Linkner: Jazz has lessons for nurse leaders

Embracing the principles of jazz — improvisation, adaptability and creativity — can help nurses become better leaders, said jazz musician and entrepreneur Josh Linkner this week at AONL 2024. Nurse managers who are actively listen, recover quickly from setbacks, collaborate in real-time and tolerate uncertainty are embracing the same principles that help jazz musicians improvise and adjust, Linkner said. He also emphasized the importance of embracing failure as a necessary part of the innovation process. He drew parallels to jazz musicians, who must be willing to play "sour notes" in order to ultimately create great music. He encouraged nurse leaders to adopt a similar mindset, understanding that setbacks and failures are inevitable when pursuing innovation. However, the learning and growth that come after are invaluable, he said.