Sarah Crawford-Bohl

North, North Star, South, Support, East, Empathy, and West, Wonder.

I know when I'm true to my compass, I'm courageous, confident, the person I wanna be, and I think the daughter my parents would be proud of.

and with my husband and our two daughters, I get the chance to pay it forward.

So I hope you'll join me in leaning into tricky conversations, not only finding our voices, but understanding the imperative to use them.

Stand up against the wrong, champion the right, and be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

No matter how shaky or unsure, we can be a powerful instrument of change and advocacy, leaving all people involved stronger as a result.

Thank you.

Silence. It can be a needed moment of peace and contemplation. But what happens when silence becomes a barrier? A barrier that muffles the voice of truth, of advocacy, of change.

Speak up. Advocate for yourself. Stand up for what you believe in. That's what they say, right? Well, even though I know they're right, it's easier said than done. I'm sure we can all think of a time when we faced a crossroads. Perhaps the precipice of an uncomfortable conversation. When speaking up felt like the right, if not even essential path.

but silence seemed safer. I can vividly see and feel myself being in those moments, times when I stood red-faced, embarrassed or offended, frustrated or angry, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, unable to find my voice and unsure if I had the courage, confidence or will

to face the difficult conversation before me. Sound familiar? We're not alone. Research from VitalSmarts, a global leader in organizational performance and leadership, tells us people would rather quit their jobs than address a challenging situation. In this post-pandemic time, with baby boomers retiring and a wave of quiet resignation upon us,

The world seems to be working short-staffed. I'm a nurse and I've worked in healthcare leadership for a long time. And I'm here to tell you, in this profession, we can't risk losing anyone. Especially not for the reason of avoiding a challenging conversation.

In a world where we are experiencing increasingly rapid cycles of change, we can expect difficult conversations, particularly in the workplace, to happen more often than ever before. Moments such as sharing feedback, identifying mistakes, or calling out disrespect. They're not always easy, but often critical to the performance of both individuals and a team.

In healthcare where stakes are high, our willingness to raise concerns can be vital to the quality of care we provide, but also to the safety of patients and the care team. In fact, research also tells us that when we do speak up, we experience more job satisfaction, increased team morale, and in my world, support better patient outcomes. I've experienced this for myself.

I don't have all the answers and I don't always get it right. In fact, I make a mess of it sometimes. But often I've found it's a bit like cardio or weightlifting. Well, we feel a bit vulnerable at the time. With practice, we start to experience the benefits. It gets easier and we get better at it.

We need to find a path to help us get past that initial fight, flight or freeze response to get us to the table and make leaning into uncomfortable conversations the desired action for our own benefit as well as to benefit those around us. Now, I was fortunate. I had some amazing role modeling by parents who encouraged me to use my voice, specifically when I knew I should but didn't want to.

My mom, an intensive care nurse for many years, had a special ability to address tough topics. Traumas, embarrassing bodily functions, or sharing critical feedback. She always created airtime for normally avoided matters. With a fierce moral compass that was sometimes incredibly frustrating, she advocated for what was right.

Showing me the importance of standing up for oneself and others, even when uncomfortable to do so. My mom, she died a long time ago now, and I still miss her desperately. Something I think I miss the most, though, is her always knowing the right thing to do and the way she guided me with that moral compass. And despite having a couple of degrees under my belt,

Tutkimukset siitä moraalista rauhaa tuottavat minua enemmän kuin jokaisen minun normaalin oppimiseni. Hän näytti minulle, että osallistujat, ja tarkoitan kaikkia, sekä normaaleja että informaaleja, tekevät tärkeän roolin käsittelemään rauhallisia keskusteluja ja luomaan turvallinen paikka, jotta toiset tekevät saman.

It's probably her strong commitment in this area that inspired me to go into healthcare leadership, a path that often puts me in an area of high conflict and tricky conversations. But in doing so, exposes me to innovation, change making and meaningful work. It's an incredible career that I'm honored to be a part of, and I owe it to my mom and myself to do it well.