Rose O. Sherman

It's the first step in learning to manage others.

For many leaders, giving positive feedback comes easily, but giving negative feedback can be more challenging. This article provides best-practice strategies for giving effective feedback—through building trust, promoting a growth mindset, and developing the courage to tackle difficult performance conversations.

The Highly Sensitive Person was a term first established by Dr. Elaine Aron in the 1990's that distinguished the experience of individuals with Sensory Processing Sensitivity, a neurological but neutral, psychological trait. The current population of Highly Sensitive People (HSP) makes up 15 to 20 percent of the population and interacts within 36 percent of romantic relationships. In this body of theoretical research, I outline the ways in which Highly Sensitive qualities affect committed, romantic, monogamous relationships by firstly determining the borders of what defines an HSP, then what makes a "successful" romantic relationship and the constraints of such a definition, and finally implementing the HSP qualities into these terms. I have found that "success" within a romantic relationship is supported by an emphasis on communication, healthy boundaries, a 5:1 ratio of positivity to negativity, and a rich and shared intimacy between partners. HSPs fare well within such relationships, as they are defined by their emotional awareness and depth, their empathy towards others and their partner, and their ability to communicate their needs. The "success" of a relationship involving an HSP is largely dependent on the ability of the HSP to recognize their own threshold for overarousal or overstimulation and to communicate these needs to their partner. The ultimate "success" of a romantic relationship comes from mutual understanding and compassion, the likes of which are supported by the inherent qualities of the Highly Sensitive Person.

The 2016 International Nursing Administration Research Conference, Leading in a Healthcare Vortex, was held in Orlando, Florida. The program drew 116 attendees with representation from Canada and Brazil. Participants from practice, education, and research discussed leadership in our turbulent healthcare climate, which are highlighted in this column. The conference was dedicated to the memory of Dr Heather S. Laschinger in recognition of her distinguished research legacy of empowering nursing work environments and mentorship of prominent nursing administration researchers.

By 2020, more than 25% of the population in Florida will be more than the age of 65 years, and the population more than the age of 85 years is expected to increase by 40%. Among people more than 65 years today, 69% are expected to need some form of long-term care as they age. It is anticipated that Florida’s 680 licensed nursing homes will have challenges keeping pace with the needs. This article presents findings from an exploratory descriptive study designed to examine the leadership challenges and opportunities in nursing home settings today from the perspective of long-term care nurse leaders in the State of Florida. The target population for the study was directors of nursing in the 680 state licensed nursing homes in Florida. The final sample included 183 completed surveys from directors of nursing in 27% of the nursing homes that were surveyed. An exploratory descriptive survey design was used in this research. An online survey with 40 closed-ended questions and 2 open-ended questions was designed by the authors with input from an expert panel of long-term care nurse leaders who served in an advisory capacity. While less than 50% of the directors of nursing in this study were prepared at the baccalaureate level or higher, these leaders have complex roles and shoulder significant responsibilities. They have seen their roles expand into the management of more medically complex patients as their organizations try to adapt to a changing health-care reimbursement environment. Succession planning is a key concern for these aging leaders but only 40% of facilities had succession plans in place. The highest ranked leadership challenges involved issues with recruiting and retaining staff with the right skill sets. A poor image of long-term care nursing has contributed to recruitment and retention challenges.