In American culture, the notion of power often calls to mind domination or aggression, being the loudest person in the room, always getting one’s way. It is often seen as a form of currency that one accumulates. The more power, the better.
As a member of a profession that places a high value on listening, receptivity, and putting others’ needs before yours, you’d be forgiven if you have an uneasy feeling about asserting power. The fact is, though, nurses shouldn’t be shy about talking about or cultivating power. Becoming comfortable with power starts with understanding the unique ways it manifests in clinical settings.
“Power is not always about what someone has or doesn’t have, but rather how that person is perceived,” says Beth Ann Swan, PhD, RN, CHSE, FAAN, ANEF, a clinical-track professor and former associate dean for education at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta. “In that sense, power is very situational and positional. It can vary depending on what room you’re in and what table you’re sitting at.”
The Emory School of Nursing and Nurse.org have teamed up to host a series of podcasts on skills that are crucial to a successful career in nursing. Though you may not have considered power among the top attributes you need to develop as a nurse, this episode will explain the value of power, as well as how to cultivate it in yourself and among colleagues.
Put simply, Dr. Swan says power is the ability to influence change.
“Power is about controlling or influencing a situation, environment, or outcome,” adds Everett Moss, II, DNP, APRN, CRNA, NRP, a graduate of Emory’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Program and a host of Nurse.org’s Nurse Converse podcast. Power is also a means to achieving one’s goals. And rather than being used up as people grab for it, power can be a collective resource that grows with collaboration.
Viewing power in this way can help you cultivate it throughout your career, from nursing school to your first job to leading clinical teams. Here are eight steps to develop your power.
“Surround yourself with people you see as influential and powerful,” advises Shawana S. Moore, PhD, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, PNAP, FAAN, FNPWH, a clinical-track associate professor and director of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs at Emory School of Nursing. “They can help amplify your power, help you see yourself in that light, and align you with opportunities to get you to the next point in your professional life.”
Over the course of her career, Dr. Moore, a women’s health nurse practitioner specializing in women’s and gender-related care, has found that her sense of power has flowed from the support of people around her.
It’s important not to shy away from or be embarrassed about using your power.
“By nature, I have a lot of humility, but in certain situations you have to understand how to operate your power,” Dr. Moore says. “I used to think power was not always the best thing to have, but you have to be able to be in spaces that you can influence decisions.”
One way to tap into your power is through your enthusiasm. “In my case, I think about using power for communities that I love and things that I am passionate about,” Dr. Moore says.
Remember, adds Dr. Moss: “Power is not a dirty word. misled into thinking that it’s a negative term.”
Power is not a prize available only to those who reach the summit of their profession. Instead, it is a tool that you can employ early in your career to make the most of your experience, even during your education.
Sofi Igyan, BSN, RN, is a recent graduate of the Emory School of Nursing. “Power, to me, has really just been the ability for me to have control over my nursing school experience,” she says.
Being a powerful student can include:
- Proactively accessing your school’s resources to get support you need
- Developing support networks, including peers and professors, and engaging with them inside and outside of the classroom
- Participating in enhanced academic experiences like travel abroad or research opportunities
- Seeking out and tackling challenging situations to hone your problem-solving skills
The more you demonstrate your ability to manage difficult situations, Dr. Moss says, the more your sense of power will grow and the greater your clinical experience will be.
Listen and observe
“There’s this misconception that if I’m in a meeting and I’m the loudest person there, then everybody’s going to think I have power or I have authority,” says Dr. Swan. “I think that can backfire on a person.”
Instead, power is often best cultivated through the quiet acts of listening and observation.
“When you sit and take in the room and take the temperature at the table, that’s really exerting influence in an observational way rather than in an active way,” she adds.
The principle applies to students, as well.
“Students are often uniquely equipped to pick up on trends that people who are in this work day-to-day may overlook,” says Dr. Moore. “Because you have a different set of eyes and a very different perspective, you may say, ‘This process could work better if you do it this way.’ Sometimes, more experienced people who are in the trenches won’t see it.”
The key, Dr. Moore says, is understanding that you have the power in a clinical setting to make that recommendation, regardless of your place on the hierarchy.
You can grow your own power, and empower others, by sharing your hard-won insights into the exercise of power.
As a nursing student, Igyan discovered that other students looked to her for guidance, asking many of the same questions that she had during her early years in the program.
“That encouraged me to start social media pages where I would share stories about nursing school, different tips and tricks,” she says. As a result, “my influence has grown a lot—and my power, as well.”
“Telling one’s story is really a platform for power and influence,” adds Dr. Swan.
“Always be open to the next opportunity,” says Dr. Swan. “If somebody is touching you on the shoulder and saying, ‘I think you would be good at this,’ you need to be open. It doesn’t cost a person anything to explore.”
Dr. Moore seconds the notion. The challenge is to recognize and seize these opportunities by “being powerful enough within yourself to say, ‘Yes.’”
If you have had the good fortune of being empowered by mentors in your career, share that gift with the next generation.
“That’s the unique opportunity of being in academia and serving students at Emory—I get to pour into my students,” says Dr. Moore. “I get to encourage them and amplify them and help them to understand that they’re powerful. The goal is that they go back to do that to somebody else, as well.”
Volumes have been written on power, so it can be hard to sift through the literature to find work that makes sense for you. To save you time, our experts offer their top picks best suited to nurses:
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What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
This influential book explains how successful people become leaders. The key, says Dr. Swan, is to be open to your power to influence change.
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Barbara Jordan: Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder, edited by Max Sherman
This book collects speeches from the trailblazing lawyer, educator, and first southern Black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. “Phenomenal,” says Dr. Moore.
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The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
“The premise is to help people reclaim their personal power, self-awareness, and step into their own power,” says Dr. Moss.
Tune in for more discussion, including how to connect power to your passions and how to most effectively channel the flow of your power.