Following the trail

Section: Editorial

How to quote

Serrano Gallardo P. Siguiendo la estela. Metas Enferm feb 2018; 21(1):3

Authors

Pilar Serrano Gallardo

Position

Directora de Metas de Enfermería. Profesora. Departamento de Enfermería. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Contact email: pilar.serrano@uam.es

Versión en Español

Título:

Siguiendo la estela

Dear colleagues, even though I have been involved in this exciting project Metas de Enfermería for many years, I would like to introduce myself as the new director of this scientific publication from February 2018, taking the baton from Pilar Arroyo, my teacher and my friend, with high enthusiasm, as she pointed out in her last 2017 editorial, but not without a certain dose of nervousness when faced with this task. But I feel reassured by knowing that there is a planned road to follow, a road that we have all been building during these 20 years of existence of the great Metas community, of which, of course, all you are part of it.

We have been paving the road with the flexibility demanded by answering to our discipline at every moment, always trying to be alert to any needs by nurses in all professional settings, in a search for excellence for spreading nursing knowledge and, ultimately, being a useful tool to improve nursing care and population health.

As I have mentioned, I have had the best teacher. Pilar Arroyo has taught me a lot since those first years at the Puerta de Hierro Nursing School, where she was my Ethics and Legislation Teacher, and the School Principal; but now I would lilke to highlight her high ethical dimension and her leadership skills, which must necessarily go hand in hand. Around two years ago, in the context of a tribute to her conducted by the Sociedad Madrileña de Ética Enfermera, I prepared a brief speech where I wanted to highlight the five practices of a person with exemplary leadership (Kouzes&Posner, 2011), and which Pilar Arroyo has undoubtedly shown throughout her professional career: Model the way, from the stories she tells, the manner to distribute your time, her language of acknowledgment and rewards, etc., clarifying the principles that guide her practice, and acting accordingly in order to develop credibility; Inspire a shared vision, involving other persons in order to join their dreams, share their talent, time and energy, working together in order to reach greatness; Challenge the process, creating an environment so that those around her feel safe and supported to take risks and venture outside their comfort zone, because you can learn both from failures and successes; Enable others to act, considering that projects can only come true based on a strong trust in the team and strenghtening personal relationships, because when the team wins, everybody wins; and Encourage «the heart», appreciating the talents of each person, celebrating the values and victories in order to build a real community spirit, because when you are working for excellence, particularly in difficult times, people can fall into frustration and discouragement, and here is when exemplary leaders must inject courage and hope into their team.

The current scenario of scientific publications is not easy. On one hand, we are within an unprecedented crisis in the world of printed publication; on the other hand, there is an entire movement targeted to open publication, promoted from the institutions, but difficult to sustain by publishing companies. Finally, there is a high pressure to publish, but in certain media, which are those acknowledged by the agencies that evaluate the research activity. Undoubtedly, sailing in these waters demands high sailing skills; but we must go ahead with the firm conviction that we are offering a necessary and genuine service to the nursing community.

Who would have told me 18 years ago, when I started working in Metas, that today I would be taking the baton from Pilar Arroyo? What a beautiful challenge, but what a great responsibility ! I am sure that there will be difficulties, barriers to overcome, challenges that we will have to accept; but I am also sure that I will be helped on this mission by following the trail of my dear Pilar Arroyo, and with illusion, responsibility, committment, love, dedication and generosity.

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