Kim Richards, RN

Article Outline

• Tell me about Kim Richards
• Who were your role models growing up?
• If you could be anybody in history other than yourself, who would you be and why?
• What do you recall about your first job as a nurse?
• Today you are a successful entrepreneur; how did you gain the courage and experience to take that type of risk?
• How would you describe your leadership style?
• When others reflect on your career, what do you want them to remember?
• What do you most enjoy about your current position?
• What are the most difficult aspects of your current position?
• Is there anything you have always wanted to do but still have not done?
• What do you think are the biggest challenges facing nursing leaders in the next decade?
• Often when people think of nursing leaders, they think of chief nursing officers. You are not a CNO. Can you address how nurses who are not in a CNO position achieve recognition as nurse leaders?
• Time is a valuable commodity. How do you manage your work/life balance?
• References
• Copyright

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Tell me about Kim Richards 

I grew up in a small town in North Carolina, in a middle-class family with one younger brother, during the federally mandated public school desegregation program. There was a significant amount of racial tension and uncharted territory during those times. This was the first time I had truly been exposed to any culture other than my “white suburbia, single-family” living environment. I was very moved by the poor housing and general living conditions. This experience increased my awareness of the importance of opening my mind and heart, as well as taking a chance on building relationships. I witnessed the obstacles my classmates faced and realized the abundance of my own life. During this time, I volunteered to work on projects that would create common ground and tolerance. My friends and I had never been exposed to this type of diversity before, and through this process I was able to relax my fear of the unfamiliar. In school, I found that participating in athletics created a natural bridge to teamwork and a common goal.

I recently married and inherited two wonderful adult children. My husband and I have four dogs and love to take advantage of the active, outdoor Colorado lifestyle. We live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and love to hike, bike, and ski. My husband just completed his first marathon at 54.

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Who were your role models growing up? 

My mother and my grandmothers instilled a strong work ethic in me. My mother was an elementary school teacher, and her mother had completed only the seventh grade. My grandmother had worked her whole life in a textile mill, and even though she was poor, succeeded in putting her two children through college. Her graciousness exceeded her means.

My paternal grandmother worked in clothing retail and would bring me fancy dresses with big skirts. She was funny and just told it like it was.

Both of my grandmothers lived well into their 90s, and my 75-year-old mother can still wear me out shopping. I come from a line of strong women who lived with integrity and heart.

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If you could be anybody in history other than yourself, who would you be and why? 

I would be Oprah Winfrey because of the incredible influence she has when creating goodwill, opportunity, education, and resources for the generations to come. Oprah appreciates her abundance and gives not only financially, but with her time and her heart. She never forgets where she started. She has used her status to enhance society through action and encourages people to empower themselves and the people they love.

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What do you recall about your first job as a nurse? 

I still remember the first time I saw the birth of a baby and my overwhelming awe at the experience. Through my 17-year-old eyes, as a nursing student, I was moved to tears watching the excitement and the emotions of the parents. I immediately knew I wanted to work in that environment. I, like many nurses then, graduated on a Friday and went to work on Monday! Most of us have never stopped.

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Today you are a successful entrepreneur; how did you gain the courage and experience to take that type of risk? 

After a few years in labor and delivery, ER, and ICU, I took what seemed to be, at the time, a short adventure and worked as an office nurse for a very busy family practitioner. Part of my responsibilities during that time involved interacting with pharmaceutical sales representatives. As opportunity knocked in the form of a vacant position, I was recruited by SmithKline and French (now GlaxoSmithKline) as a pharmaceutical sales representative and was motivated to be successful in a competitive market. Even though I had never been in sales, I was a nurse, and the education and skills I had used everyday were applicable to this new position.

Upon reflection, I can clearly see how nurses use sales skills every day, through negotiation, empathy, compromise, focused listening, and positive results. I flourished during this time and was promoted to a hospital representative and trainer. My boss was a wonderful mentor, and after significant success, I was fortunate enough to become a mentor myself.

As the years went on, I enjoyed financial success but was feeling ready for a new challenge and a genuine longing to live life on my own terms. At that time, unsure of my next step, I contacted an executive recruiter who specialized in health care. As I visited in her office, I observed her on the phone interacting with clients and candidates. I said to myself, “I can do that!” I knew then this was my next opportunity. Realizing that I needed to hone my skills for this particular role, I took a position with a national recruitment company for a year. I absorbed and learned as much about executive recruitment as I could.

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Building on my desire to create an ethical, highly valued executive search firm that specialized solely in nursing management recruitment, I “let go of the ledge!” The fear of failure was overwhelming at times. This is where I learned that belief in yourself does not mean the absence of self-doubt. I realized I had to be willing to be uncomfortable while facing my fears. Through many obstacles, setbacks, and disappointments, I learned how deep the reservoir of resilience could be. With my intention of building a strong, high-quality network, I consistently made tough calls and put myself in the center of events. I developed relationships with influential clients by earning their trust and filling their needs.

There were some significantly challenging situations and people whom I still remember. One was a particularly difficult search that I did for a past president of the Northwest Organization of Nurse Executives (NWONE), Cathy Simchuk, vice president of Holy Family Hospital in Spokane, Washington, early in my career. With a lot of negotiation and compromise, we became not only professional colleagues but also personal friends. I credit Cathy with teaching me some critical lessons about earning trust and feeling tremendous gratitude for “angels along the way.” Those supporters and mentors are the lasting gifts from a genuine desire to do whatever it takes.

After some personal life changes and an opportunity to recreate my life wherever I chose, I moved to Colorado. I was very attracted to the active outdoor lifestyle that Colorado offered. Once again, my intention and resilience were tested. Everything familiar was left behind as I packed up my belongings and my dogs and drove from Arizona to Colorado, knowing not what the future held for me.

Once settled in Colorado and feeling the need for collegial interaction (ie, a life!), I was hired by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) to evaluate and relaunch their interim management and consultation services. Through target marketing and sales efforts, the business grew significantly over the next 3 years. As the general manager of AORN Management Solutions, I had the opportunity to interact and network with national perioperative leaders, with whom I developed strong and lasting professional relationships.

In September 2005, I made the decision to leave AORN Management Solutions and restart my own executive search firm. I've enjoyed the opportunity to network with other experienced, ethical recruiters, which allows me to offer my clients full-service nursing management recruitment and consultation, even outside of my particular niche. Focusing on the urgency of connecting experienced perioperative leaders with outstanding opportunities, I have been fortunate to experience an abundance of business synergy that I felt eventually would create the tipping point in my own business. By surrounding myself with committed, open-minded, and creative out-of-the-box thinkers, the business has flourished. We all share a common goal of creating a mile-deep, inch-wide pool of talented, experienced perioperative nurse leaders and consultants. More importantly, we love creating our own legacy and enjoying a work/life balance.

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How would you describe your leadership style? 

I am passionate about providing quality service. I appreciate professionalism and open-mindedness with my colleagues. Having said that, I consider myself a visionary and risk taker. It is critical that I remain flexible and able to adjust very quickly to the marketplace. I use my sense of humor as a shock absorber, and I don't dwell on negative outcomes that are beyond my control.

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When others reflect on your career, what do you want them to remember? 

That I provided professional results that ultimately contributed to health care excellence in client communities. That my candidates thrived with new challenges and achieved great accomplishments for their patients, organizations, and selves.

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What do you most enjoy about your current position? 

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What are the most difficult aspects of your current position? 

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Is there anything you have always wanted to do but still have not done? 

I want to work with nonprofit foundations that inspire and motivate young adults to develop their potential and not settle for the ordinary. I think that if young adults were aware of the endless possibilities available to them in the nursing field, more would be curious about the opportunities. I think the nursing profession as a whole can and should be competing for talent on a similar level with privately held high-tech, biotech, management, and marketing firms.

The general public has a narrow perspective on what “nurses” really do and the complexity of situations and personalities that we work with every day. Our environment is changing constantly, and our talents, knowledge, and energy are consistently challenged to accommodate those who depend on us. Historically, the nursing profession has not taken a proactive, assertive approach to recruitment efforts. Our work model is parallel to that of other high-stakes, critically interactive, fast-paced industries, but the nursing profession clearly excels in one significant way. Health care is always growing, and there will always be a consistent and profound need for nurses. Job opportunity and abundant choices are guaranteed regardless of the economy, political dominance, or any other indicator. What other profession can offer such an assurance?

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What do you think are the biggest challenges facing nursing leaders in the next decade? 

The CNOs I talk with tell me they are worried about the supply of competent, engaged nurses. The demands of patient care are escalating at a rate previously unheralded. There are so many high-priority initiatives that demand attention, and as resources become more limited, the challenge of providing high-quality, safe patient care is at an all-time intensity. I think that some of the anxiety stems from the lack of conscious and deliberate succession planning. Our colleagues with whom we spend the time mentoring today will become our leaders for tomorrow, quite probably influencing our own personal health care. This takes significant time and energy, which is sometimes very tough to muster.

I think the CNO job is the most challenging position in the hospital, even more difficult when there is a lack of a strong, cohesive, supportive team. The current CNOs, forced to wear many hats, would be wise to take a candid look at their hospital recruitment practices and truly be innovative in redesigning the recruitment function. If this function is ineffective and inefficient, the resulting fallout is devastating, sometimes over a relative short period. Nursing management “pipeline” cultivation is essential. There was a wonderful article on this subject in the August 2006 issue of Nurse Leader: “Redesigning the Recruitment Function – Winning at Recruitment and Retention of Critical Health Care Professionals” by Suellyn Ellerbe, Lydia Ostermeier, and Sandra Shelley.¹

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Often when people think of nursing leaders, they think of chief nursing officers. You are not a CNO. Can you address how nurses who are not in a CNO position achieve recognition as nurse leaders? 

The great thing about being a nurse is that we have so many choices and so many varied paths to follow. Whether one chooses to contribute his or her talents as a CNO or to use his or her nursing background to permeate and influence health care companies, private firms, academia, or research, we collectively contribute to positive patient care outcomes. Most of us started out in bedside nursing, and now as nurse leaders, we have the opportunity and the obligation to profoundly impact our own environments.

In the past year, I have been honored by invitations to speak to various national associations about the current state and future trends of nursing management recruitment. A seasoned professional in this particular area, I draw upon my nursing roots to promote best recruitment practices, as we evolve as a dynamic, more global community. As a nurse entrepreneur, most of my recognition comes from my own inner voice, as well as my colleagues and my family. I would highly dissuade anyone in need of generous heaps of recognition to start her own firm or work for herself—abundant recognition is not one of the rewards of self-employment!

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Time is a valuable commodity. How do you manage your work/life balance? 

Oh I love this question! I don't have the magic answer. For me, my day usually starts out with my four dogs waking me up for their breakfast (thankfully, my husband makes coffee the night before). A quick check of email, then off to the gym to teach a class. Travel often interferes with my routine, but I try to be as consistent as possible, not only for the physical benefits but for the mental stress relief as well. Motivating others to do their best has a boomerang effect on me, and I love starting my day energized. I love the camaraderie and the competitive spirit. Feeling physically strong seems to empower me to be much stronger mentally and, hopefully, translates to the energy in my voice.

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Then it's off to the races with a day filled with multitasking, not unlike any other nurse leader. I am constantly working on the balance, but when I feel my energy and patience growing thin, I generally retreat to the outdoors with my dogs, where their motto is reflective of a new slogan I recently saw, “Wag more, bark less!” Makes sense!

Our world is wired 24/7, and I find the need to just step away and unplug for awhile. The work will always be there, and I find that, when I'm able to get in my zone, I can accomplish more quality work in much less time. I also re-energize by spending time meditating, listening to music, reading, or engaging in any outdoor physical activity. As quoted from one of my favorite books, Secrets of Six Figure Women by Barbara Stanny,² “An empty vessel has little to offer. Obligatory or guilt-driven self-denial is always undermining, leading to anger, resentment, and pain. Without taking care of ourselves, we engage in self-sabotage.” If I have been successful in building my business with the right team, it should run smoothly by delegation. I find it mandatory for my success to refill my reservoir of energy.

I have been very blessed to have married a wonderfully supportive husband, who has been my biggest fan. He has been a partner in the truest sense, by graciously assuming more responsibility than his fair share and with unselfish intent.

I outsource as much as possible to professionals who specialize in areas such as IT, project management, database and systems management, advertising, etc. The money spent is well worth the aggravation factor! Asking for assistance from other professionals also preserves my energy to do what I do best. I recently hired a talented project manager who has infused my business with energy and creativity.

Surrounding myself with positive, happy people has been critical to continually tapping into business synergy. In the book, Winning: The Answers,³ an excellent book by Jack and Suzy Welch, I read: “There is no profit in winning if you lose your soul.” I found this to be absolutely true.

When I was asked by Roxane Spitzer to be featured in Nurse Leader, my first response, truthfully, was that of surprise, honor, and fear all at the same time—what words of wisdom could I lend or nursing achievement had I contributed? I have read Nurse Leader since its inception and have constantly been impressed by the life works and accomplishments of nursing heroes.

Once I had a chance to think about it, the first thing I experienced was overwhelming gratitude for the recognition of a life of hard work. I owe much of my success to my outstanding candidates and their individual accomplishments and their continued, loyal support. They represent my personal commitment to quality and integrity. To them, I am deeply appreciative.

Like most nurse leaders, my life and career have been blessed with many twists and turns, successes and failures, painful loss and great joy. When people told me I was nuts and out of my league, my belief in myself and my clear intention was a firm but gentle hand against my back, telling me to keep going. I remembered that my intention becomes my reality. For me, the best way to predict the future is to create it!

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References 

1. Ellerbe S , Ostermeier L , Shelley S . Redesigning the recruitment function – winning at recruitment and retention of critical health care professionals . Nurse Leader . 2006;4:38–41
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2. Stanny B . Secrets of six-figure women: surprising strategies to up your earnings and change your life . New York: Collins; 2004;
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3. Welch J , Welch S . Winning: the answers . New York: Collins; 2006;
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