We are called to thrive.
Yes, we must first of all survive as signified in Maslow’s Hierarchy.
Our community of conversation is dedicated to nourishing the siren call to go beyond, and to be sure to join others as we learn to thrive, despite our challenges. Thriving together. We can get beyond the shock to our world brought to us by accelerated change and exacerbated by the pandemic. But never alone!
We had the opportunity to chat with two experts who have collaborated with a team to research, write about, teach, and share ways we can seize the pain of change to create better leaders and transform this pain into opportunity for better work, better lives, better world.
Welcome our guests from Lewis University, Adrienne’s alma mater, Dr. Michele R. Kramer, PhD, MSN, RN, AHN-BC and Dr. Lesley Page, PhD (see their bios below). We mention this because it relates to our recently published networking strategy guide. Adrienne got the diploma and easily could have just moved on with life. But as a lifelong learner, she made the effort to stay connected to Lewis and her friends and educational mentors. Lucky us that she did!
Michele and Lesley had been focusing on new approaches of leadership, with a more wholistic and spiritual foundation. They recognized that the comprehensive tome published every decade was not sufficient to address the ever-changing field of leadership and leadership study. They began writing articles on the subject.
And then COVID hit! Each of us can identify and follow that statement with how radically their work was upended. Yes, and the field of health care, even more! Their recent research is driven by the collision of understanding leadership and navigating the pandemic.
Here are a few highlights:
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It would be naïve to think that this pandemic, challenging as it is, will be our last crisis. Organizations must learn to prepare. More is coming, fast and furious. What can leaders do to prepare, adapt, and thrive when put under undue pressure?
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Understand that there the idea of “going back to normal” is not going to cut it as we continue to live in a VUCA environment (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous). The reality of disruption is part of the new norm, and strategies to deal with it must be woven into the culture of the organization.
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There is a growing need for compassion in leadership. Employee wellbeing is top of mind for successful organizations.
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This is the moment for leaders to shine. To capture the talent, you need for sustainable growth in this environment, leaders need to sharpen their emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence.
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The ability to better understand ourselves and others is now a crucial effective leadership skill.
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New structures need to be created in organizations to be able to get support through the system at the individual, team, and organizational level. Stay tuned for more articles on the “how to” of Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) in organizations.
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A strategy for thriving applies the “rule of three”: (1) Pre-event: strategies to be as prepared as possible. (2) Event: strategies to manage the event as best as possible. (3) Post event: strategies to learn from the event and ensure healing and growth after the event.
We will continue to notify you of publications of interest as they continue to bring aspiring healing/compassionate/people-
Tom & Adrienne
Referenced Publications
Kramer, M.R., Page, L., & Klemic, G. (2022). Post-traumatic growth in organizations: Leadership’s role in deploying organizational energy beyond survival. Organizational Development Review, 54(3), 18-26.
www.odnetwork.org
Biographies:
Dr. Michele Kramer
Michele Riley Kramer, PhD, MSN, RN, AHN-BC, is a Professor in the Nursing Graduate Program, College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Lewis University. Dr. Kramer has a broad background of leadership roles, and settings in her career history beginning as a nurse in the U.S. Army. She has published and presented on a variety of topics including leadership, nursing’s value, student engagement, and consciousness (specifically related to self-care). Dr. Kramer is the track leader for the Healthcare Systems Leadership track for the MSN program. She currently teaches courses in healthcare policy, dynamics of healthcare organizations, and the healthcare systems leadership MSN capstone. Dr. Kramer has a PhD in Psychology (transpersonal) from Saybrook University and is a certified holistic nurse.
Email: kramermi@lewisu.edu
Dr. Lesley Page
Lesley Page is currently a Professor of Organizational Leadership at Lewis University. In addition to having a passion for education and teaching, Lesley has more than 20 years of field experience. Her work has focused largely on employee and customer satisfaction measures as well as culture assessment, training evaluation, and leadership development. She has served a wide range of clients from diverse industries. Lesley has a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
Email: pagele@lewisu.edu
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