{"id":7248,"date":"2019-09-04T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=7248"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:21:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T22:21:39","slug":"how-to-grow-leadership-skills-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/how-to-grow-leadership-skills-on-the-job\/","title":{"rendered":"How to grow leadership skills on the job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking for a leadership role? OSF HealthCare has openings.<\/p>\n

\u201cConstant openings,\u201d said Paige Klinck, an executive recruiter for OSF HealthCare.<\/p>\n

Some of those openings are for new positions, as OSF continues to expand<\/a>. Many others arise due to promotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a director becoming a vice president, so that opens up a director position. I have managers becoming directors, so that opens up manager positions,\u201d Paige said. \u201cIt\u2019s constant openings.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how do you build the resume that will get you an interview for one of those open leadership positions? Where do you gain the experience required in the job posting so your application gets past the first review?<\/p>\n

If you have no leadership background but aspire to become a leader \u2013 a hospital president, a manager of pharmacy operations, a superintendent of nursing patient care or any of the dozen other leadership positions<\/a> posted on osfhealthcare.org in August \u2013 how do you get there?<\/p>\n

Glad you asked.<\/p>\n

How to climb the ladder<\/h2>\n
\"Jen

Jen Hopwood
RN, DNP, NE-BC<\/p><\/div>\n

Jen Hopwood, RN, DNP, NE-BC, started her career 21 years ago as a bedside nurse in the intermediate medical-surgical unit at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center<\/a> in Peoria, Illinois. Today, she is the chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services.<\/p>\n

An executive office with a big window overlooking Glen Oak Avenue at OSF Saint Francis was not her plan. If anyone had suggested such a thing, \u201cI would have said, \u2018Absolutely not, that has no appeal to me,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

All Jen wanted was to care for patients to the best of her ability. But sometimes, she was frustrated by impediments. That\u2019s when her natural leadership instincts kicked in.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy siblings would tell you I was always the one in charge when my parents were gone,\u201d Jen said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t put in me in charge, I just kind of assumed the role. When something needs to be done and there\u2019s an absence of someone taking control, I\u2019m going to say, \u2018Let\u2019s get it done, and here\u2019s how we\u2019ll do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Around the hospital, Jen stepped into a lot of roles that had leadership responsibilities, but no official titles. She became a CPR instructor<\/a> and volunteered for committees. She joined the shared-governance council. If there was a problem that a frontline nurse\u2019s input might help solve, Jen jumped in to help solve it.<\/p>\n

Her supervisors recognized her passion, and Jen landed a role as a charge nurse. Over time, she was promoted to assistant manager in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU), then manager, then to the OSF HealthCare corporate office as operations director for tele-ICU (also known as eICU or electronic ICU), executive director of OSF TeleHealth Services<\/a> and finally her current position.<\/p>\n

At every step, though, Jen said she has been driven by one primary goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to make this a great place for patients to receive care, and being an employee of this organization, I want to make this a great place for people to work,\u201d Jen said. \u201cI don\u2019t want one without the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

What makes a good leader<\/h2>\n

\"\"Leadership roles require the ability to manage a budget and analyze data. Leaders need to handle performance evaluations and maintain staff discipline. To a large extent, those skills can be taught in classrooms.<\/p>\n

But ask Paige what OSF is looking for as she recruits leadership candidates, and this is what she says:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want someone who is a good communicator, who\u2019s strong at relationship-building and who has the ability to empower the people under them. A good leader is always willing to step down and do the work with you; not someone who says, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s not my job description.\u2019 Being a good leader means going outside your normal job description and helping your team.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sort of servant leadership isn\u2019t simply a concept at OSF HealthCare. It\u2019s a way of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why you wouldn\u2019t want to be a servant leader,\u201d Jen said. \u201cIn this organization, it\u2019s very transparent if you\u2019re not a servant leader. Not being a servant leader almost gives the impression you have an agenda of your own.\u201d<\/p>\n

A selfish agenda won\u2019t fly far at OSF, where the Sisters\u2019 Mission<\/a> is paramount: \u201cto serve persons with the greatest care and love.\u201d Patients are first, of course, but the Mission extends to everyone.<\/p>\n

Leadership preparation advice<\/h2>\n

Jen and Paige echo each other with the advice they offer any OSF Mission Partner who aspires to become a leader in the organization \u2013 whether that role is in a medical group, the unit of a smaller hospital or the corporate administration offices.<\/p>\n

Their bullet points:<\/p>\n