You’ve got skills. 

Profession skills and technical skills. 

Sometimes, having skills lead us to believe that we know all it takes to be successful. 

You don’t. 

You must continue to acquire more skills as a leader. 

A leader that doesn’t grow their skills is on their way out the door. 

They’re on the way to being replaced because they don’t add value. 

There’s a reason that clinical leaders are forced to continue education each year. 

As much as you learn the first year after nursing school, there’s so much more to learn after that. 

There’s always changes in your industry that you’ve got to stay up to date with. 

The things you learn during your first leadership position may not be applicable when you’re the Chief Nursing Executive or the CEO. 

You must continue to invest in your skills. 

Focus on the thing that you will spend most of your days focused on. 

That’s not healthcare or finances. 

It’s your people. 

How are your people engaged and performing at work?  

How are they able to deliver excellent outcomes and care for the people that you serve?  

As a leader, your primary focus should be your people. 

Effective leadership is all about understanding the product. 

The product in a leadership environment are the people. 

Do you understand your product? 

What motivates them? 

What inspires them? 

What makes them tick? 

What excites them?  

What frustrates them?  

These are the things you need to know as a leader.  

Your job is to find these things out. 

Then use your skills to meet these concerns. 

That’s your responsibility as a leader.  

If you want to continue to have an impact, if you want to make a difference, you’ve got to find a way to continue to grow your skills.