Nursing Leadership Circles©
Why Nursing Leadership
At ALIVE in Healthcare, we acknowledge the importance of working from the top down so that nurses and frontline staff feel supported by their leaders. We need to do more for our nurses and realize they are often the first impression of an organization.
For years they have been overworked and given very little leadership skill sets to handle some of the most crucial work in your organization. At ALIVE in Healthcare, we work from the inside out to get lasting results that participants and their organizations can be proud of. It is much more powerful, effective and sustainable when nurses lead from their core being as opposed to a leadership model that does not belong to them. To achieve lasting results, the leader must surface from within.
This program is for hospital and healthcare organizations seeking:
- Healthcare-specific leadership programs for their nursing and frontline staff
- New and powerful ways to help change the culture of leadership in their organization
- Ways to effectively augment existing nursing and front-line leadership programs
- A tried and tested format that generates high-performance nursing and frontline leaders for excellence
- To instill leadership in every role in the organization
The Program
The Nursing Leadership Circles© program is designed specifically for nurses and front-line staff to create an opportunity to demonstrate their best selves in shared leadership with others. This innovative program works from the inside out – achieving lasting results participants and organizations benefit from time and again.
Overall Goal
To inspire the natural leader so nurses and frontline staff feel more confident, focused and productive as role models of your organization. This leads to positive culture change and excellence in your community, resulting in a reduction of overall costs (such as a reduction in sick days, sick leave and conflicts).
Objectives
- To create conditions, support and learning towards personal growth as a leader
- To develop tools on how to manage self
- To bring awareness and understanding of different strengths and how to work with them
- To understand personal impact on others and how to change the behaviour to achieve the desired results
- To create awareness of choice
- To prepare the next generation of high-performance nursing leaders for excellence
Approach
- Creating a fun and safe environment
- Experiential learning
- Interactive learning
- “No telling” model, encouraging participants to learn from their experiences versus someone telling them what they have to do
- Providing new tools and possibilities versus fixing the symptoms
- Sustained personal & professional development
Core Components
The program is based on ALIVE in Healthcare’s three core components – Leading Self, Engaging Others and Systems Thinking.

Leading Self – means leadership that is self-motivated. These leaders are aware of their values, passions, purpose, strengths, and beliefs as well as limitations they place on themselves. Leading self means putting their best-self forward 24/7. When they do this, they lead from humanity. Self-motivated leaders take responsibility and ownership. They actively seek opportunities for growth. They become role models of honesty, integrity, resilience, and confidence.

Engaging Others – means leading by engaging others. These leaders role model and foster the development of others through support and healthy challenges. They welcome the contribution of others and provide opportunities to demonstrate courageous conversations through listening and powerful language. Engaging leaders identify toxic behaviours that directly impact relationships or team engagement and do something about it. They foster effective communication, collaboration and cooperation to achieve collective results.

Systems Thinking – means leadership in the bigger system or organization. It takes leadership to the next level of responsibility that incorporates who they are in the collective and in service of the system or organization, as a whole. Systems thinking leaders take ownership of their role in the system. The voice of the system encourages collaboration at three levels – self, others, and the organization. It is about seeing the impact we have as individuals on our world.
“All leadership begins with “self-leadership.” Before any leader can aspire to lead a thriving enterprise, they must first master leading an organization of one.” ~ Glenn Gutek
Program Format
To ensure feasibility and success, ALIVE in Healthcare engages with your hospital to understand the needs and careful alignment with the mission and strategic direction. We believe the best relationships come from co-creation and a strong partnership.
The Nursing Leadership Circles© is a 12-month group program. Any number of participants can join the program and depending on the number of participants, circle groups are created.
- Circle groups consist of between eight and 12 participants.
- Circle groups meet once a month led by an ALIVE coach facilitator.
- Each circle group will run for four (4) hours each time.
- Participants will receive program materials.
This program also includes one-on-one coaching for participants to work on the concepts, learning, and development that comes out of the circle experience.
- Participants will be assigned an ALIVE in Healthcare coach to work with throughout the program.
- One-on-one coaching will occur once a month.
- These coaching sessions are one hour in duration.
ALIVE in Healthcare employs strategic planning expertise to understand your organization and create the best program possible. The core program, as explained above, has proven effective in creating shared leadership and a shift towards a positive culture in the workplace. We are ready to discuss how this program can work for your organization.
Impact
The Nursing Leadership Circles© program has helped organizations change their entire culture. There is a common language, mindset and role modeling that permeates the organization. Staff is happier and more alive in the workplace and in their personal lives. They will use the tools at work and home which means they ‘show up’ at work as their true selves – as proud leaders of their life. It’s a win/win.
Benefits
The benefits experienced through the Nursing Leadership Circles© program are as unique as the individuals themselves, impacting not only careers but lives. Some of the most noted outcomes from our program include:
- Engaged and thriving nurses
- Reduced mental health issues
- Leaders of self and engaging others
- Awareness of other world views
- A culture of respect, responsibility and pride
- New and improved standard of excellence in integrated Patient-Centred Care
- A mentality of Relationship-Centred Care ©
Nurses and front-line staff feel they are able to:
- Articulate a vision for the desired work culture
- Use new skills for constructive, collegial interactions and how to proactively deal with conflict
- Take on personal responsibility and exercise self-direction
- Feel an increase in self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence
- Increase productivity through being more efficient and effective
- Improve communication skills
- Handle challenge more effectively
- Feel trusted and trust others
- Experience higher morale
- Increase respect and teamwork
- Be more focused, take action and experience positive results
“Participating in Nursing circles have deeply impacted my nursing career in several ways! Before Circles, I was frustrated and often overwhelmed with managing the demands of the job. Many times I would leave work feeling defeated, wondering if I made a difference, and even thought of leaving a profession that I was so excited and passionate about. After Circles, hope was renewed, and my passion for nursing reignited! I now view challenges differently, and leave work now knowing that I did my best! I’ve also learned to be good to myself which have brought more balance to my life. Thank you Liliane!!!” Paula Chamberlain

Return on Investment
Decreased cost to the organization due to:
- Employee engagement and reduced conflict
- Reduced sick days/sick leave
- Reduced complaints
- Clear tools of how to deal with toxic behaviours (with self and others)
- Ownership of relationship dynamics
Increased focus on Relationship-Centred Care© due to:
- Moving from self-centred thinking to the impact on others
- Involving others in decision making
- Asking for what we need; offering what we can
- Aligning with other’s values in alignment with organizational mission and values
Improved Patient-Centred Care due to:
- Increased employee engagement
- A focus on Relationship-Centred Care©
- Understanding the value of patient engagement
- A better balance of care between patient, self and team
- Co-creating a care plan with patients
- Learning that taking the time helps to save time