I tell them what to do, I tell them when it must be done by, and I tell them how to do it. If I don’t, it could go wrong. We cannot risk missing a deadline or missing key information. People’s health could be at stake, and that means people’s lives could be at stake. The risk is far too high, and I am not willing to take chances. Although I trust that my fellow nurses know what they are doing, it’s easier to tell them what their task is because I trust that they’ll get that particular task done.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities are clean, or at least, they look the part. My nursing staff is organized, just the way the building is organized. We’re clean. Because of our autocratic system, there is a lot being done, and it’s productive. Productive is good. We want to get people up and running in a jiffy. We want to do our jobs as nurses. This organization system allows us to do our jobs with the most positive outcome.
When someone doesn’t do their work, it’s easier to catch up on because I’ll know that person’s task, and either I, or someone who is willing to do such a thing, will back it up. An autocratic leadership style may not be the most fun, but it’s the one that will get the job