Reviewed by Daniel J. Pesut
During her 14-year tenure as chief executive officer of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, Nancy Dickenson-Hazard had many opportunities to study the nature of leadership. She lived it day in and day out, often demonstrating her insights in minute-by-minute, person-to-person conversations. Every now and then, she had to shift time and horizons and attend to leadership responsibilities that had long-term consequences.
Throughout her career, Nancy had the opportunity to witness and evaluate leadership strategies that worked well and those that did not work so well. She also made connections with thousands of people who shared leadership stories and adventures with her, and she kept most of them close to her heart, cataloging in her mind leadership ideas, theories and concepts.
As a board member, and later as president of the honor society (2003-05), I witnessed the care and vigilance that Nancy displayed during meetings and interactions with others. With pencil in hand and notepad ready, she would jot down notes and quotes. She captured ideas and issues while keeping track of the dynamics of meetings in which she participated. I often wondered what she did with all that information and what she was learning. I secretly wished she would organize the information in a helpful leadership guide and pass it on to aspiring leaders. I was most pleased to learn that she has, in fact, created a practical and useful book on leadership that aggregates lessons learned throughout her nursing career.
In Ready, Set, Go Lead, Nancy shares her wit, wisdom and knowledge about effective leadership. In this book, she challenges readers to ponder their own leadership journey, introducing each chapter with an essential leadership concept. Drawing upon personal experience, Nancy then brings these concepts alive through stories and vignettes that reveal how nursing leaders enact the leadership principles she highlights. At the end of each chapter, she has created a series of self-assessment exercises and questions to promote reader reflection and contemplation about being ready and set to lead.
For example, the first section, titled “Being Ready” (chapters 1-4), focuses on value-driven purposes supported by passion, trustworthiness and authenticity. The second section, titled “Being Set” (chapters 5-12), focuses on acquisition of leadership skills such as visioning, and motivating and inspiring others. In this section, Nancy writes about the importance of managing strategic change and communication through accountability and transparency.
Section 3, titled “Leading” (chapters 13-15) helps readers develop a personal style, influenced by creativity and innovation. Mindful that leadership is not a solo journey, Nancy discusses the importance of engaging and supporting others in communities of learning and leading. Finally, she describes the importance of celebrating accomplishments and recognizing good work.
Sigma Theta Tau International was created to advance knowledge, learning and service in strategic ways. The honor society’s commitment to these greater purposes is actualized through the scholarship of its members. With the publication of this book, Nancy Dickenson-Hazard shares her knowledge and learning about leadership in a way that challenges and empowers others to reflect on their own leadership journey, as they respond to the call to service in the context of their professional nursing careers.
Daniel J. Pesut, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, professor, Department of Environments for Health, and associate dean, Graduate Programs, Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, Indiana, is a past president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
