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Digging for buried knowledge
Vol. XIX No. 3
JOURNAL OF VASCULAR NURSING
PAGE 103
Secrets to Success Digging for buried knowledge Anne Aquila, APRN
Last October, the Connecticut Chapter of the Society for Vascular Nursing (CTSVN) held its first all-day conference. As the then-president of the chapter, I wanted to begin the day by sharing some of my thoughts and ideas with my nursing colleagues. I had recently begun to read a section of Investor’s Business Daily (IBD), a financial newspaper to which my husband subscribes. The section is entitled “Leaders & Success.” Because I have been dubbed the fiscally irresponsible one in the family with Paul being the more fiscally responsible one, the mere fact that I would pick up anything financial seemed quite ridiculous. Nonetheless, I became inspired by the pieces presented in the section and decided to share the “10 Secrets to Success” with those persons present at the conference. IBD has spent years analyzing leaders and successful persons in all walks of life, and when the following 10 traits1 are combined, dreams turn into reality.
8. Don’t be afraid to innovate; be different—following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity. 9. Deal and communicate with people effectively—no person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others. 10. Be honest and dependable; take responsibility—otherwise numbers 1-9 will not matter. Each day in the newspaper, a different “secret” is highlighted in the column. Because the day ahead for CTSVN members was to be filled with learning, I wanted to further speak of learning and acquiring knowledge and new skills. One day, “secret 6” was highlighted and the notion of digging for buried knowledge was discussed. Dan Holtshouse, director of corporate strategy and a knowledge management expert at Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn, shared his thoughts with IBD readers. I share them with you and also speak to how we can unearth buried knowledge in the nursing profession.
10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS
DIGGING FOR BURIED KNOWLEDGE
1. How you think is everything—always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment. 2. Decide upon your true dreams and goals—write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them. 3. Take action—goals are nothing without action. Do not be afraid to get started. Just do it. 4. Never stop learning—go back to school or read books, get training, and acquire new skills. 5. Be persistent and work hard—success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up. 6. Learn to analyze details—get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes. 7. Focus your time and money—don’t let other people or things distract you.
Anne Aquila, APRN, is an Advanced Practice Nurse and Vascular Program Coordinator, Hospital of St Raphael, New Haven, Connecticut. Address reprint requests to Anne Aquila, APRN, Vascular Program Coordinator, Hospital of St Raphael, 1450 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06511. J Vasc Nurs 2001;19:103-4. Copyright © 2001 by the Society for Vascular Nursing, Inc. 1062-0303/2001/$35.00 + 0 40/1/117787
Ask yourself how much you know; chances are it is more than you think. A person’s knowledge base is not always obvious to himself or others. Knowledge is like electricity; it is not always readily visible, but it drives a company or a career. Knowledge is not the same as information. Information can be placed in a file or stored on a disk. Knowledge is information that is put into action through human activity. A growing field, known as knowledge management, distinguishes between 2 basic types of knowledge—“tacit” knowledge and “explicit” knowledge. An example of tacit knowledge might be a salesperson’s instinct to close a deal or a nurse’s ability to know something is not quite right with his or her patient. Explicit knowledge is easier to share, such as knowledge of a language or a piece of medical equipment. The key is turning tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. Following are some hints on how to help yourself and those you work with unearth buried knowledge.
Mingle with others in your line of work One of the easiest ways to discover hidden knowledge is by mingling with others in your line of work. This mingling allows the sharing of experiences and the ability to get feedback. Those in leadership positions in nursing should encourage staff to become involved in forums where they can share knowledge and experiences. Very often the business of our professional and personal lives affords us little opportunity to speak with friends and colleagues about what is important to us, what we think, and what we believe in and value.
PAGE 104
JOURNAL OF VASCULAR NURSING
Encourage networking Use conferences as opportunities to meet people who share your common interests. Take a risk and talk with someone you do not know. You may forge a relationship that can be professionally and personally rewarding.
SEPTEMBER 2001
When you work with a beginner you are often asked to explain details that you did not know you could explain. Observe what others learn from you. If you are in a leadership position, encourage your charges to create mentoring relationships of their own so they can share their own wealth of expertise.
Be patient with the process Keep a journal of how you work Keep a journal of how you work and encourage others to do the same, a recipe for success if you will. Record how you solved a particular problem, such as how to tackle a vascular trauma that rolls through the door, or how to begin to effectively assess and manage neuropathic pain. Share your “recipes” with your colleagues to better meet the needs of patients and families.
Become a coach or mentor
REFERENCE
Coaching, mentoring, or precepting—as it is often called in nursing—can be a great way to bring out hidden knowledge.
O
Information is easy to obtain today, but gaining knowledge takes much more effort. Take time to think and process what you learn so it can benefit you in your professional life. In future columns, I plan to highlight other “Secrets to success” and apply them to the nursing profession. Please let us know what you think of this column by sending a letter to the Editorial Board. We welcome any of your thoughts and suggestions.
1. Alexander AR. Working toward the future. Investor’s Business Daily 2000. Leaders and Success.
N THE MOVE? Send us your new address at least 6 weeks ahead
Don’t miss a single issue of the journal! To ensure prompt service when you change your address, please photocopy and complete the form below. Please send your change of address notification at least 6 weeks before your move to ensure continued service. We regret we cannot guarantee replacement of issues missed due to late notification. JOURNAL TITLE: Fill in the title of the journal here.
OLD ADDRESS: Affix the address label from a recent issue of the journal here.
NEW ADDRESS:
Clearly print your new address here. Name Address City/State/ZIP
COPY AND MAIL THIS FORM TO: Mosby Subscription Customer Service 6277 Sea Harbor Dr Orlando, FL 32887
OR FAX TO: 407-363-9661
OR PHONE: 800-654-2452 Outside the US, call 407-345-4000
JOURNAL OF VASCULAR NURSING
PAGE 103
Secrets to Success Digging for buried knowledge Anne Aquila, APRN
Last October, the Connecticut Chapter of the Society for Vascular Nursing (CTSVN) held its first all-day conference. As the then-president of the chapter, I wanted to begin the day by sharing some of my thoughts and ideas with my nursing colleagues. I had recently begun to read a section of Investor’s Business Daily (IBD), a financial newspaper to which my husband subscribes. The section is entitled “Leaders & Success.” Because I have been dubbed the fiscally irresponsible one in the family with Paul being the more fiscally responsible one, the mere fact that I would pick up anything financial seemed quite ridiculous. Nonetheless, I became inspired by the pieces presented in the section and decided to share the “10 Secrets to Success” with those persons present at the conference. IBD has spent years analyzing leaders and successful persons in all walks of life, and when the following 10 traits1 are combined, dreams turn into reality.
8. Don’t be afraid to innovate; be different—following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity. 9. Deal and communicate with people effectively—no person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others. 10. Be honest and dependable; take responsibility—otherwise numbers 1-9 will not matter. Each day in the newspaper, a different “secret” is highlighted in the column. Because the day ahead for CTSVN members was to be filled with learning, I wanted to further speak of learning and acquiring knowledge and new skills. One day, “secret 6” was highlighted and the notion of digging for buried knowledge was discussed. Dan Holtshouse, director of corporate strategy and a knowledge management expert at Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn, shared his thoughts with IBD readers. I share them with you and also speak to how we can unearth buried knowledge in the nursing profession.
10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS
DIGGING FOR BURIED KNOWLEDGE
1. How you think is everything—always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment. 2. Decide upon your true dreams and goals—write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them. 3. Take action—goals are nothing without action. Do not be afraid to get started. Just do it. 4. Never stop learning—go back to school or read books, get training, and acquire new skills. 5. Be persistent and work hard—success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up. 6. Learn to analyze details—get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes. 7. Focus your time and money—don’t let other people or things distract you.
Anne Aquila, APRN, is an Advanced Practice Nurse and Vascular Program Coordinator, Hospital of St Raphael, New Haven, Connecticut. Address reprint requests to Anne Aquila, APRN, Vascular Program Coordinator, Hospital of St Raphael, 1450 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06511. J Vasc Nurs 2001;19:103-4. Copyright © 2001 by the Society for Vascular Nursing, Inc. 1062-0303/2001/$35.00 + 0 40/1/117787
Ask yourself how much you know; chances are it is more than you think. A person’s knowledge base is not always obvious to himself or others. Knowledge is like electricity; it is not always readily visible, but it drives a company or a career. Knowledge is not the same as information. Information can be placed in a file or stored on a disk. Knowledge is information that is put into action through human activity. A growing field, known as knowledge management, distinguishes between 2 basic types of knowledge—“tacit” knowledge and “explicit” knowledge. An example of tacit knowledge might be a salesperson’s instinct to close a deal or a nurse’s ability to know something is not quite right with his or her patient. Explicit knowledge is easier to share, such as knowledge of a language or a piece of medical equipment. The key is turning tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. Following are some hints on how to help yourself and those you work with unearth buried knowledge.
Mingle with others in your line of work One of the easiest ways to discover hidden knowledge is by mingling with others in your line of work. This mingling allows the sharing of experiences and the ability to get feedback. Those in leadership positions in nursing should encourage staff to become involved in forums where they can share knowledge and experiences. Very often the business of our professional and personal lives affords us little opportunity to speak with friends and colleagues about what is important to us, what we think, and what we believe in and value.
PAGE 104
JOURNAL OF VASCULAR NURSING
Encourage networking Use conferences as opportunities to meet people who share your common interests. Take a risk and talk with someone you do not know. You may forge a relationship that can be professionally and personally rewarding.
SEPTEMBER 2001
When you work with a beginner you are often asked to explain details that you did not know you could explain. Observe what others learn from you. If you are in a leadership position, encourage your charges to create mentoring relationships of their own so they can share their own wealth of expertise.
Be patient with the process Keep a journal of how you work Keep a journal of how you work and encourage others to do the same, a recipe for success if you will. Record how you solved a particular problem, such as how to tackle a vascular trauma that rolls through the door, or how to begin to effectively assess and manage neuropathic pain. Share your “recipes” with your colleagues to better meet the needs of patients and families.
Become a coach or mentor
REFERENCE
Coaching, mentoring, or precepting—as it is often called in nursing—can be a great way to bring out hidden knowledge.
O
Information is easy to obtain today, but gaining knowledge takes much more effort. Take time to think and process what you learn so it can benefit you in your professional life. In future columns, I plan to highlight other “Secrets to success” and apply them to the nursing profession. Please let us know what you think of this column by sending a letter to the Editorial Board. We welcome any of your thoughts and suggestions.
1. Alexander AR. Working toward the future. Investor’s Business Daily 2000. Leaders and Success.
N THE MOVE? Send us your new address at least 6 weeks ahead
Don’t miss a single issue of the journal! To ensure prompt service when you change your address, please photocopy and complete the form below. Please send your change of address notification at least 6 weeks before your move to ensure continued service. We regret we cannot guarantee replacement of issues missed due to late notification. JOURNAL TITLE: Fill in the title of the journal here.
OLD ADDRESS: Affix the address label from a recent issue of the journal here.
NEW ADDRESS:
Clearly print your new address here. Name Address City/State/ZIP
COPY AND MAIL THIS FORM TO: Mosby Subscription Customer Service 6277 Sea Harbor Dr Orlando, FL 32887
OR FAX TO: 407-363-9661
OR PHONE: 800-654-2452 Outside the US, call 407-345-4000