I have had the honor of working alongside leaders who understood something not everyone in positions of power gets: that creativity is not a distraction from good work. It is the thing that has the potential to make the work better. These are their stories.
The Interview That Changed Everything
One of the most memorable examples of transformational leadership I have ever experienced happened before I even had the job.
Instead of asking standard interview questions, she presented a scenario and asked me to respond in real time.
“A patient has just woken up from anesthesia after breast augmentation surgery and begins yelling while touching her chest, shouting they are too small.”
Then she looked at me and said simply, “What do you do? Go.”
It was role play. Something I had never experienced as a hiring tool in nursing. In that moment, she was not just filling a position. She was looking for someone who could think on their feet, respond with empathy, and navigate a difficult human moment with compassion. I remember feeling the weight of it, the pressure of being truly seen in real time.
That is transformational leadership. She did not just assess me. She modeled for me what it looks like to use creativity as a tool for developing people. Thanks to her, I still use role play today as part of my nursing practice.
The Leader Who Made the Work Visible
Another leader I worked with saw something in me that I was still learning to see in myself. She recognized my passion for patient advocacy and my curiosity about improving systems, and instead of simply redirecting my energy, she gave me space to follow it.
I became a unit based quality nurse, coaching staff on proper documentation and helping them understand how their assessments should be reflected in the chart. When our patient experience scores needed improvement, I developed a comfort cart to better support patients and families.
A transactional leader might have acknowledged the idea and moved on. She elevated it. She created a poster for the nursing council that showcased the project as a PDSA initiative. She made the work visible. She made me feel valued.
That is what transformational leaders do. They do not just manage output. They invest in the person behind the idea.
The Leader Who Built Around My Mind
A third leader offered me something equally powerful: he saw the way my mind works and chose to build around it rather than correct it.
He noticed the difference between his linear thinking and my more abstract, imaginative approach to problem solving. Rather than pushing me toward conformity, he leaned in. He shared my belief that proactive learning is key to inspiring change, and he gave me space to create presentations that took a different approach to preparation, ones that incorporated humor, empathy, and relatability through imagery and storytelling.
The goal was always the same: connect with staff and leaders in a way that made the work feel alive. He understood that engagement is not a soft skill. It is a leadership strategy.
Each of these leaders had something in common. They understood that when you give people permission to bring their full selves to the work, the work gets better. That is the heart of transformational leadership.
The Other Kind of Leader
Life brings us all kinds of teachers. Some show us exactly who we want to be. Others show us exactly who we never want to become.
I have experienced a very different type of leadership. The kind that slowly chips away at your spirit. The kind that relies on intimidation instead of inspiration. The kind that made me question myself and shrink just to survive the environment. For a while, I did shrink.
But that chapter is closed. Today I am in a different place in life. I have made the choice to step away from toxic spaces and grow into the leader I am meant to be. The leader I need to be, for myself, for my children, and for the brand I am building.
Over the course of nearly two decades in nursing, I have embodied the lessons these transformational leaders modeled for me. How to advocate for people, how to lead change within rigid systems, and how to solve problems creatively when the rulebook did not have the answer.
Here is my takeaway for you: we always have a choice in where we decide to land. I choose to grow in environments that are safe, peaceful, encouraging, and open to creativity.
These lessons live within me now, along with the belief that empathy and imagination belong in every workspace. These are the principles I carry into everything I build through Gracewell.
Keep Going
Wander into the Connection Path, where we honor the people and lineages who shape who we become.
This post is the start of a three part series about creativity, leadership, and the brain behind Gracewell. Next up is My ADHD Brain Doesn’t Work in Straight Lines, where I tell the truth about how my brain actually works. And the last in the series is Organization for the Brain That Won’t Stay in One Lane, the practical system I use to keep Gracewell moving.
Go gracefully. 🤍
