EP36 How to Lead Without a Title: Nurse Influencer Secrets - Michelle Lingner (ECU Health)

Join hosts Keith Washington and Kris Baird for a conversation with Michelle Lingner, FNP-C, RN-BSN, RNFA—a trauma nurse practitioner at ECU Health who's redefining what it means to lead without formal authority. Michelle shares how intentional mindset shifts transformed her from burned out to energized, and how that shift rippled through her entire team. Drawing on her experience in a 1,000-bed Level 1 trauma center, she reveals practical strategies for peer-to-peer influence, closing communication gaps that delay patient care, and choosing positivity even in high-pressure environments.

Kris Baird, nurse executive, author, and CEO of the Baird Group, guides the conversation with coaching insights on self-management, creating cultures of feedback, and knowing when toxic team members need to be coached up or moved out. Together, they explore how self-awareness, consistent micro-habits, and simple handoffs can shift culture from the bedside. Whether you're in nursing leadership, healthcare operations, or healthtech innovation, this conversation offers a blueprint for becoming an influencer in your organization—no title required.

Key Takeaways

• You don't need a formal leadership role to positively influence those around you
• Intentionally showing up with positivity takes less energy than being negative
• Leading yourself first gives others permission to do the same
• Simple communication handoffs can reduce patient care delays by hours
• Small acts of follow-up build your "influencer bank account"
• Positivity spreads through teams when practiced consistently as a routine
• Staying curious about what triggers negativity helps shift toxic dynamics
• Dead weight employees can be influencers too—just in the wrong direction
• Taking ownership and closing communication loops improves ED throughput
• Culture change starts with self-awareness and one repeated action

Episode Highlights

00:00 Introduction: Leading Without a Title
02:00 Michelle's Role at ECU Health's Level 1 Trauma Center
03:48 Who to Follow: Positivity, Problem-Solvers, and Bridge Builders
04:54 Managing Your Own Mindset: From Burnout to Intentional Leadership
06:48 The Power of Routine: Making Positivity a Practice
08:14 Staying Present in High-Stress Trauma Care
10:25 How One Person's Attitude Shifts an Entire Culture
13:16 Dealing with Toxic Team Members: When to Coach, When to Let Go
17:00 The Communication Gap That Delays Patient Care
20:14 Building Your Influencer Bank Account Through Small Acts
23:29 How Communication Impacts ED Throughput and Bed Availability
25:26 Closing Thoughts: Self-Awareness and Repeated Action
26:00 "When You Lead Yourself First, You Give Others Permission to Do the Same"

Guest: Michelle Lingner, FNP-C, RN-BSN, RNFA - ECU Health
Host: Keith Washington - Companions in Courage Foundation
Cohost: Kris Baird - Baird Group
Sponsored by: Simplifi Medical & Storage Systems Unlimited
Audio/Video: Tim Jones - Health Nuts Media
Marketing: Josh Troop - Troop-Creative
Learn More at: www.beyond-blueprint.com