Great leaders inspire, guide and make a lasting impact. At Providence, we want every caregiver (employee) to have the opportunity to nurture their inner leader—whether they hope to be a people leader or simply want to learn useful leadership skills like effective communication, emotional intelligence or strategic thinking.

Providence Chief Learning Officer Sandi Murray believes there’s leadership potential in all of us, and she’s on a mission to help Providence caregivers discover it. “Each of us leads, whether it’s leading a team, leading a project or leading a conversation,” says Sandi. “We all have opportunities to influence.”

Here are some of the ways Providence helps caregivers discover, nurture and grow their inner leader, with practical advice from Sandi on where to start and how to influence positive change within the organization.

A culture that champions leadership skills

At Providence, we like to say we’re here to help you outgrow your role, and we mean it. We foster a culture that seeks to understand each caregiver’s individual passions and goals and help them get there, providing opportunities to lead and influence along the way. Here’s what that looked like for one Providence nurse in Southern California.

Katie, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, began her career with us as a student nurse on a clinical rotation. “I always had that leadership itch,” she says. “Where Providence really came alongside and supported me was in asking, ‘How can I help you get there?’” Katie says that because she clearly articulated her goal of becoming a nurse leader early on, she was regularly given opportunities to grow those leadership skills, such as an invitation to join a committee or attend a meeting to share her experience. “Through those exposures and that networking, I found my niche and was like, ‘Yeah, I’m on the right path.’ I had a lot of support from other leaders and mentors who just kept opening doors and saying, ‘I have another opportunity for you.’”

Katie started her career at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, working as a bedside nurse in the ICU. She became preceptor, charge nurse, and assistant nurse manager on that same unit. She was promoted to a director role, then advanced to CNO—then took a CNO position at St. Joseph. Katie says, “With each step, there was a leader above me and leaders alongside me saying, ‘You can do this, you’ve got this.’ Providence has really taken the time to know me and nurture my passions, strengths and ambitions. Now I’m in a position to nurture that in others. How lucky am I to get that opportunity?”

Katie considers her style authentic leadership. “When people feel comfortable to be themselves and own their strengths and even maybe their shortcomings, that’s when you see the best parts of people come out. When I’m allowed to do my best work just authentically as Katie, that’s when I really shine.”

Leadership skills and journeys for every caregiver through Providence Leadership Academy

Providence Leadership Academy is one way we’re cultivating Mission-inspired, highly capable leaders. The Leadership Academy offers programs for every career stage, from foundational skills in communication and critical thinking to advanced coaching techniques.

Academy resources for anyone interested in sharpening their leadership skills

Through the Providence Leadership Academy, caregivers can tap into resources on:

• Universal leadership skills, like emotional intelligence, time management and resilience and adaptability
• Essential people-leadership capabilities
• Navigating and getting results in tough conversations
• Mental wellness support tactics
• Understanding and addressing implicit bias
• Recognizing and managing stress and burnout
• Collaborating successfully in virtual work environments

Any caregiver who wants to improve their skills has access to the Leadership Academy. While some resources are designated for people leaders, most are open to anyone looking to expand their skills.

The Leadership Academy also offers the ProvMentorship Program, which matches mentors and mentees based on skills, as well as executive coaching.

Journeys for caregivers aspiring to a leadership role

Leadership journeys are for caregivers who want to advance into leadership within the organization. They combine formal courses, self-reflection, hands-on practice and guidance from mentors, tailored to what each participant needs. This personalized approach helps leaders stay agile and take on new challenges and opportunities as they come—as Katie did with her CNO journey.

We offer development journeys for:

• Aspiring leaders: Individual contributors who, through career conversations and demonstrated performance, seek a people leadership role.
• People leaders: Leaders of teams who communicate operational priorities, delegate work tasks, and set timelines for completion, or leaders of leaders, who translate executive leadership strategy into operational priorities.
• Nurse leaders: Registered nurses who occupy a frontline leadership role.
• Physician & advanced practice leaders: Medical doctors or advanced practice providers who lead care teams.
• Executive leaders: Those who engage stakeholders to set strategy and align operational priorities with it across ministries, regions, or lines of business.

How to find your inner leader and influence positive change in the workplace

In order to nurture your inner leader, it’s a good idea to do an informal self-assessment of your leadership skills, thinking about where you’re strong and where you could use some help, then talking with your manager about ways you can get experience to improve those skills.

Sandi says you don’t need an official title to be credible as a leader. “It’s the relationships and the skills that make you an effective leader, and that doesn’t just happen because you have someone who reports to you. It is taking those assignments where you’re leading a team of people, organizing the work, and motivating and inspiring others toward a shared goal.”

But that doesn’t happen without some self-introspection. “Leadership starts with leading yourself,” Sandi says. “Self-awareness and personal mastery are the foundation of great leadership.”

She recommends asking yourself:

1. What core skills or capabilities am I passionate about? What fills my cup?
2. Beyond the scope of my role, what do I enjoy doing?
3. Where do I want to go?

Sandi says not every role has a defined ladder, and sometimes there’s not a specific role that encompasses everything you want to do, so it’s about focusing on skillset first and letting that lead the way. “We talk about what the caregiver does and think about how that works, right now and in the future. Some career paths span a lattice, so let’s make connections based on that core skill set, and that purpose starts to define where you go.”

She says another critical piece of the puzzle is taking time to understand the larger healthcare ecosystem for effective problem-solving—a key leadership skill.

“Our caregivers are so close to the work, they’re the ultimate problem solvers,” says Sandi. “They have ideas. Helping them grow those skills as well as encouraging them to have the courage to share their ideas with leaders is how we solve large problems together.”

Work where your growth is a priority

At Providence, leadership is about more than advancing your career—it’s about creating connections, using your voice and making healthcare better for everyone. If you’d like to work at an organization that will champion your growth as you focus on what you’re truly passionate about, view all roles today.