Maureen P. McCausland, DNSc, RN, FAAN, is a senior advisor at McChrystal Group, where she works with and advises executives and leaders on transformational change in complex environments, strategy execution, organizational alignment, and leadership.
McChrystal Group is a consulting firm founded by Gen (Ret) Stanley McChrystal. We believe and have demonstrated that organizations succeed when teams work. The Team of Teams® model was forged in combat and proven across industries.
Through this model we help teams perform better, smarter and faster. We help organizations understand their present state, optimize their organizations without compromising performance and develop their leaders. Our focus on teams – helping to build them, helping leaders lead them and using technology to enable performance has measurable results by unleashing the power of teams.
A Career in Board Service
My service on boards began with election to the Sigma Theta Tau, International board. Since then, I have served on boards across health care, nursing professional organizations, a not-for-profit social service agency, joint ventures, and an insurance company.
I have served on the boards of Sigma Theta Tau, International; The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research; numerous system-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures; Miriam’s Kitchen; the Marshfield Clinic Health System; and Greenspring Financial Insurance, Limited. Currently I serve on the board of trustees of Sanford Health, where I am a member of the nominating and governance and quality and safety committees.
Finding Board Opportunities
Colleagues have been instrumental in connecting me to opportunities throughout my career. Respected colleagues encouraged me to run for office in Sigma Theta International and supported my candidacy. Later, a nurse leader recommended me to a regional health system board chair. I also responded to an opportunity when Miriam’s Kitchen sought a board member with a healthcare background. Presidents and CEOs of system-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures selected me for consideration, and I was appointed to the board of a Cayman Island insurance company.
I served alongside nurses on professional nursing organization boards and on a health system board with one other nurse member.
“The overarching theme is the generosity of colleagues.”
How Nursing Shows Up in the Boardroom
My nursing experience has enabled me to bring an understanding of organizational complexity, operational leadership, strategy, and alignment. My lens is relationships and people focused, supporting collegial relationships even during challenging times. My experience in complex systems honed my financial capabilities, which are essential for fiduciary responsibilities.
One example of making a difference was advocating strongly for transparency about quality, safety, and engagement metrics so directors who were not clinicians could understand true performance.
The Hardest Lesson
Understanding the difference between board governance and operational leadership is paramount. Having been on both sides, I am passionate about respecting the boundaries between governance and managing.
How Board Service Differs from Healthcare
Miriam’s Kitchen is a non-profit social service organization in Washington, DC, working to end chronic homelessness through meals, social services, health programs, outreach, housing, and advocacy. Service on this board required advocacy for a small but crucial organization in a highly political city, with lean infrastructure and diverse stakeholders.
Serving on the board of an insurance company required learning a new content area, navigating heavy regulation, and becoming a student of the industry. Enjoying statistics and modeling was important. The nursing perspective added value in understanding quality and safety and applying high reliability principles.
The Impact of Nurses on Boards
Nurses have a multi-faceted impact. We bring persuasive communication skills, systems thinking, passion for organizational missions, and a focus on people as well as fiduciary responsibility. Board members must share their time, talent, and treasure. In my experience, nurses do this extremely well.
“Nurses bring systems thinking, passion, and a focus on people.”
