthrough video on the sales page [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact] where I break down the whole framework. And if you're a nurse leader and your organization is looking for leadership development support, this is your reminder: NTS now works with health systems directly. If there's C-level buy-in at your org for nurse leadership development, let your leadership know we exist. 📲 CALL TO ACTION * DM us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nursing.the.system/]with questions for the next Q&A episode * If your hospital or health system could benefit from CME or NLHQ at scale, point your leadership our way * Leave a review—it's still one of the best ways more nurses find this podcast 👉 RESOURCES MENTIONED * Map Your Impact (mini course) [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact] - Podcasct Listeners get $10 off with code 'MYI10OFF' * Changemaker Essentials [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/change-maker-essentials] * Nurse Leader HQ [https://www.nursingthesystem.com/nurse-leader-hq] * Instagram: @nursing.the.system [https://www.instagram.com/nursing.the.system/]

66: Interviewing is Like Dating (Yeah, We’re Going There)

🎙 EPISODE OVERVIEW This episode is not "Five Ways to Prep for Your Interview." It's about the relational and strategic dynamics that most people completely miss because they've been conditioned to think about interviews the wrong way. The same mechanisms that have us sitting in bad dates and bad relationships are the same mechanisms that have us sitting in bad interviews and holding positions that aren't a good fit. So today, we're talking about how interviewing is like dating and what nurses and nurse leaders need to unlearn to actually find good fit on both sides of the table. 🔑 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN * Why most people walk into interviews with a fundamental power asymmetry in their heads—and why it produces the wrong behavior * How nurses get socialized into being grateful for opportunities rather than selective about them * Why "looking for the one" perfect job is the same flawed logic as looking for a soulmate * Concrete strategies to move through interview nerves (without faking calm) * What hiring managers need to do differently if they actually want to find good fit * Why good job fit is a systems problem—and the interview is one of the earliest leverage points 🧠 KEY IDEAS TO TAKE WITH YOU * The interview is a mutual audition—you are also deciding whether this organization deserves your skills * Nerves come from framing the problem; they shrink you into a smaller, less interesting version of yourself * Silence is not the enemy in an interview—it's a signal of comfort and power in the dynamic * People who run a checklist disqualify almost-right opportunities; people who stay curious end up in the right place * You're not looking for the one perfect job; you're looking for the next right step * If you gatekeep through intimidation as an interviewer, you select for people who are good at being intimidated—not people who are good at the job * Your conditioning to "take what you're given" doesn't serve you, your team, or your patients 📣 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS If you're in the middle of a job search, Interview with Intention [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/interview] is the practical companion to this episode. It's a weekend course that walks you through how to prep without sounding rehearsed, build your core four stories, approach negotiation, and walk away with a professional portfolio you can use for every interview after. If you're a nurse leader doing the hiring, Nurse Leader HQ [https://nursingthesystem.myflodesk.com/giv18dutmb] opens for enrollment this summer (end of June, early July). I'm currently developing a "How to Interview Effectively" training for the curriculum hub, so HQ members will have access to it on demand. Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when doors open. 👉 RESOURCES MENTIONED * Interview with Intention [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/interview] * Nurse Leader HQ Waitlist [https://nursingthesystem.myflodesk.com/giv18dutmb] * Change Maker Essentials [https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63e17025781752946ff2b401] * Instagram: @nursing.the.system [https://www.instagram.com/nursing.the.system/]

65: You’re Saying Yes Too Fast

🎙 EPISODE OVERVIEW This episode is a follow-up to last week's conversation on action bias—and it's one I think a lot of nurse leaders need to hear. Today, I'm introducing a framework I've been using in my own work and with my nurse leader clients: the holding period. It's a structured pause between receiving an idea and committing to it—and it might be one of the most underrated leadership practices out there. 🔑 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN * Why action bias is trained into nurses—and why it becomes a liability in leadership * The hidden cost of saying yes too fast (it's not just a full plate, it's a credibility problem) * What the holding period actually is, and how it's different from avoidance or delay * How to calibrate the length of your hold based on the stakes of the decision * The three diagnostic questions to run every idea through during a hold * How to communicate a hold to your team or your boss without undermining your authority 🧠 KEY IDEAS TO TAKE WITH YOU * Saying yes to everything is not responsiveness—it's reactivity dressed up as competence * Most leaders are better at starting things than sustaining them, and the real value of any change is whether it lasted * The strength of the pull you feel to commit is a signal, not a reason to skip discernment * A holding period is bound by a return date—that's what separates it from delay * Time alone doesn't do the work; what makes a hold substantive is what you do with the idea while it sits * Your own ideas have to go through the same process as everyone else's—they are not exempt * Being deliberate is not the same as being slow, and fast is not always better 📣 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Nurse Leader HQ [https://www.nursingthesystem.com/nurse-leader-hq]opens for enrollment at the end of June. It's a high-touch program with a small cohort, biweekly group meetings, monthly 1:1 calls with me, weekly async check-ins, and daily Slack access for real-time leadership issues. It's only open to Changemaker Essentials [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/change-maker-essentials]graduates who are leading people or projects. If you're earlier in this journey and haven't taken CME [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/change-maker-essentials]yet, Map Your Impact [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact] is the right starting point. It's the mini course that gets you thinking in systems and approaching your workday more strategically. 📲 CALL TO ACTION * Pick one idea sitting on your plate right now and put it through the three-question diagnostic * Share this episode with a nurse leader who you know is drowning in commitments * DM me on Instagram and tell me where action bias is showing up in your leadership * If you're a CME grad, get on the Nurse Leader HQ waitlist [https://nursingthesystem.myflodesk.com/giv18dutmb] * If you haven't taken CME [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/change-maker-essentials], check out Map Your Impact [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact]as your first step 👉 RESOURCES MENTIONED * Map Your Impact [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact](mini course) * Changemaker Essentials [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/change-maker-essentials] * Nurse Leader HQ (waitlist) [https://nursingthesystem.myflodesk.com/giv18dutmb]

64: Why You Keep Picking the Wrong Problem to Solve

🎙 EPISODE OVERVIEW In this episode, I’m breaking down a trap I see all the time and one that most nurses don’t realize they’ve fallen into. We’re talking about the difference between seeing a systems problem and actually knowing how to work within it. Because those are not the same skill and confusing them can do more harm than good. 🔑 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN * The difference between “level one” and “level two” systems thinking * Why recognizing patterns isn’t the same as understanding root causes * How action bias in healthcare leads to ineffective system changes * The iceberg model and how to use it in real-world scenarios * Why your position in the system matters just as much as your idea 🧠 KEY IDEAS TO TAKE WITH YOU * Seeing a problem is not the same as understanding it * Systems problems are always multi-factorial—there is never just one cause * Action bias feels productive but often leads to shallow solutions * Influence depends on your position, not just your insight * Slowing down is not weakness—it’s strategy 🎧 HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS EPISODE As you listen, think about a current problem in your workplace. Notice where you might be operating at the “event level” versus digging into deeper patterns and root causes. 📣 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS If you want to go deeper into this kind of thinking and actually apply it to your career, Map Your Impact [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact]is designed exactly for this. It walks you through how to understand your position in a system and build a strategic plan from there. Don't forget about the discount code, "MYI10OFF" to get $10 dollars off! 👉 RESOURCES MENTIONED * Map Your Impact [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/map-your-impact] (mini course) - 'MYI10OFF' saves you $10! * Instagram: @nursing.the.system [https://www.instagram.com/nursing.the.system/]

63: Team Structure Overhaul-The 90-Day Results

🎙 EPISODE OVERVIEW This episode is a real-time update on the structural overhaul I shared earlier this year. I walk you through exactly what changed on my team in Q1, what actually worked, and what those changes revealed about how our system functions. Because here’s the truth: good intentions don’t change teams. Structure does. When you change structure, you don’t just change outcomes, you expose patterns that were always there, just hidden. 🔑 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN * How shifting team structure away from a bottleneck model increases ownership and speed * Why delegation works best when paired with clear ownership and visibility * The real purpose of mentorship layers and structured connection points * What happens when you redesign a system all at once—and when that does make sense * Why new problems showing up is actually a sign of progress 🧠 KEY IDEAS TO TAKE WITH YOU * Structure determines behavior—every time * If you want different results, you need different systems, not more effort * Good systems don’t hide problems—they make them visible * More structure, when done well, actually makes work feel easier * You don’t fix systems once—you evolve them in layers 📲 CALL TO ACTION If this episode clicked for you: * Share it with another leader who’s trying to “fix” their team through effort * DM me [https://www.instagram.com/nursing.the.system/] your biggest takeaway or where you see a bottleneck in your own system 👉 RESOURCES MENTIONED * Episode 54: Why Good Intentions Won’t Change Teams, Structure Does [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/54-why-good-intentions-wont-change-teams-structure-does/id1788479433?i=1000745729726] * Change Maker Essentials [https://nursingthesystem.thinkific.com/courses/change-maker-essentials]