In this module we introduce the three leadership essentials that underlie our Nursing Informatics Leadership specialization. We’ll build on these concepts that will enable you to gain perspective on your own leadership skills and how best to use them in various nursing informatics scenarios.

In this module the third Leadership Essential, managing competing values is introduced. We will begin our exploration of the Competing Values Framework that will help us share a common language and understanding about these leadership concepts throughout the specialization.

In this module, we introduce the Minnesota Nursing Informatics Leadership Inventory (MNILI). To help nursing informatics leaders understand and develop the variety of leadership skills needed for leadership success, Dr. Pesut and I collaborated on the creation of the MNILI based on the competing values framework. The MNILI examines preferred leadership cultures and behaviors of nursing informatics leaders relative to four different nursing informatics scenarios. You will learn about the (MNLI) and then complete the tool in order to gain self-knowledge of your nursing informatics leadership skills and how you would tailor them in the four scenarios. Results from your inventory are likely to influence your thinking about the requisite variety you need to develop to be more successful in your nursing informatics leadership roles.

Now it’s time to envision nursing informatics leadership in action, starting with identifying opportunities to serve and grow as an informatics leader. We will focus on professional organizations as our starting point. I belong to and serve in nursing informatics leadership roles in many nursing and interprofessional organizations; and I concur with the wisdom of nursing informatics leaders that becoming involved is a great way to grow your leadership skills.