Five Quintessential Tools Serious Nurse Innovators Needs To Have In Their Rucksack: The Whole Armour of The Nurse Innovator

What You Need To Survive The Long Arduous Climb

I love writing about innovation. The concept of innovation is among the core messages of Care City.

I fell in love with the spirit of innovation when I decided to start Care City, a few months back (more than two years now). And my love for the spirit of innovation has kept me going. 

I am in love with the process. How an idea is conceived in our hearts, and how we start to give our all, to make sure that idea survives. 

It’s just so amazing…

Starting with close to no knowledge about how things were done in the world of online publishing (online writing, blogging, etc), all I had was raw passion (but passion is not enough, I learned this personally before I ever read about it).

I had already envisaged how the future would like, the challenges I was going to face, and how I was going to surmount them. And like a prophecy, I encountered each challenge as I had imagined them, and happily, I gradually overcame, and I am still overcoming.

Care City is still growing, what we are doing now is more of networking & growing roots. Soon, we will start building tall, and by then, we would have built deep, strong, tall & deep enough to withstand any kind of storm that comes our way & strong enough to bear the weight of our dreams. 

In this article, I write briefly on five important tools serious Nurse Innovators must have in their toolbox, something more like the whole armor of the nurse innovator:

• Google of Research
• The cable of Network & Community
• Boots of Perseverance & Commitment
• Helmet of Creativity & Innovation
• The Sword of Learning & Preparation

Google of Research: Diligent search for good knowledge, fact & truth. If you want to make progress in the world of innovation, you must be ready to wear the emblem of a researcher. One who is always on the move, looking for something new.

Now, I am not saying that you should write & publish works of research (not a bad idea though, if you can), what I am simply saying is that you must be ready to know what goes on in your field of interest by always looking out the window for fresh research works that address pertinent issues in the field that you want to showcase your innovative abilities. 

“Research is careful and organized study or gathering of information about a specific topic.”

Go the extra mile if you want to make things happen. Things are changing. What stands you out as a Nurse Innovator is how smart & quickly you flow with the tide.

The other day at work, I was talking with my Chief Nursing Officer, who has a high degree in Nursing, maybe a DNP or Ph.D., and she made a comment concerning a therapy started for a patient, she was saying that that therapy was obsolete (I did a little search, and found out that she was accurate). 

There are so many things that we are doing for our patients today that are squeakily old stuff. It’s only if you love research that you will be able to find out things like these. Kudos to my CNO!

Do you want to enjoy the world of innovation in general? If that’s a yes, then fall in love with research. Look for journals that address issues of interest. If you have time you can partake in researches that are related to your field(s) of interest. 

If you are a Nurse who is looking for ways of getting better with research, I happen to be the Editor of The Institute of Nursing Research, Nigeria.

Follow this link and become part of a community of Nurses passionate about Research (thank me later and buy me a cup of coffee).

You need to fall in love with research. A genuine interest in Research will decorate your brand with rare gems because the decisions that you will make will be stronger ones, decisions made on the solid foundation of research. 

Brands that survive are those that pay close attention to researches in their various fields. 

• The Cable of Network & Community: Mentors, friends, colleagues who believe in what you are doing. 

My friends, you can’t do it all alone. Nobody ever did it alone. The person who wanted to do it alone died before he even started. 

No matter how brilliant or educated you feel you are, alone will take you nowhere, read that again. And again.

Elon Musk will not build Tesla’s and design Rockets all alone in his backyard. 

Even if he had the physical strength to do that, he will not live long to accomplish it…

In the innovative world, standing alone will kill you faster than smoking two trailer loads of cigarettes a day.

You need people, people who have gone before you, who have walked the roads that you desire to walk. You need people, people who are on your level, walking the path that you are currently walking, they will give your innovative journey some warmth.

You need people, people who are coming behind you, they will look unto you for inspiration, and you dare do nothing less than making them proud. You also need the bad guys, who want to bring you down, they make you tougher.

I began to understand the power of community lately. As I read about world-class organizations that started in basements or at the back of someone’s house, or in a dormitory. Someone had an idea, but it did not go anywhere without the strength of others who believed in it (one other fellow or two). 

I have a wonderful team. We are not many, but we love what we do. And my greatest gift is them. 

As an innovator, your greatest gifts are those around you, your community, your network. Those who will stand by you when you feel like giving up.

Those who will encourage you when the going gets severely tough. Because it gets tough at some points. 

You have got to make sure that you are always in the midst of people who feed your ideas. People who strengthen you with their victories. You are busy learning from them. 

Don’t become proud to death. If you observe that you need mentorship in a particular area of your life or career or idea development, look for it. There is someone out there who has what you need. 

Your network will expose you to potential clients. It will do for you what a thousand courses will not do. You can decide to become an entrepreneurial hermit, but don’t expect that you will make any solid impact. 

No one is saying become a friend to all. No, you can’t be everybody’s guy. All you need is a small community of people who are operating at the same frequency of passion, learning & determination. 

In community & network, our aim is to create relationships that last. It’s not a selfish bargain. We don’t just want to associate because we desperately want to grow. 

We want to associate because we love what we are and what we stand for as a brand or community. 

In the end, we pursue impact, to change the perspective, if we must; to make others start realizing who they are; to add value to those around us and those who get the opportunity to interact with us or our products or services. 

You should have the big picture in front of you. Why do you need that relationship? 

• Boots of Perseverance & Commitment: It’s a long arduous journey, you probably will start off alone, in your closet, and you will encounter different degrees of failures, rejection & downward spirals…

Don’t give up, keep moving, it’s a marathon and not a sprint, it never comes to an end, we just keep running, more like the race to heaven…(winks)…

We keep getting better, discovering new ways of doing things, changing techniques & methods…So, you need those boots tightened, all the way up to your calves.

There are times you will be running through mud or climbing mountains, and there are also times that you will be running down steep hills, racing for the valleys, it’s all part of the journey.

You will spend nights, and nights and nights all alone in your small tent, outside in the cold, with barely anything to eat. The frost will bite and the heat will hit. 

You have just got to keep on moving. You are fighting for your innovative ideas! You must bring them to life.

You will find yourself spending money from your 5-9 (for us Nurses, and some healthcare professionals it’s more than that) on fueling and feeding your ideas.

You must nurture it, it’s your burden, you have no choice. If you don’t fight for it, it dies, and its blood remains on your hands. And I know you don’t want to be a killer of good things.

Your victory is just after the next climb, go, go, go, go…

• Helmet of Creativity & Innovation: The spine of innovation – creativity. You have got to be creative, there’s no doubt about that.

You may not be able to force creativity, but you can learn it. And as you begin to learn it, you are creating an environment that suits creativity, because your heart will be more receptive to the signals that your environment gives you. 

In the world of innovation, creativity is a must-have for every innovator… And in the world of Nursing, where creativity looks like a scarce commodity, you have got to search for it, it’s there, hiding, waiting to be found, it’s your duty to patiently look for it.

Creativity is the fuel of innovation.

Without it, innovation dies a natural painless death… And most times, as innovators, we are not privileged to always bask in the euphoria of being creative, there are dry times, very dry moments, where you feel like your mind is a desert, filled with sand & cactus (cactus’ are also beautiful if you look closer).

Innovation is applying creative ideas. We are innovating when our creative ideas are injected into systems. 

If you want to enjoy your innovative journey, then you must be ready to learn how to be creative. 

It’s not a talent or a gift, we learn it. 

Ask me how? 

Well, one tip. You must make it easy for creativity to find you. Be ready at all times, Be receptive to the things that go on around you.

Some signals are naturally produced around you. It’s those who are alert that can pick them up and turn them into ideas. 

Another tip…

Exercise your brain. If you want to survive in the creative universe, then you must be ready to exercise your brain at all times. Your brain is the most important tool when it comes to the business of creativity. 

A lot of young founders & entrepreneurs are not ready to pay the needed price. They are lazy and think some of the victories in the world of leadership comes from luck and chance. 

No, you have to put in the needed work. 

Related Post: Fighting to keep your innovative ideas alive

• The Sword of Learning & Preparation

This is your offensive tool or weapon (you are actually fighting a battle, the battle to keep your ideas alive). 

You need to keep improving at all times. There’s no time to sit on the fence. You have got to keep moving. 

There are people out there who will do anything to steal your ideas (if they can). So one thing that you can do to keep your ideas safe is to make sure that you are worthy of bringing them to life, and what other way of proving your worthiness other than making sure that you are prepared at all times? 

If you are thinking or planning on starting something, you are automatically signing up for a life of learning. 

When you see brands that do not grow, it is not because they have a witch or wizard somewhere hunting them (Uhhm). It’s mainly because they have refused to learn, they have refused to grow. 

Learning prepares you to enter the next stage of your brand growth. Without being actively involved in learning, you will find it difficult to see significant improvements in what you are doing. 

Many are so scared of growing. They prefer to remain where there are; the so-called comfort zone (comfort zones are no more comfortable, they are death traps for good things). 

They do not want to take the “good risk” of learning something new that will contribute to the expansion or refining of their ideas. 

Do not be like them. You know where you are going. And you have a vision of the destination in your heart. 

The great brands that we see today started the race with others. But today, we don’t hear much of those they started with (we only hear of them in the stories we tell about the successful brands’ journey). 

They are so many brands today that will not make it into the next five years, and part of the reason why they will fail is that they will not embrace the concept of learning & preparation. 

If all you have are Diplomas in Nursing, why not start making moves to either opt-in for a bachelor’s in Nursing (if you want to continue on that path), or start looking for another degree (though degrees are not the ultimate requirement for entrepreneurial success, culture has influenced everything).

Degrees might not be everything at this age, but you definitely need them. You will be exposed to the world, a community where you will learn a lot. 

We have a lot of online learning opportunities today. Grab them and make great use of these resources. 

The world rests on the shoulders of those who are willing to learn. These ones will not be left behind. As new concepts are coming into the market, and ousting old ones, they quickly key into mastering the new, so that they will not become obsolete like the old methods. 

In Conclusion

Written with Nurses & Healthcare professionals at heart. Others, who have an interest in the world of Innovation & Leadership can find one or two things in this article to help them in their journey. 

What have you learned? Have you started your innovative journey? Are you about to start? 

Are you stuck? Confused? Tired? 

Hey, buddy, if you are stuck, confused, or tired, that’s natural and normal. 

What you need to do is to reach out…

Someone out there has the solution to your problem. 

To The Nurse Innovator…

The field of Nursing Science has for long suffered from stereotypes that have stifled the innovative abilities of those who have lovingly embraced this noble profession.

But it’s all changing. The modern world has started understanding the need for us to expose Nurses to the tools that they need to become innovators.

And over the years, we have seen with our eyes the importance of allowing Nurses to have their way in the adventurous world of healthcare innovation.

If you are a Nurse who wants to start something, and you need help, you can send us a message, we will be glad to help you where we can. We can connect you with courses and mentors. We can recommend and assist. We just want to contribute to the execution of that wonderful idea that is in the inside of you.

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Did this article teach you something new? It sure did. You should be kind and share it with those in your network, let them enjoy what you have enjoyed. 

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In the next post, we will talk about something really exciting, do stay tuned.