Cindy is a DAISY Nurse Leader for so many reasons that I could not possibly list them all. She is a mentor, a champion for the nursing profession, and a role model. At her core though, Cindy is a kind and caring soul who does everything in her power to support our patients and the nurses who care for them. Cindy helps her team develop a vision of excellence, facilitates change to improve outcomes, and gives her team credit for success. She is a true and humble servant leader.
Cindy has compassion born out of a calling that she carries in her soul. Get her alone and pour out your heart, Cindy has a way of making everything stop for you. She brings calmness and compassion. When you feel at your worst, she picks you up and reminds you that you are great, that the work you do matters, and more importantly that you matter.
Cindy never stops, when we all want to sit down, she is up and running and we are inspired to follow. She motivates, multi-tasks, directs and keeps ongoing. When something needs to be done, she gathers a team and runs to it. She brings a can-do attitude to everything she does.
Cindy is very involved with our nurse residents. She always takes the time to present at the Nurse Resident sessions. She advises the residents to "always say yes" when a chance to grow is offered. She tells them, "even if you think you are not qualified, those that have noticed you think you have talent and can see your potential."
Cindy is a servant leader and goes out of her way to support, encourage, and grow strong leaders. She has a wealth of knowledge from her experience as a bedside nurse, CNS, Director, and CNO. She graciously shares her knowledge and is truly a team player. Cindy has a strong appreciation regarding systems thinking and she continually looks at the big picture.
She is always serious about nursing practice and policy, but she also loves to add fun to any task or situation and she knows how to create a healthy work environment and promote collaboration to reach goals. We can all recall many experiences with Cindy swooping in to save the day as she added light to difficult situations. During challenging times, she takes time to offer comfort without judgment, offering kindness and a voice of reason, consistently demonstrating the type of unique leadership which is very individualized, caring, and supportive.
We know she will say we should not have nominated her, and that is one of the reasons she so deserves this nomination. We are very proud to recognize Cindy May as a DAISY Nurse Leader.