Stepping Up to Leadership During Sudden , Unexpected Change
By Jessica Turner
Shocked . Apprehensive . Motivated . Many thoughts
ran through my head that Tuesday , January 14 . It was the first Tuesday of the spring semester , when the Villanova University ’ s chapter of the Student Nurses ’ Association of Pennsylvania ( SNAP-Villanova ) was scheduled to hold our “ welcome back ” meeting and introduce the new 2020 board . I had been elected vice president of the chapter .
One of my best friends who had been dedicated to our chapter since freshman year had been elected president in December 2019 and was already working hard on plans . I was expecting to support my friend in my role as vice president throughout the calendar year as we carried out our terms . Unforeseen personal circumstances emerged , and my friend made the courageous decision to step down . Then , I got the call : Would I be willing to assume the role of chapter president ?
This was not anticipated . I had expected to spend the year in a supporting role as vice president assisting the president in fulfilling duties and maintaining the operation of the organization . I envisioned being involved in planning and development to assist the president as needed . I expected to conclude 2020 with many experiences as vice president ; becoming president was not an experience I had imagined . No vice president in our chapter had ever needed to step up to the position of president .
I was nervous about filling the big shoes of chapter presidents who came before me . They had grown the chapter immensely and were now thriving nurses in health systems across the country . Their hard work had built the chapter into one recognized at the national and state levels — Villanova ’ s chapter is an NSNA Stellar School Chapter and was awarded SNAP ’ s highest chapter award , Chapter Excellence ( Category 2 ) at the November 2019 state convention . Two members of the chapter were serving on the state SNAP board , and another was a member of NSNA ’ s Health Policy and Education Task Force .
With all the uncertainty of stepping into a role akin to the role of chief executive officer of a corporation , I was determined to now succeed in this role . I have been involved with the chapter since my first days as a freshman . Throughout my life , I have seen what leadership styles have worked and what have not . I had plenty of ideas about how I wanted to continue to grow the chapter . While it was a very quick transition , I wanted to make it meaningful . I started by sitting down with our chapter advisor , Dr . Carol Weingarten . We spoke about transition and leadership , and I realized that I wanted to be a transformational leader – one who promotes positive , productive members of the organization to become leaders themselves . Dr . Weingarten and I had conversations about the major goals to accomplish during the year as well as effective leadership styles through the engagement of members . She loaned me the book Closing the Engagement Gap : How Great Companies Unlock Employee Potential for Superior Results by Don Lowman and Julie Gebauer ( 2008 ).
Dr . Weingarten also gave me the opportunity to turn this leadership position into a credit-bearing independent study focusing on leadership development . Since it was the beginning of the semester , we had time to add the course through the University . I happened to have room in my schedule for a 3-credit independent study ; it was the perfect fit .
26 NSNA IMPRINT n SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020 n www . nsna . org