Dr. Sylvain Trepanier, SVP and System Chief Nursing Officer atProvidence, says if you want your team to trust you and feel supported enough to reach their potential, it takes a loving leadership approach. Syl discusses the deliberate behaviors he practices so he can show up authentic, honest, and fully present. Along the way, you’ll learn about his daily rituals to stay grateful and intentionally inspire those around him.
“When you show up as a loving leader, you help people be the best they can be.”
Truth You Can Act On
Love Is the Core to Trust
I remember having a discussion with a nurse who was struggling with substance abuse, and we suspected that something was happening, and I was really worried for her wellbeing. I was a novice leader at the time, but one thing I was good at, even as a novice leader, was listening and making people feel comfortable. So we talked, and she quickly realized that she could trust me and that I would be there for her. And she knew in her heart what had to be done and so we made the decision together. I never thought less of her because of her disease. I shared with her that I would always be there, and then I made sure that I was there when she needed to chat or just someone to listen. Because of my role, I could have just fired her and been done with it, but who knows what would’ve happened with her after that.
Be a Loving Leader First
One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt. It goes something like, “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, and a great one inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” When you show up as a loving leader, you help people be the best they can be. Everyone deserves to experience us at our best, and the best way I know how to make that happen is by demonstrating love and warmth in the workplace.
Routines Are Game Changers
I have this ritual very early in the morning as I wake up. The ritual is partially looking at what does my day look like right now? Who am I going to be meeting with? What’s the purpose of those conversations.? And I ask myself, ‘Just by looking at the folks that I’m going to be meeting with, is there a natural place where I can be very deliberate in inspiring others?” You know, there was a time where I would say, ‘Who am I going to influence today, and why am I going to do that?” And the older I get, the more I realize that that becomes a bit of a forced function. If I approach it that way, I’ll likely be perceived that way. So my change in mindset in saying, ‘Who will I inspire today?’ makes me show up very differently, and it starts there.
Model Gratitude for Others
What I do around gratitude wasn’t a daily practice for me earlier in my life, though I wish it had been because I find the more I do it, the better I am, and the better I’m experienced by others. Part of my night ritual is I find something that I’m grateful for that happened since I woke up that morning. And sometimes in the moment, I’ll call myself out, ‘I’m like, really? You can’t think of anything better than that? There has to be something else.’ And then I dig a little bit deeper.Book Recommendation:
