EP 13: Trust, Time, and Transformation: An Approach to Nursing Leadership

Coffee Break_ Lori Armstrong: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Coffee Break_ Lori Armstrong: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Renee Thompson:
Plants thrive and grow in a peaceful, nourished environment, right? Well, it's the same with human beings. But what if that environment is not so peaceful? What if it's toxic? Welcome to Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare – One Cup at a Time. In this podcast, you'll get practical, evidence-based strategies to help you cultivate and sustain a healthy and respectful work culture by tackling an age-old problem in healthcare: bullying and incivility. I am your host, Dr. Renee Thompson.

Renee Thompson:
Well, hi everyone, and welcome back to the Coffee Break podcast. You know, bullying and incivility are on the rise right now, and we know it can happen because we're not doing a great job addressing bad behavior. And that's really what this podcast is all about. It's equipping leaders just like you, with the skills and tools that you need to finally put a stop to bad behavior in healthcare. And today, I am very excited because today I get to have a chit-chat with the Lori Armstrong. So Lori, welcome to the show.

Lori Armstrong:
Thank you, Renee. I'm so, so happy to be here. Thanks for inviting me.

Renee Thompson:
Oh my gosh. Well, you were the, one of the first people that I thought, okay, who am I going to ask to be a guest on my podcast? Lori Armstrong, Lori Armstrong. Lori Armstrong. And I'll tell you a little bit more about Lori and how we've known each other for years. But first, I want to officially introduce her. Dr. Lori Armstrong is the CEO and Chief Clinical Officer at Inspire Nurse Leaders, who creates and specializes in educating and growing nurse leaders to become their very best while enabling them to achieve great outcomes for themselves, their patients, and their teams. For more than 25 years, Lori held executive-level and senior-level leadership roles at top hospitals, including Kaiser Permanente, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, and Stanford Children's, and there's more. I know there's more. Lori earned her DNP in executive leadership from Drexel University and is a graduate of Harvard's Executive Leadership Program. Most recently, her passion for the link between patient and staff outcomes led Lori to create the Impact Group Coaching Program and the On-demand Nurse Leader Academy, both are designed to help leaders achieve top decile performance. Lori's expertise, humor, and contagious energy make her a sought-after speaker, teacher, and coach. And I would say yes, check, check, check, check, check all of those things Lori is and does. And it's truly an honor to be spending some time with you today, Lori.

Lori Armstrong:
Thank you, Renee.

Renee Thompson:
Well, I'd like to talk a little bit about first, before we get into it, how Lori and I met. So I started this company about 12 years ago, primarily as a speaker, and did some interim leadership work. And that's really what enabled me to quit a really great job that I love to start my own company. And the person who was mentoring me into this interim role, she said to me, hey, I have a friend and colleague who's looking for a consultant with your expertise to come in and help to evaluate some things that they were working on. And I thought, consultant? I'm a speaker. I'm not a consultant. Well, you know what you do? You just say, sure, I'll try. You know, I'll figure it out. And that's when I met Lori. And it was funny because I'll never forget the first time I was actually walking, I was in the little waiting room by your office, Lori, and I was waiting to be let into your office. I'm thinking this is the chief nursing officer and was a little nervous, I was intimidated, I hadn't even met you yet, and I was already, you know, intimidated. And I walked in, and you're like, oh, my God, sit here, have a seat. Do you want anything to drink? You were so just nice and friendly, and instantly, I knew we were going to be friends. And we've been friends ever since, and that was about 12 years ago. So I don't know if you remember that experience.

Lori Armstrong:
Yes, it is emblazoned in my mind for a few reasons, but it's so emblazoned, Renee, you don't know this, probably. You had a red dress on, and you were pulling like a wheely briefcase behind you. You came in looking really powerful and prepared, and I was so thankful. So thankful because I needed help so badly.

Renee Thompson:
Yes, you did.

Lori Armstrong:
Even as a seasoned nurse leader, I had been a nurse for a couple of decades by then and a leader for a long time, and now I'm a new CNO at a big hospital, a magnet hospital. And, you know, I think from the outside, people think, oh, she's got it all together, she's all that. But all of us have opportunities, and all of us are experts in certain things, and then other things we're not. And I learned a long time ago that strong leaders are very self-aware, and I knew I needed help in one particular service line. And when I called that same, your mentor, when I called her and said, I really, really need some help in this particular area, and it's outside of my scope, like my area of expertise. She said, I have the person for you. You need to talk to Dr. Renee Thompson, so I'm glad I was nice and welcoming. Good thing it didn't seem like desperation, but when you came in.

Renee Thompson:
Not at all.

Lori Armstrong:
I think that was an initial three-month love affair that's now lasted for ten years, and you were down to earth. You were an expert. But I got to tell you, Renee, your report that you know, we've all been experienced getting a detailed assessment and results from consultants or from outside experts, yours was the most bold and frank report I ever received. But I loved what you did. You might not remember this either. You sent me the report, but when you sent me the report, you called me at the same time and told me, Lori, my findings were quite concerning, and they're all fixable. I have great strategies for you. I'm here for you for as much or as little as you need. But you are going to read the report and you are going to see some bold results and bold recommendations. And I just so valued you knowing that it was going to be hard for me to read the results on my own, one of my own departments, and you cared enough, like emotionally, to call me and give me a heads up. And, you know, a lot of people don't do that, Renee. I'll never forget that.

Renee Thompson:
Well, thank you. You're right. I always say, I don't lie. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. I don't have time for that, and neither do you. And I do remember, like, there was something I'm like, okay, you need to do something with this person. Like, this person needs to go. And that was it, you know? But I can't just send that in a report. I've got to give you a heads-up that that's there.

Lori Armstrong:
That really meant a lot to me. That shows collegiality. It shows professionalism. And listen, at the end of the day, it shows you cared enough about your work and about me to pick up the phone, and I was thankful about that.

Renee Thompson:
Yeah, well, thank you. I don't know that I knew that from your perspective, but as we said, it started a friendship right from the beginning. And I've seen you go to other organizations, and we've worked when you've been the CNO at other organizations. Lori, one of the things that I've noticed about you is that, more so than many executives who I've worked with, you are so willing to have those uncomfortable conversations. And there have been times where you've, just because we've become friends, you'll reach out to me and say, I have to have a conversation with somebody. Can I run this by you? And I think that's so wise on your part, but you're actually willing to do that. Can you talk a little bit about how you got to that point? Because I can't imagine when you were a brand new leader that you're like, oh, I'm going to engage in every uncomfortable conversation that I could possibly have, because usually, you know, we try to avoid them. So can you just talk about your journey to get to the point where, you know, you have to have the uncomfortable conversation, and you're willing to have it?

Lori Armstrong:
Well, you know, I want to run away from those conversations just as much as anybody else does, Renee. But I'll tell you a really interesting, and for me, it formed me as someone who was interested in leadership. We all learn how we want to behave and how we shouldn't behave by those closest to us. So back almost three decades ago, when I was a neonatal intensive care nurse, that's my clinical background and training, there was a nurse in the department. Her name was Carol, I'll never forget her. And she was a senior nurse, I was brand new, fresh out of nursing school, she actually was one of the most senior nurses, the nurse who everybody looked up to, everybody revered. Like, I want to be her when I grow up. And I was probably working for about 6 to 9 months, still a night nurse, and I came to work one evening and we had a specially called in-service. So we all came into the change of shift, we all came into the conference room, and Carol was in front of the room. Now she was a staff nurse. She wasn't an educator. She was a preceptor to many, but she wasn't a CNS or a manager. And she shared with us that the unit had a very big medical error, and that it turned out to be a life-threatening medical error for one of our sickest babies, and that this is what the error was, this was the mistake that was made, and this is what we all have to learn to avoid it again. And I have chills telling this story after all these years, and at the end of the in-service, she said, I was the nurse who made the mistake.

Renee Thompson:
Oh my gosh.

Lori Armstrong:
You know, I'm getting, this is very strange. I'm getting.

Renee Thompson:
Head-to-toe. Head-to-toe goosebumps.

Lori Armstrong:
For those.

Renee Thompson:
Oh, my gosh.

Lori Armstrong:
Renee, I'm so, first of all, I admire you so much, and I'm so proud and happy that you have so many, so many followers and younger followers. But what I want to tell the people watching and listening is that this is a story of almost three decades ago, and the quality and patient safety movement was only just beginning. I mean, it's probably hard for some to believe, but it was just beginning. And to stand up in front of your peers, people who looked up to you, and talk about a story of mistake that you made. I think about the humility that took. I think about the courage it took, and I think about the bravery to have that difficult conversation, circling back to your question, and it really, it was one of those formative experiences. And I thought, again, I want to be Carol. And that as I, not that long after that, I felt the calling to be a leader. I took that with me because we all know, or I want those watching or listening to think about, we all should spend a little bit more time or taking pause about, a lot of times when you make change or influence because you're willing to address things that many, many other people are not. I didn't know how to do it, though. We're not taught that these days. There's a little bit more training in nursing school, but really, most often.

Renee Thompson:
Not enough.

Lori Armstrong:
Yeah. And so I knew it was an area I need to grow skill in because it's mechanics. It doesn't come naturally to most, and it's a mechanical thing. So me, always seeking out training and opportunities to learn and honestly to practice having those conversations. And you know, while my niece might be knocking under the table because I'm still getting nervous. Addressing things that need to be improved is absolutely critical, especially if you are a formal, titled leader. You got to learn how to do it, because if you avoid them, the problem is never going to go away.

Renee Thompson:
You make so many good points, and there is a difference, I think, between a leader who seeks out that training to develop those skills and a leader who doesn't. I say this frequently, so if you're listening, you probably have heard me say that it's a psychological reality that all human beings avoid pain. We avoid pain at all costs because pain could potentially be a threat to our survival. Well, having an uncomfortable conversation, confronting somebody's bad behavior, or admitting that you made a mistake is painful, and so many people avoid it, they ignore it. And as you said, Lori, the problem just continues. So there's the leader's responsibility to seek out that training to learn those skills. I also think, and I'm curious, you know, Lori, your expert opinion, I think it's the organization's responsibility to make sure that they're equipping their leaders, but don't always see that either.

Lori Armstrong:
You are spot on, Renee, especially in what I do now, offering leadership development and coaching to leaders in a variety of positions, from frontline clinical leaders to the CNOs and executives themselves. And in fact, we are in the midst of a research study focused on the current state of nursing leadership development and training at organizations. So not academia, but actually in facilities where leaders are practicing their art of leading, and we're finding significant gaps in that area. That's probably one of the top five that we're finding. Our research isn't done yet, probably will be analyzed officially by the middle of November, but we're finding significant gaps in that. And there are some amazing tools out there, there are books. I encourage anyone, anybody, especially who is a formal leader, to seek out that training, because the way you show up as a leader, particularly in times of crisis, stress, or highly charged situations like coaching someone or counseling, the way you show up reveals your leadership. Good leadership or leadership that could be better, the way you show up. And you know, I always say this, you have an opportunity. When you're having those difficult conversations, you have chills, Renee, when I say this, you actually are having the opportunity to grow someone.

Renee Thompson:
Yes.

Lori Armstrong:
You have the opportunity to grow someone and to positively influence their career. Because make no mistake, I've been on both sides of the table.

Renee Thompson:
Me too.

Lori Armstrong:
I've been delivering that constructive feedback, been the deliverer, and I've also been the recipient. And when done correctly, and when the person delivering it makes sure they're upholding your dignity and your respect, it's a growth opportunity. And I think if leaders think about that, as I have the chance to grow this person I'm talking, I think it changes the narrative.

Renee Thompson:
It does in so many ways. And I think, I just had a conversation earlier this morning with a colleague, and we were talking about giving feedback, constructive feedback, receiving it well, and we both agreed that it's easier to give and receive any type of constructive feedback criticism when it comes from someone who you trust, when it comes from someone who you believe their intentions are pure and good. And if you're looking at it, I love what you said, it's an opportunity to help them to grow. If you approach it in that way, then people sometimes get defensive, we know that. Actually, every human being gets defensive when something negative is shared with them about them, even if they don't act on it. It's just a normal human phenomenon. But if that person can see that you care about them, that you want them to improve, that you believe they can, I think it's probably one of the most important things that you can do as a leader.

Lori Armstrong:
100%. And you used one of my favorite leadership words, Renee, you don't realize it, but you used it. It's trust.

Renee Thompson:
Yes.

Lori Armstrong:
And I like to say it like this. Trust is at the core of every relationship. You know, if you have a lot of trust, it's a great relationship, a little trust, not so great. So trust is at the core of every relationship, and leadership is a relationship. Leadership is a relationship. And I wish I would have really, truly understood that leadership was a relationship earlier on in my career, especially as a hospital-based or corporate, more kind of based nurse leader. We're all so darn busy.

Renee Thompson:
Yes, we are.

Lori Armstrong:
We're all so busy, you get sucked away just by the nature of how you have to lead and the nature of work. You get sucked away from the people you're leading, and you can't have a relationship with people if you don't spend time with them.

Renee Thompson:
If you're not there.

Lori Armstrong:
Yeah, and you know, in my coaching or a lot of my workshops, when I say visibility matters, you got to figure out how to be with your people more. I always joke and say, listen, I can see you rolling your eyes now. Some of them actually are in front of me. Some of them are doing it in their head. Yeah, I know it's doable because I implemented it at multiple big academic medical centers. Now, yes, you have to have enlightened leaders who will join you and who will partner with you to get you time, sacred or protected time with your people. But trust is at the core of your relationship, and you have to keep making those deposits in the trust bank. And the only way to do that is to know your people.

Renee Thompson:
When I think about your job as a leader, and you know this better than anyone, you have a list a mile long of responsibilities. Okay? And I remember when I was a front-line manager, there were days on my way in. I said, I'm going to spend time with my staff, and oh, so-and-so is working. So I really want to spend some time with her because, you know, like you, I love mentoring and coaching and helping people to grow. And then there'd be a line of people standing outside of my door, of my office, wanting to complain to me about something, and I'd spend my whole day putting out fire after fire, trying to find someone to work the night shift because I had a call off.

Lori Armstrong:
Right.

Renee Thompson:
However, it's just like anything else, you know? I've been really working on this, even personally and professionally, but at the beginning of, we'll just say a week, they actually recommend you start with a year, then a month and a week. At the beginning of the week, I look at my calendar, and I say to myself, what is the most important thing that I could do this week, okay, as CEO of my company, as a wife, as a daughter, a mother, a nanny? Okay.

Lori Armstrong:
Yeah.

Renee Thompson:
And I put that on my calendar. I can't do it all. I cannot do it all. But I put what is the most important thing for me, again, as a CEO and as everything else. And you're telling us, Lori, that the most important thing that you could do as a leader is be with your people. So put it on your calendar first. Make it like an appointment on your calendar so that, okay, Friday from 12 until 2, I'm going to be out there with my people, and I'm going to be rounding with them and talking with them and building relationships with them so that you build that trust. And I love that little deposits of trust.

Lori Armstrong:
Yeah. And one of the things you just said want to highlight, Renee, is that you don't have to boil the ocean. Pick an hour, pick two hours on a Friday.

Renee Thompson:
Yeah.

Lori Armstrong:
And I want to encourage leaders that it has dual benefit. Your people will know you more and know you better, and they will feel your commitment to them, and they'll know that you care enough to protect that time and be there with them, and then you get back that energy. I know when I talk to most nurse leaders, the happiest times they have is when they're closer to where it all started.

Renee Thompson:
Absolutely.

Lori Armstrong:
Is at the bedside. The magic remains at the bedside, where the patient, family, and the team meet. And the closer you are to it, you get that inspiration that made you be a nurse in the first place. So I like to say it's bidirectional, the benefit.

Renee Thompson:
Yes, and actually, you get the reward because, I always think in terms of, sure, I can sit in my office, and I can get all my work done, but it's connecting with other people that reminds you of why you're doing this work in the first place. And I can remember, you probably don't remember this, but one of the organizations where you worked and did some work for you, I remember walking through the hallways, and it took us 27 hours to get from one part of the hospital to the other because we're like Lori, and Lori, and you were hugging people. And these were, I think there was somebody who worked in EDS who you were talking to and the nurses and the physicians because, and I knew right then and there you were a visible executive. And I'm thinking, you know, if you're an executive and you're listening to this, how do you also make sure that you're protecting time to be visible for everybody, be visible for your entire team?

Lori Armstrong:
Yeah. And I so appreciate, I don't remember that, but I love it.

Renee Thompson:
I know.

Lori Armstrong:
But I will tell you that I hope people who are watching or listening aren't thinking, she doesn't know the hospital I work in. She doesn't know the healthcare system I work in. I would say two things, maybe provocative, but I'm going to say two things. One is that, organizations, no matter their bedside, have similar challenges, and they're complex. All our environments are complex. And unless, so here's the two-parter, unless we change what we've been doing for the last, let's say, 40 years, unless we change, we're going to be in the same boat.

Renee Thompson:
Yes.

Lori Armstrong:
Next year and five years from now, and in 2030, what we're doing now isn't working. So if you're not carving out time or if it's really hard for you, first of all, call me. I will show you the model that I learned quite honestly at New York-Presbyterian. I wish I invented it, I did not, I loved it, I've replicated it everywhere since. So we could work, and we could adapt it to your organization. Secondly, be the leader that you wish you had. Be that enlightened executive. Be that enlightened director who comes up with great ideas that you wish you worked with. Be that person and suggest this type of change to increase everybody's visibility. And when my clients say we can't do it here, I say, well, let's pretend it's a CLABSI. Let's pretend we have an increase in line-associated bloodstream infections. We're going to use the model for improvement where this is our problem. Our Aim statement is to increase visibility by, we'll start small, 15% a week. I'm just going to throw that number out let's, or 20. By the end of the year, that's all we want an incremental improvement, and here are the strategies we're going to try. And then two, four weeks later, it's really not working, let's do this all. We should have invited this stakeholder, and we didn't, and so on. So when you treat it like an actual hospital-acquired condition, things get more concrete and black and white. And I've not met an organization we haven't been able to do it.

Renee Thompson:
Yeah, I think it's almost, and I mean, no disrespect in saying this, I really don't because I understand, but it's become our swan song. It's like, I can't do it. You don't know our organization. We're too busy, we're too complex. And I think we almost use it as an excuse because it does take energy to think differently and to try something differently. And I've been using this. I've read this somewhere recently. It's we should do this, I should do that. And you know, this should, should, should. That's just basically judging and shaming. Instead, I've been looking at, all right. We're telling you right now, being visible as a leader, building trust, building relationships is a key, essential skill that a leader needs to develop, okay? The only way you can do that is spending time with your people. What could you do right now to just start down that path? What could you do this week? What could you do, if you're listening to this today, even if it's I'm going to spend 15 minutes getting to know one of my employees today? But what could you do? Instead of can't do it here, we don't have enough time. That's, but like I said, I don't mean any disrespect by that. But if we don't do things differently, nothing will change.

Lori Armstrong:
Think about that one thing. And in its simplest form, think about it as one person.

Renee Thompson:
Yeah.

Lori Armstrong:
Who could you right now text or call, or stop what you're doing and walk to the ICU, walk to the ED, walk to the ambulatory clinic, wherever you practice, who is that one person? Say, you know, I've been so darn busy this week, but you've been on my mind, and you've been on my heart. And I forgot that I wanted to tell you something, I wanted to follow up on something. That one, you made a difference in that one person, and you made a difference. A positive difference because you cared. Just start with one.

Renee Thompson:
Yeah, and I love what you said. We don't have to boil the ocean. You just start with one person, 15 minutes, just start. And I really appreciate your leadership journey, and you've had these executive roles. But I have to say, I was surprised and not surprised that you gave up that executive role for a large organization to start your own company. So, Lori, tell us about your company and what you do and how you're helping leaders now, because it seems as though this was the natural progression, because you've learned so much on sort of what leaders need and what they don't need and really empowering them. So tell us about it.

Lori Armstrong:
Well, thank you so much. If you would have asked me ten years ago if I was going to be the CEO of a growing scaling company, I would say, no, sorry, are you talking to the wrong person? Honor of my career to be a chief nursing officer. I was so humbled to have that sacred role to lead so many nursing and ancillary staff. But what happened was my passion for leadership and leading people eclipsed my desire and commitment to be a chief nursing officer. So the reality is I wanted to continue with my work, continue doing my best to lead and inspire others and to teach them. I wanted to do it on a larger scale. I wanted to meet the needs and support as many nurse leaders and their teams as possible. So it grew to be, you can do this outside of the walls of the hospital. And I'll tell you, Renee, it all crystallized after I got my DNP and after I had the honor to go to Harvard Business School, Executive Education, and it taught me to think bigger and think broader. Now I want to tell everyone who's watching or listening that you don't have to go to Harvard to think bigger. My sister always says when I mention that I sound snobby, I don't think she's right, but anyway.

Renee Thompson:
Well, she's your sister, so she can say that.

Lori Armstrong:
Yeah, yeah.

Renee Thompson:
You know. Exactly.

Lori Armstrong:
I almost needed permission to think broader. And I would ask all of you listening or watching to think bigger from where you are. If you're not a formal, titled leader yet, consider it. And if you don't want to be a formal titled leader, I have some news for you, you're already a leader. If you're a nurse, you're a leader. When patients and families look in your eyes, you're leading their care. There's no other person that's more important. You're a leader. And to think bigger leads me to mindset. It's all about mindset. And when I got to that place, I thought, now's the time. Our world needs good leaders. You know, we talk a lot about short-staffing. We don't really talk about the incredible crisis of the leadership gap.

Renee Thompson:
Right.

Lori Armstrong:
There is a huge need for leaders. So inspire the notion of Inspire Nurse Leaders came to be, and now practicing in my role as leading the growth of the company, as the chief executive officer, while duly being in the role of chief clinical officer. And that's really, really important to me because what it does is it requires me to stay relevant with the current healthcare environment. So I'm still in the mix, I'm still delivering coaching and consulting in the real hospital environment. So I'm an active practitioner, if you will. And Renee, it's been a ride, it's been a blessing of my life. I can't even imagine it. But we have over ten full-time staff already, and I have a large team of about 15 coaches who work with me part-time delivering coaching services, really important because it's, I feel like it's my baby. Coaching services to front-line clinical leaders through our Impact Group Coaching, my heart remains very close to the bedside, so we're very dedicated and committed to meeting the needs, and oh my gosh, the needs are vast, to frontline clinical leaders, assistant managers, managers, and directors.

Renee Thompson:
Yes, so it's interesting when you look at Lori's journey. and Lori don't know that I've ever said this to you, but it took me a long time to get to where I am with having my team and the institute for the first couple of years. I remember this one time I just wanted to be a speaker, and you're sitting there waiting for the phone to ring or somebody to email you, and I was trying to, you know, get the word out there about my work, and little by little, then it grew and grew. I have never seen anyone who started a company like yours and grew as fast as it did. So what that tells me is, Holy cow, are they hungry for this? There is a, you're talking about the gap while you're filling that gap. In case I forget, I'm going to have a link to Lori's website, her programs, everything in the show notes. So if you're listening to this, make sure that you end up going on, you know, wherever you listen to podcasts, it'll be in the show notes or on our website. But your work has just been transformational, and one of the things that I love about you and your work is that you're a nice compliment to a lot of the work that we do, too. People call it the soft skills. I don't call it soft skills. I call it essential skills with conflict and emotional intelligence and bullying, incivility, communication, all of those things. But in particular, one of the things that it's tangible for me that I looked at and I thought, oh my gosh, this is brilliant, and it's so needed, and it's your academy. Can you talk a little bit about your academy and who is the audience for this academy? Like if I'm listening to this right now, who is this academy for, and what value would they get from exploring the programs that you have in your academy?

Lori Armstrong:
First of all, thank you for all those kind words. It is humbling.

Renee Thompson:
It's true. It's true.

Lori Armstrong:
I just appreciate it. I appreciate it. So, because I feel everything we get to do, myself and my company, everyone in it is an absolute privilege to people who are leading. At the end of the day, they're leading people who are laying hands on patients and families. That's why we're here. The Nursing Leadership Academy is interesting, Renee. It kind of came to be unexpectedly. Maybe I shouldn't tell the secret, but people on the website and buying our courses might say, oh wow, this is such a, how long did it take to think about this? And this really grew out of COVID. So when I started, the company was about, you know, it was a few years in the making, but we launched a year before COVID. So, you know, you have a vision. We all had visions of what we were going to be doing, and I thought I was going to be speaking just like you, you know, being a keynote and doing consulting. There's not a metric I've not met that I don't like. I can help any leader fix any metric, whether it's finance, patient quality, patient safety, engagement, all that. Well, when COVID hit, we were not going to be going into organizations physically, and I had assembled amazing faculty and consultants to go in and deliver consulting. Well, that evaporated in an instant, for like everybody, something evaporated. So what we did was we had a call with all of our faculty and said, okay, now what? Because we had everything developed. We all flew to a video studio in Salt Lake City, Utah, and we filmed everything over a two-week period. And the result of that, now we had amazing faculty, we had everything developed, and we just transitioned into an online academy, which has now grown to over 41 courses, 41 accredited, and I'm very proud of this, AMCC courses, AMC accreditation, and we partnered with the Barrel Institute. So if you are certified in patient experience, it counts toward your RI certification. So whatever your specialty and the courses are aligned with the most common pillars at any organization. So finance, quality and patient safety, but it all starts with the foundation of transformational leadership. So there's 12 courses under that pillar.

Renee Thompson:
Wow. And I've seen it. It's so well done. And it's funny that this came out of the conversation where, okay everyone, it's time to pivot, you know, course correct.

Lori Armstrong:
Yes.

Renee Thompson:
Because we're not going to be going into organizations. And you answered the question, what could we do?

Lori Armstrong:
Yes.

Renee Thompson:
And you pulled it together, you know, I always say, because I'm a very much like you, avid reader, learner, love to develop new skills. But there's a difference between a leader who learns and a leader who executes.

Lori Armstrong:
Yes.

Renee Thompson:
And what you did was you executed, and now you have this incredible, valuable resource for leaders. So in my spare time, I actually want to take some of your courses like finance and, because those are areas that I know I'm not as strong as I could be, and I know your work is just impeccable. And so thank you for sharing that.

Lori Armstrong:
Thank you. Thank you so much. And you never know where those things lead you to.

Renee Thompson:
Right.

Lori Armstrong:
And that actually was the catalyst for our new program which is the Impact Group Coaching. So think about those courses being delivered live, either live in person or synchronous live on Zoom or Teams. Think about the courses being delivered live to small cohorts of leaders at organizations, so groups of assistant managers, groups of managers, and they're all facilitated by a powerful dyad of coaches a nurse-certified coach, and then a professional development coach. It is, our results have been pretty astounding.

Renee Thompson:
Yeah, you've done such incredible work throughout your entire career. And we started the conversation talking about how great you were at being willing to have these uncomfortable conversations. I watched you, I was there at times when you would have I'm like, oh, okay, conversations. But you always came at it from a place of honesty and respect. Like, I respect you enough to tell you the truth, and I respect you enough to want to help you to grow and to help you to become a better version of yourself right now. And now you're doing that on a global scale, and I think the world needs more Loris, and you know, what Lori can offer. And so as we wrap up, Lori, I want to ask you, is there any particular book, or are you reading anything, any book that you would recommend that all leaders, like a must-have, all leaders need to read?

Lori Armstrong:
Well, all leaders have to read. There's no question, Renee. All leaders have to read, as a foundational book, The Leadership Challenge.

Renee Thompson:
Yep.

Lori Armstrong:
It's in its seventh edition. It's the most widely used leadership operating system globally, and I love the global part. So the research and data is validated year over year, rigorously validated. The leadership challenge authors are Dr. Barry Posner and Jim Kouzes, and it is literally an operating system for any leader. It's got amazing case stories. It's easy to read, and I describe it like this. It's both profound and practical at the same time. Love it. I'm not a big fan of these high-level conceptual frameworks that, they don't meet our needs in the real world of the hospital, in healthcare. The Leadership Challenge is practical, and a lot of our teaching and programs are grounded in the 30 actionable behaviors that define what a transformational leader is. I couldn't recommend it more.

Renee Thompson:
Wow, thank you for that. I didn't know it's in its seventh edition, so that tells me I need to get a new copy of that book, because I remember reading that when I was a new manager. I remember reading it, thinking of all the things that I needed to do differently. And let's just say I took a hiatus from leadership for a little while, but when I got back into leadership, I circled back with that book and I read it again. And so I think it's an important book that, as you said, every leader should read. So, Lori, as we wrap up here, I just want to thank you so much for being a guest on this podcast and just imparting your wisdom. I just love your approach and your advocacy for the nursing profession. When you meet people, you can tell that, I don't know if I want to say you're a nurses' nurse, but you get the nursing profession and you love the nursing profession and it shows in everything that you do. And so.

Lori Armstrong:
Thank you.

Renee Thompson:
Thank you for being on my show, Lori.

Lori Armstrong:
Thank you. Renee, I'm honored to have been invited. Thank you. And thank you for what you're doing. Everyone needs you, everyone. Thank you for what you're doing and your perseverance in doing it. It's never been a more important time.

Renee Thompson:
Well thank you, I appreciate that. I'm actually hoping that one day I can close my company because nobody needs us, because nobody treats each other with disrespect anymore. Everybody's kind and professional.

Lori Armstrong:
Oh my goodness.

Renee Thompson:
Then I could spend more time with my grandbabies. You know the importance of the little grand kiddos. But until that day happens, we're going to keep marching on, doing what we have to do to equip leaders with the skills and tools that they need to address disruptive behaviors. And I keep thinking about how do we cultivate a healthy work culture. It really starts, Lori, with you becoming the leader you need to become, and learning those skills and working on it. Because nobody's born with these skills, but as you shared so well, these are skills that you can learn, and there are people out there to help you who want to help you to become a better leader. And so with that, thank you. And thank you for listening. Those of you who are either listening as a podcast or you're watching us on YouTube, we truly appreciate you being here and for doing your part to cultivate a healthy work culture. Remember everyone, the way we treat each other is just as important as the care that we provide. Take care everyone.

Lori Armstrong:
Thank you for listening to Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare – One Cup at a Time. If you found these practical strategies helpful, we invite you to click the Subscribe button and tune in every other week. For more information about our show and how we work with healthcare organizations to cultivate and sustain a healthy work culture free from bullying and incivility, visit HealthyWorkforceInstitute.com. Until our next cup of coffee, be kind, take care, and stay connected.

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