LEADERSHIP THEORIES IN PRACTICE

       Few nurses would contest that leadership is necessary for practice innovation, quality enhancement, and efficient care delivery (Miles and Scott, 2019). The future of nursing and healthcare in general depends on leadership. There is a growing need for better leadership in healthcare, according to Marshall and Broome (2021). What distinguishes a great or even good leader? Knowledge and self-awareness are two qualities that make a great leader. Focusing on yourself, others, and the larger world are three categories into which these modes of attention can be divided. This classification sheds new light on the application of many crucial leadership competencies. The core components of emotional intelligence are developed by leaders turning inward and directing their attention in a positive way toward others. Their capacity to develop strategies, innovate, and manage organizations may be enhanced by a deeper understanding of how they focus on the larger world. “Every leader needs to cultivate this triad of awareness, in abundance and in the proper balance, because a failure to focus inward leaves you rudderless, a failure to focus on others renders you clueless, and a failure to focus outward may leave you blindsided” (Goleman, 2013).

The word “attention” comes from the Latin attendere, meaning “to reach toward” (Goleman, 2013). This is a perfect definition of focus on others, which is the foundation of empathy and of an ability to build social relationships (Goleman, 2013). The manager I currently work for uses effective communication techniques and emphasizes teamwork. The other managers and resource nurses on my units are encouraged by my manager to properly staff the unit so that the nurses and other staff feel like they are more than tools, but partners, a team. Managers who can effectively focus on others are easy to recognize. They are the ones who find common ground, whose opinions carry the most weight, and with whom other people want to work. They emerge as natural leaders (Goleman, 2013). For instance, on my unit, daily materials are distributed to discuss unit needs and fresh information. Due to the management’s efforts, the unit endeavors to staff appropriately by talking with the resource nurses on the units about best staffing strategies. This includes not continually giving the same nurse the worst assignments and doing their best to make sure that most staff members have assignments they are comfortable in. An unhealthy work environment may result from unfair assignments. Management also communicates any new information or changes to policy to the floor during daily staff meetings. Information accessibility, encouragement of innovation, and a focus on learning are all aspects of organizational culture and climate (Duggan et al., 2015). “Wise leaders shift from a narrow focus on operation and strategy to a more holistic perspective; respond to external events with discernment, flexibility, and authenticity. They are purpose driven to serve others, ask different questions, and seek multiple perspectives” (Pesut and Thompson, 2017).

Through deliberate learning, experience, reflection, insight, coaching, and mastery of various action logics, one can develop leadership abilities and, ultimately, wisdom (Pesut & Thompson, 2017). I believe that my manager has the knowledge and self-awareness necessary to lead successfully in her specialized field. Her goals for our unit are still centered on providing the best care possible for the patients while also keeping in mind the needs of the nurses themselves. Those who work for her and with her are inspired by her drive.

References

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). Springer.

Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Taba, R. G., Smith, C., Erwin, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2015). Implementing administrative evidence-based practices: Lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States. BMC Health Services Research, 15(1).

Goleman, D. (2013, December). The Focused Leader. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/12/the-focused-leaderLinks to an external site.

Miles, J. M., & Scott, E. S. (2019). A New Leadership Development Model for Nursing Education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 35(1), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2018.09.009

Pesut, D. J., & Thompson, S. A. (2018). Nursing leadership in academic nursing: The wisdom of development and the development of wisdom. Journal of Professional Nursing, 34(2), 122–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2017.11.004

Main Post (I could not tab my paragraphs)

Leadership in Healthcare

Leadership is essential in many aspects of life, but when it comes to healthcare, it is imperative as this is what makes a business or, in this case, a hospital thrive. Leadership allows for organization and promotes development among peers. The leadership actions of nurses influence the creation of a positive work environment for nurses. Leadership, whomever it may be, sets the tone for the environment; they are the resources and the guide when instilling new principles or adjusting old ones. Leadership among nurses allows all nurses to be on the same page and have the same goal. In many cases, the goal is to provide safe and quality care to patients. The world needs leaders with vision and wisdom to create a foundation of understanding and change (Broome & Marshall, 2021).

Leadership Insight

There are numerous views about how leadership functions, what qualities make for influential leaders, and how to be effective. The two theories I found most insightful through my research were transactional leadership and transformational leadership. In transactional leadership, a leader determines what must be done to accomplish goals, including outlining roles and responsibilities and paying followers for their performance. In contrast, a leader that inspires others via their vision, passion, and devotion demonstrates transformational leadership (Chatterjee et al., 2017).

Both styles are essential, and I have seen both in my career. A transactional leader is more focus-driven and knows precisely what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. They also work off reward; they operate off transactions, they give, and you take, and vice versa. In this leadership style, there is either a reward or punishment, which is the driving force. This type of leader is vast in healthcare as there are many goals and responsibilities associated with nursing. Transformational leader is still serious, but they bring in that personal aspect, allowing people to relate more to the goals. Transformational leaders focus on the social end and are geared more toward quality. Transactional leaders focus on the quantitative aspect of the goals and consistently strive to meet the mark or job task. Both types of leaders are essential, as it takes passion and data to create plans and see change.

Leadership In Practice

Overall effectiveness and performance are influenced by both transactional and transformational leadership (Duggan et al.,2015). I saw transactional leadership more in my hospital as opposed to transformational. Our educator on the medical-surgical floor was our transactional leader. She was the one that kept everyone operating the same way; this was done by making sure we adhered to policy and protocols. She stuck to the hospital’s mission and guidelines while following the chain of command. She would stay on top of us to ensure we completed the proper education through what we called “edunets.” These edunets were power points of information we needed to know about the hospital and policy updates. Some topics were blood policies, restraint policies, and infection prevention. If we did not complete them by her assigned date, we would not be scheduled until they were finished. We would be rewarded with coffee gift cards or a free meal from our lunchroom when they were all completed. This approach was practical as people love free things. It also kept the hospital compliant with IDPH and the joint commission, so it was a win.

I observed transformational leadership in the second hospital I worked at. This was seen through my manager, and I found it to be very effective and impactful. If my manager wanted to see change, she would first model the change she wanted. This is very important as it is challenging to work for someone with expectations they do not even follow. Additionally, she used a collaborative approach and included the nursing staff in the decision as the results would directly affect us. She strived for a shared vision because we worked as a team to provide the best care for our patients. She took the time to connect with us, took each problem or concern very seriously, and did what she could to eliminate or better the issue.

I found this to be effective as it does not feel like there is an ulterior motive behind something like transactional. There is no punishment, just lasting change and a better workplace for everyone. This leadership style was motivating and allowed us to create change in our unit and hospital-wide. Transformational leadership creates transformation and promotes healthier relationships. Even though the approach is more empathetic, the same goals are achieved because collaboration and goal setting among everyone is quickly done. The satisfaction of the nursing staff is directly impacted by effective leadership. Healthcare systems should support transformational leadership to create healthy work environments, increase job satisfaction, and lower staff turnover rates (Weberg, 2010). 

 References 

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Chatterjee, R., Suy, R., Yen , Y., & Chhay, L. (2017). Leadership in Healthcare Management. Vanderbilt University Medical Center. https://www.vumc.org/

Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Tabak, R. G., Smith, C., Erwin, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2015).  Implementing administrative evidence-based practices: Lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States. BMC Health Services Research, 15 Links to an external site.Links to an external site.(1). doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3.    https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3Links to an external site.

Weberg D. (2010). Transformational leadership and staff retention: an evidence review with implications for healthcare systems. Nursing administration quarterly, 34(3), 246–258.        https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0b013e3181e70298

Week 4 Main Post

              Although many of us never truly investigate the leadership styles we encounter daily, we are often impacted by the styles and their impact on our work. It goes without saying that some leadership styles mesh with our personalities, and some styles clash with our personalities. This discussion will take a deeper look into leadership styles/approaches and how they have impacted units and/or facilities.

Key Insights from Resources

Although it takes many kinds of leadership to facilitate a business successfully, I noted a recurrent theme in my review of resources. Leadership traits that differentiate between a good and a great leader come from communication, trust, and respect (Walden University, 2014). It is safe to say that many relationships, not just between employees and leaders, are built upon a foundation of communication, trust, and respect. Another dive into articles led me to conclude that a leader who fosters staff professional development is a crucial but often forgotten trait of leaders. According to Zhang et al. (2022), the most successful leaders follow the caring leadership model, which is grounded in leaders displaying benevolence, appreciation, and fostering self-actualization among team members. Throughout the review of these articles, many theories are discussed and each has its own pros and cons. I want to note that a combination of leadership approaches and appreciating each team’s uniqueness appear to make the best leader. According to Leclerc et al. (2020), “A human-centred approach recognizes the need to balance recognition of humanity in nurses and patients alongside the creation of a culture that organically leads to the desired organizational metrics” (Implications for Nurse Leaders).

Observing These Traits in Practice

Over the last couple of years, I can imagine that leadership and management roles have been taxing due to COVID-19, nursing shortages, and shifts in healthcare. I have been fortunate to be employed within the Department of Veterans Affairs, where I have experienced supportive and encouraging leadership. The leadership at the VA displays human-centered approaches and caring leadership by focusing in on traits such as daily communication, fostering professional development, and portraying trust for employees while teleworking. For example, my leadership team has allowed me to participate in week-long trainings in EBP, and also the Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behaviors. Along with this, the VA leadership has assisted with the financial needs of participating in this graduate program. These acts above exemplify meaningful leadership that has a significant impact on employees.

How These Practices Impacted the Workplace

From experience, most employees within the VA are happy or content with their leadership. There are always exceptions, but I would like to note that within the VA, it is more of a “you get what you put in” environment. The employees who seek relationships with leadership, seek out opportunities and strive for more tend to receive more. In my opinion, it goes both ways. Employees should also take initiative and not wait for leadership to create opportunities for them.

The leadership traits of communication, respect, and trust displayed by my leadership have created a strong and successful team. Our team is often recognized for going above and beyond to help others, surpassing quota, and offered many additional opportunities because of our successes. Most leaders within the VA utilize a human-centered approach and most departments are successful because of this. There is rarely turnover in the VA, our staff are happy, and our clients praise our care. Watching the effects trickle down from leadership to employees to clients is truly miraculous.

Conclusion

One could adopt and utilize many leadership styles when leading a team. However, it is the leaders that adjust and approach each situation as unique ones that are most successful. The leaders that I have dealt with within the VA display these caring model approaches and it has greatly impacted my happiness within my job. I am appreciative of the leaders that continuously improve their approach and seek the best for their employees.

.

References

Leclerc, L., Kennedy, K., & Campis, S. (2020). Human‐centred leadership in Health Care: A contemporary nursing leadership theory generated via Constructivist grounded theory. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(2), 294–306. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13154

Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2014). Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Moore Foundation. (n.d.). Nurses share lessons in leadership. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLopRJPO6GaifsYPGP_jcWXZzU10H3AaX7Links to an external site.

Zhang, F., Peng, X., Huang, L., Liu, Y., Xu, J., He, J., Guan, C., Chang, H., & Chen, Y. (2022). A caring leadership model in nursing: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(4), 981–992. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13600

Leadership Theories in Practice
To effectively respond to the needs of their patients, nurses must first understand their fellow practitioners’ emotional needs. Nursing is a stressful profession that can leave patients vulnerable, and issues such as burnout and compassion fatigue can affect the quality of care that the professionals provide.
Being able to address these issues is a must for professional leaders, and they must be able to facilitate professional development and personal growth for their followers. Critical insights from reading leadership sources include the importance of open communication and emotional intelligence(Cox, 2018).
Being able to develop emotional intelligence is a must for leaders. This skill allows them to manage their feelings and communicate effectively with their followers. It can also help prevent disagreements from forming within the team.
According to the sources, emotional intelligence can encourage people to share information and foster open communication. Open communication is vital as it allows individuals to develop trust and form a cohesive unit within the team(Lim, Han & Joo, 2018).
A nurse leader with a high emotional intelligence level can successfully implement this skill in their clinical setting. They can manage their feelings and communicate effectively with their followers. By practicing this skill, the leader can avoid disagreements from forming within the team.
One of the most common examples of this skill is when a leader feels frustrated and unhappy and avoids confronting the other team members to prevent the adverse effects of overreaction. Instead, the leader would encourage them to speak up and share information if any issues need to be resolved.
Open communication is essential to prevent conflict and ensure that the team is successful.
Open communication and high emotional intelligence played an important role in helping nursing students and new nurses adapt to their new surroundings. Through open communication and the presence of a leader, they were able to gain a deeper understanding of the profession. They were also able to motivate the students to reach their goals.

References

Forbes, N., & Wield, D. (2002). From followers to leaders. Routledge.

Cox, K. M. (2018). Use of emotional intelligence to enhance advanced practice registered nursing competencies. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(11), 648-654.

Lim, S. H., Han, S. S., & Joo, Y. S. (2018). Effects of nurses’ emotional intelligence on their organizational citizenship behavior, with mediating effects of leader trust and value congruence. Japan Journal of Nursing Science, 15(4), 363-374.

Murray, M., Sundin, D., & Cope, V. (2018). The nexus of nursing leadership and a culture of safer patient care. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(5-6), 1287-1293.

Initial Post Beth Howell

                                                                                           Key Insights 

     Emotional intelligence (EI) theory has contributed to effective leadership with key skills such as self-awareness and awareness of others’ emotional states (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Research has provided additional insight into EI as EI relates to Choice Theory and authentic leadership. Emotional intelligence paired with Choice Theory can create motivated, positive teams and increases nursing retention. Emotions can harness energy to create positive interpersonal outcomes and fundamental to this is a leader’s awareness of their own emotional state (Schoo,2008). In choice theory, the difference between your present situation and the ideal situation either motivates a person or conversely, the person leaves the situation. Utilizing EI can motivate a person to rise to the challenge and promotes growth to reach goals (Schoo, 2008).  

     Another key insight is explained by McPherson et al. (2022) as an authentic leadership model. Authentic leadership is forthright, clear, is in alignment with core values, and promotes more trust and less burnout (McPherson et al.,2022). In Authentic leadership, the leader promotes trust by being transparent, unbiased, approachable, and having a strong moral compass (McPherson et al,2022).  

                                                                             Example of EI and Choice Theory 

     Heather my direct supervisor and teammate exemplified EI. During Covid, our company had been acquired and multiple changes were instituted including a new method of delivery, new patient loads, new protocols, new IT applications, and policies. A new policy or change was instituted monthly. Heather, while the direct clinical support, was also delivering direct care and was on the administrative team. She understood her own stress and while going through these changes continued to project positivity while not diminishing the overwhelmed feelings that most nurses had. Understanding oneself is key for EI (Schoo, 2008). Heather was able to articulate that change was difficult and in time we would be just as familiar and proficient with the new system and the old illustrating change theory as a motivator and effective when combined with EI. 

                                                                             Example of Authentic Leadership 

     Crystal, the director of clinical operations, demonstrates authentic leadership. During the acquisition, Crystal would share and empathize that she knew we were overscheduled and was able to state that it was temporary. Also, as we adjusted to new protocols, she explained why they were being added. Every success was celebrated. When nurses brought concerns about reimbursements and utilization of downtime for charting, Crystal demonstrated openness by acknowledging the nurses and explaining that she would present the information and champion our wishes but that there were no guarantees. This openness and transparency are cornerstones of authentic leadership and are effective in helping nurses understand that we were heard and valued (McPherson et al., 2022). 

                                                                                           Conclusion 

       Emotional intelligence is an effective leadership skill that can motivate and maintain happy staff members. Combining EI with change theory and authentic leadership methods enhances effectiveness. Effective leaders have one common denominator that is valued even more than the knowledge base, and that is EI. Thankfully, emotional intelligence can be learned (Zakariasen & Zakariasen, 2012). 

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer. 

McPherson, K., Barnard, J. G., Tenney, M., Holliman, B. D., Morrison, K., Kneeland, P., Lin, C.-T., & Moss, M. (2022). Burnout and the role of authentic leadership in academic medicine. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08034-x 

Schoo, A. (2008). Leaders and Their Teams: Learning to Improve Performance with Emotional Intelligence and Using Choice Theory. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 27(2), 40–45. 

Zakariasen, K., & Zakariasen Victoroff, K. (2012). Leaders and emotional intelligence: A view from those who follow. Healthcare Management Forum, 25(2), 86–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcmf.2012.05.006 

MAIN POST

Leadership Theories in Practice 

In the healthcare industry there are much needed leaders who can effectively communicate, manage, and encourage their team, as well as inspire the workforce to be productive and efficient. Everyday leaders are challenged daily, it is important that leaders are equipped with the skills and knowledge for their organization. Leaders have different management styles, and several theories to guide them in their practice.  

Key Insights on Leadership 

Leadership is the driving force I any organization, it involves experience, sufficient skills, and influence to motivate its workforce (Duggan et al., 2015). Any transformational leader will have a basic knowledge of different leadership theories and integrate features of a variety of theories applicable to their practice (Marshall & Broome, 2017). It is vital that a leader becomes familiarized with other leadership theories even if they utilize a particular practice.  

Leadership behavioral theories 

Marshal and Broome define one behavioral and trait theory as the “Theory X and Y). This theory has been in practice for almost 6 decades and was created by Douglas McGregor (Prottas, 2018). In this theory leaders have two different views on their staff. Theory Y leaders view their employees as hardworking, honest, and trustworthy. On the other hand, Theory X leaders view their employees as untrustworthy and do not contribute to organizational success (Prottas, 2018). A leader is supposed to be a role model and pave the way to the concept that they are supposed to motivate and encourage employee behavior. 

During my career at the facility, I currently work at a lot of Theory X, there Is a lot of leaders that watch over your back to make sure you are doing things correctly. The leaders supervise their employees unnecessarily and micromanage every detail, which is unfortunately why a lot of nurses have left the facility I work at because of the high stress to be “Perfect.” A survey recently was conducted to see what could be fixed to help retain nurses and leadership has started to turn more into a Theory Y leadership. Allowing new nurses and old nurses to complete tasks without the stress of “perfection” and even started to encourage their employees as well. I believe that leadership style can negatively or positively impact the workforce and/or the organization.  

References 

Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Tabak, R. G., Smith, C., Erwin, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2015). Implementing administrative evidence-based practices: lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States. BMC Health Services Research, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3Links to an external site. 

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer. 

Prottas, D. J. (2018). Theory X/Y in the health care setting: Employee perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. The Health Care Manager, 37(2), 109-117. doi: 10.1097/HCM.0000000000000210 

Module 3 Week 4 Discussion: Main Post

Effective leadership is vital in any career setting. However, effective healthcare leadership, particularly in nursing, is essential for many aspects. One of the most critical roles that leadership can accomplish is patient safety. According to Murray et al. (2017), engagement from leadership helps to increase patient safety. This discussion will examine specific leadership behaviors and skills and describe how the skills were influential in the workplace.

Qualities of Leadership

One skill that can enhance leadership in the workplace is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence includes self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skills (Beydler, 2017). Essentially, emotional intelligence is connecting to oneself at an emotional level to form connections with others. According to research from Beydler (2017), an emotionally intelligent leader can accept positive and negative feedback, seek opportunities to improve, actively listen, and generate motivation for the team. Additionally, emotionally intelligent leaders use traditional models of leadership found in business and complement these practices with social and emotional aspects (Marshall & Broome, 2020). Nurse leaders use emotional intelligence to motivate nurses to provide high-quality patient care, increasing staff performance and patient safety.

Influential Leadership Skills

Currently, our organization’s Emergency Department manager is engaged and emotionally intelligent. For example, during busy shifts in the ED, the current manager will come out from her office and take on a team of patients or float to help nurses struggling with current workloads. In addition to being present on the unit, the nurse manager displays emotional intelligence by asking staff, “what do you think?” when policy development is occurring or when policies are changing. During this time, the nurse manager will actively listen and take notes; she then thanks the staff for their input and lets them know that their ideas or thoughts are appreciated and helpful. The nurse manager has recently taken on this role in the Emergency Department. However, she has worked alongside nurses within the unit for many years. Her knowledge and understanding of the unit and staff increase her ability to empathize regarding issues on the unit. The staff and the manager show respect towards one another, which has boosted morale.

References

Beydler, K. W. (2017). The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Perioperative Nursing and Leadership: Developing Skills for Improved Performance. AORN Journal, 106(4), 317–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2017.08.002

Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. (2020). Transformational Leadership in Nursing: From Expert Clinician to Influential Leader. Springer Publishing.

Murray, M., Sundin, D., & Cope, V. (2017). The nexus of nursing leadership and a culture of safer patient care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(5–6), 1287–1293. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13980

WEEK 4-MAIN DISCUSSION

Importance of Leadership in the Workplace

According to Shirey (2006), authentic leadership can affect various workforces such as the nursing workforce and everything that is connected to it. Creating a healthy and functional workforce is also deemed to be essential in any workforce to maintain the quality of the workforce. Of course, if a workforce becomes toxic and unorganized, the worker’s moods will also be affected. For instance, workers may experience burnout, development of a disability, and high absenteeism which later on contributes to the shortage of workers.

Even if an individual is passionate about what they’re doing, if the workplace that they belong to is toxic and poorly managed, then, their passion will not save them from experiencing these adverse effects. For instance, if a person is working for a hospital, medical staff such as nurses play a crucial role in providing adequate and quality healthcare. Without nurses, doctors will not have any other person whom they can trust in handling medical and/or health concerns. There should also be a system to manage the qualities and standards that will ensure that all medical personnel such as nurses are equipped to deliver healthcare.

According to the Critical-Care Nurses stated that they have six (6) specifying standards such as skilled communication, true collaboration, effective decision making, sufficient staffing (enough staff deployed), meaningful recognition, and of course, authentic leadership. Authentic leadership may be defined as leading from the heart and not just for the things that they will get if they choose to lead. A healthy and non-toxic workplace does not only rely on the members properly trusting and treating each other. Instead, we are to look at the importance and connect this to other relationships/environments and their effects on the workers.

I have seen this in my workplace when I worked at a hospital. I was just an observer but I saw that nurses and other medical staff were headed by the doctor when it came to attending to the patients admitted to the hospital. I saw that there was proper communication between the members of the hospital so that they can do a single effort. For instance, they have a medical procedure called “code blue” which is something that doctors and other medical staff signal to the rest of the hospital when there is a patient who is in critical condition or is close to losing their pulse.

Workplace diversity

Authentic leadership shares cooperative goals involved in the process of developing a climate for inclusion so that they can prompt the vicarious learning of inclusive behaviors.

Authentic Leadership and Leadership

Lastly, according to Avolio (2005), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2004 released the Authentic Leadership Development (ALD). There are also some similarities when defining the authentic leadership theory when compared to the transformational, charismatic, servant, and spiritual leadership perspectives that are continuously examined. Working in the hospital made me realize that no job/occupation is easy especially when you have to attend to many people. For instance, leadership is an important factor in leading a workplace (Luthans & Avolio, 2003).

Without a leader, there is no one to follow and order will not be possible. The leader, on the other hand, does not have the authority to play dominant towards their members or followers. As previously mentioned, a true leader is someone who is kind and courageous enough to admit their faults and shortcomings. They are brave enough to admit that they are not knowledgeable of everything if they know that there is somebody, like a member or a follower who knows better than them. An authentic leader also always listens to their followers since they do not know everything. They are also brave enough to admit and own up to their mistakes. Therefore, the success of a team is credited to the leader and its members. A leader who is kind enough to listen and protect their members and for the followers to be obedient and cooperative is a key component in how a workplace succeeds. Just like what they say, if one goes down in a group, the others go down as well. This just means that authentic leadership is a must if one wishes to succeed in life.

REFERENCES

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The leadership quarterly, 16(3), 315-338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001Links to an external site.

Luthans, F., & Avolio, B. J. (2003). Authentic leadership development. Positive organizational scholarship, 241, 258.

Shirey, M.R. (2006). Authentic Leaders Creating Healthy Work Environments for Nursing Practice. American Journal of Critical Care, 15(3), 256-267. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2006.15.3.256Links to an external site.

Module III. Discussion 1

A leadership style is a set of philosophies and methods that a person uses to manage, guide, and motivate others. It can include an individual’s personality traits, their set of management tools, and their methods and tactics (Most effective leadership styles, 2021). Strong leadership is always needed at all times in an organization; however, with hardships that the healthcare system faces regarding the shortage of staff; thus, good leadership is much more needed to meet the growing needs of healthcare. According to a peer-reviewed journal, the eights attribute that can help ensure that a leader will lead his team effectively are leaders need to communicate a vision, not ambiguity; they need to create teams, not silos; leaders need courage, not popularity; they need to have the ability to develop new leaders, not sycophants, leaders need a sense of vocation, not just a career, they need to serve, not be served, leaders need integrity, not conformity, last but not least, a good leader need character, not charisma (Linda A. Livingstone, 2017). 

         In addition to these attributes, there are leadership styles such as democratic leadership, laissez-faire, strategic, transformational, transactional, delegating, coaching, and charismatic leadership (Most effective leadership styles, 2021). The two styles that I admire the most are the democratic leadership style and the transformational style. The democratic style leader is a great communicator, is open to staff feedback, and allows staff to participate in decision-making. In healthcare, it is essential that staff, mainly nurses, participate in decision/policy making to address the concerns we encounter and help find solutions. Similarly, a transformational leader is a great communicator, and a visionary whose goal is to help the team and the organization grows to where it needs to be. Communication is an essential component of both styles of leadership. In healthcare, communication is a crucial element. When leaders do not communicate appropriately to lead their team or to listen to their staff, it can lead to chaos and deleterious outcomes for an organization (Gollust et al., 2020). My current manager’s leadership style is democratic; she created a work environment where her staff feels they can share ideas, a place they are respected, and a place where diversity is welcomed. She coaches prospective future leaders by providing constructive feedback on their suggestions. As a result, the staff is happier on this unit compared to the other units I get floated to. Also, when this manager asks her staff to work an extra shift, most agree because the manager has created an environment where the staff feels respected and appreciated.

Conclusion

     Outstanding leadership is essential for an organization, To influence positively and successfully lead a team. A good leader helps achieve the organization’s mission while facilitating its growth. In healthcare, we often need our leaders to motivate the staff to perform at their highest potential, which translates into positive outcomes for patients and the organization. 

References

Linda A. Livingstone, P. D. (2017, October 30). Eight key attributes of effective leaders – a peer-reviewed academic articles: GBR. Graziadio Business Review | Graziadio School of Business and Management | Pepperdine University. Available from  https://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/08/eight-key-attributes-of-effective-leaders/

Most effective leadership styles: Find yours!: Wilmington: Cincinnati. Wilmington. (2021, November 16). Available from https://www.wilmington.edu/news/effective-leadership-styles/

Sarah E. Gollust, Rebekah H. Nagler, Erika Franklin Fowler; The Emergence of COVID-19 in the US: A Public Health and Political Communication Crisis. J Health Polit Policy Law 1 December 2020; 45 (6): 967–981. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-8641506Links to an external site.

Introduction

According to Broome & Marshall (2021), leadership matters. It matters in every organization for nurses to thrive in their careers and advance effective healthcare (pp. 3). We need leaders who can work within different settings like direct care, clinical education research, and administration that serve as foundations in our changing healthcare environments (Broome & Marshall, 2021).

Two key insights

The article I read authored by Li & Wu (2022), entitled, How a grateful leader trait can cultivate creative employees: A dual-level leadership process model, mentioned an ethical leader embodied gratitude. One insight is that ethical leaders are moral as person and righteous as a manager that utilizes two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision-making. According to Broome &Marshall (2021), trait theories of a leader continue to be more popular and influential in making one successful. Another insight is that the leader with character. They combine virtues, personality traits, and values that enable excellence. Virtues are situationally appropriate behaviors, such as justice and humanity, which are symbolic of good leadership in that they contribute to the well-being of individuals and societies (Seijts & Mohan, 2021). The most important insight is the transformational leader. They influence others by changing their understanding of what is essential (Broome & Marshall, 2021). They possess values, emotional intelligence, and attention to the individual’s spiritual side that connects the soul of the organization and honors humanity (pp.15).

Leaders Behavior and Skills in Practice

To deal with multiple challenges in healthcare organizations, a leader’s emotional intelligence comes into place. A leader’s self-awareness, self-management of emotions, empathy, effective communication, and relationship management make them successful (Broome &Marshall (2021). During a crisis, leaders’ ability to thoroughly manage the group or organization and handle stress makes a difference. In my unit, once a house supervisor, my director worked smoothly with the team with her experience and skills from her previous position. My director’s trust, loyalty to the company, and commitment to patients have led us to achieve extraordinary accomplishments like no CAUTI for 365 days and no CLABSI for 200 days.

Leader’s Skills and Practice Impact on the Workplace

According to Duggan & Aisaka (2015), enhancing leadership includes having competent leaders that can effectively communicate missions and visions and are knowledgeable about and supportive of quality improvement, accreditation, and national performance standards. They are honest and trustworthy, care about others, and make conscientious decisions. My director hired new fresh graduates and seasonal nurses in the unit. The ICU has many nurses, and ICU nurses are the float pools in the hospital. She has the heart and dedication for the ICU and the whole hospital. How she thinks of staffing another unit influenced me as a charge nurse. I was distraught if she floated ICU nurses to other floors, but when she finally explained the reason and let me visualize the issue, I was convinced that floating ICU nurses is good for the whole hospital.

Conclusion

Character is considered an antecedent of trust and is the foundation of effective leadership. The wise leader embodies strength in character that enables the leader to understand and express when it is appropriate to demonstrate drive and when to be patient and considerate of other people’s concerns, when to show humility, and when to be assertive. According to Monzani & Seijts (2021), Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO observed, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.

References:

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Tabak, R.G. et al (2015). Implementing administrative evidence-based practices: lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States. BMC Health Serv Res 15, 221 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3Links to an external site.

Li, C., Wu, C.-H., Brown, M. E., & Dong, Y. (2022). How a grateful leader trait can cultivate creative employees: A dual-level leadership process model. Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(3), 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.1871941Links to an external site.

Monzani L, Seijts GH, Crossan MM (2021) Character matters: The network structure of leader character and its relation to follower positive outcomes. PLoS ONE 16(9): e0255940. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255940

Seijts, G. H., de Clercy, C., & Mohan, G. (2021). Trust as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Character and Perceptions of Leader Effectiveness During the COVID-19 Crisis. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 53(3), 358–364. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000214Links to an external site.

  Week 4 Main Post

Over the years, many different people have defined leadership in a variety of ways (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Healthy work environments for nurses are influenced by how effective leadership is. According to nurses, leadership is necessary for practice innovation, quality improvement, and successful care delivery (Joseph & Huber, 2015). Two insights I took away from the articles were that leaders are critical in establishing positive work environments and that they have an impact on their employees’ outcomes in terms of their health and employment. A good and genuine leader who is characterized by their honesty, self-awareness, clarity, behavioral integrity, and empathy for staff members promotes a productive workplace where staff members feel more confident (Anwar et al., 2019). Positive leadership practices reduce the likelihood of burnout and the intention to leave a company. Effective leadership promotes a healthy work environment, builds meaningful connections with the team members, and inspires them to do work of a higher quality. Leadership behaviors can help people reach their full potential and give people the confidence they need to achieve results. For example, transformational leadership styles promote an environment where nurses are motivated and passionate in their profession (Steinmann et al., 2018). A transformative leader also uses delegation and advice to help staff members move beyond professional and personal obstacles.

In a health organization I work in, my current nurse manager prioritizes teamwork and uses skillful communication. She consistently demonstrates the capacity to influence people and to encourage common goals among the nurses she supervises. For example, she prepares a weekly huddle for the unit to share new information and policies of the hospital. During the huddles, she also addresses unit needs such as questions and concerns of the staff. My current manager also promotes adequate staffing. For example, when I’ve been in charge and we are short nurses, she has allowed me to call the nurses who are off and ask them to come in to help with overtime pay. Despite her administrative duties, she also helps cover lunches and with patient care, especially with our high acuity patients. She inspires us to work together as a team and to achieve our goals in addition to advocating for our patients.

On my unit, these transformational leadership techniques work incredibly well. The nurses are encouraged and inspired by our managers’ open communication and active listening abilities. Our leaderships effective communication skills and staffing has had a beneficial impact in the nurses and the organization. Our leadership listens to the nurses’ concerns and tries to address them to help the nurses not feel burnt out. The skills my manager practices are effect because it impacts the workplace in a positive way. It promotes a positive work environment; therefore, it inspires the nurses to deliver high quality compare which aligns with the organization’s vision and values. These skills are important in a workplace because it helps the nurses feel appreciated.

References

Anwar, A., Abid, G., & Waqas, A. (2019). Authentic Leadership and Creativity: Moderated Meditation Model of Resilience and Hope in the Health Sector. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 10(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe10010003

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Joseph, L., & Huber, D. (2015). Clinical leadership development and education for nurses: prospects and opportunities. J Healthcare Leadership, 7(55-64). https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S68071

Steinmann, B., Klug, H., & Maier, G. (2018). The Path Is the Goal: How Transformational Leaders Enhance Followers’ Job Attitudes and Proactive Behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(23-38). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02338

Initial Post: Leadership theories in practice 

Transformational leadership is the leadership style that fits today’s fast-paced healthcare environment. Such leadership requires individuals who are not only experts in their field but also understand the values of how to translate various leadership approaches into practice (Broome & Marshall, 2021). One critical insight from a leader this writer has seen use transformational leadership skills is the demonstrated emotional intelligence. The ability to stop and be aware of one’s feelings and emotions, especially when the going gets tough. This writer had a manager I considered a role model who modeled this behavior. One day during a meeting when two staff members were complaining and pointing fingers at her, blaming her for equipment not being available. The senior management team had promised to install a ceiling lift in a couple of patient rooms to help prevent staff injuries.

This writer recalls how Judy, the manager handled the situation with calm and poise. She even went further to communicate with the nurses individually to make sure their concerns were validated. She convinced those who complained about our problems on the unit to join a working group dedicated to solving problems, ultimately making them feel like they matter and contributing to finding a solution. This case demonstrated how a  transformational leader could empower coworkers and followers by involving stakeholders inside and outside the nursing unit to improve patient care by acquiring the ceiling lifts eight months later (Broome & Marshall, 2021).

Another key insight from a transformational leader behavior that this writer has seen practice involved a leader who fostered a culture of appreciation and used the mentorship and coaching approach rather than an accusatory and punitive approach. As professionals, we are all leaders. More importantly, as nurses, we are knowledge workers. Leadership is standing up and taking ownership of our work, as in doing something that makes a difference in the units we work on within our work settings. A mentor can distinguish between barriers to advancement and opportunities (Moore Foundation, 2015).

This writer was fortunate enough to have a mentor and role model who inspired this writer to learn from the experienced breakdowns. She used to pull this writer aside and have genuine empowering conversations. She was interested in seeing this writer succeed in his career and as a human being. That allowed this writer to take initiatives and chances I otherwise would not have taken. This writer stepped into a management role as an impact of that earlier interaction in this writer’s career. Uslu Sahan and Terzioglu (2022) noted in their study that a self-assessment of the transformational leadership practices of the nurse managers was more favorable than the assessment of the leadership practices made by staff nurses. This impact accounted for 24% of the total job satisfaction of the staff nurses participating in the study (Uslu Sahan & Terzioglu, 2022).

References:

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.).

New York, NY: Springer.

Moore Foundation. (2015). Nurses share lessons in leadership. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?

ist=PLopRJPO6GaifsYPGP_jcWXZzU10H3AaX7

Uslu Sahan, F., & Terzioglu, F. (2022). Transformational leadership practices of nurse managers: the effects on the organizational commitment and job satisfaction

of staff nurses. Leadership in Health Services (1751-1879), 35(4), 494–505. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-11-2021-0091

Main Post Wk 4

Leadership in Healthcare

According to Broome and Marshall (2021), the world needs leaders with vision and wisdom. The world of medicine is constantly transforming; with it, so is what we want from our leaders. We need leaders who will transform departments, improve the work environment, collaborate with other departments effectively, and thus transform how we provide care to the patient improving their quality of life and bettering our community.

Leadership Insight

There are many ways to lead, each with pros and cons. A leader fundamentally influences other people through their behaviors and actions. Transformational leadership is the most common form of leadership. When the leadership in your facility is compassionate, caring, willing to help, and well-rounded, nurses tend to have higher job satisfaction (Asif et al., 2019). The fantastic thing about the transformational leadership style is that the leader and the followers have the power to push each other to higher levels. Through the leader’s vision and personality, they can even inspire hope (Saad, 2021).

Leadership In Practice

The nurse manager and emergency department director in my facility possess outstanding leadership. Our director gets to work at 5 am every day so that he can be available for the night and day shifts, even if it is just for two hours. He is constantly working the floor due to our staffing shortage and doing his best to ensure that the staff gets their time off requests. He is approachable and knowledgeable and inspires us to do our best and strive for better. Our nursing manager is exceptionally outgoing and makes complex tasks seem like a walk in the park. She is always available to help us through whatever we may find challenging and willing to fight for us when needed. Transformational leadership works very well in our department. The moral of the ED is excellent; all the staff is friends and help each other out. I inspire to be a leader like them.

References

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Asif, M., Jameel, A., Hussain, A., Hwang, J., & Sahito, N. (2019, July 16). Linking Transformational Leadership with Nurse-Assessed Adverse Patient Outcomes and the Quality of Care: Assessing the Role of Job Satisfaction and Structural Empowerment. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(13), 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132381Links to an external site.

Saad Alessa, G. (2021, September 20). The dimensions of transformational leadership and its organizational effects in public universities in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682092/full

MAIN POST

Key Insights

One of the key insights I had while reading through the resources provided was concerning transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is a broad term encompassing many supported theoretical frameworks developed by theorists worldwide. It describes a successful leader’s behavioral and professional traits, including the charisma to inspire and influence others to achieve success while being emotionally intelligent and intellectually stimulating to voice and advocate for improvement based on vast knowledge and expertise. Leaders are role models within their profession by asking questions, creating solutions, and collaborating with and supporting coworkers using compassion, empathy, and kindness to inspire all individuals they interact with (Broome & Marshall, 2021).
Another key insight I had while reviewing resources was the moral-based theory of servant leadership. In this theory, “leaders tend to prioritize the fulfillment of the needs of followers, namely employees, customers and other stakeholders, rather than satisfying their personal needs” (Canavesi & Minelli, 2022, para. 1). Servant leaders are leaders by action, rather than just a voice. They influence others by providing a team-based approach to improve patient and job satisfaction and performance. By looking away from an organization’s financial gains or losses, the servant leader looks out for the needs of their colleagues and followers based on their morals and values (Canavesi & Minelli, 2022).

Leadership Skills in Practice

I have experienced a wide variety of leadership styles in only my six years of healthcare experience. In my experience, the servant leadership style has been the most effective in the psychiatric setting. In a study published by der Kinderen et al. (2020), the servant leadership style was analyzed and proved to be most effective within mental health organizations by promoting eudaimonic well-being. In an inpatient psychiatric hospital, teamwork is essential for the safety of staff and patients. Compared to medical hospitals, nurses interact with every patient within the milieu and continuously observe for escalating behavior in the milieu that may require seclusion or restraints. In many cases, we have incredibly agitated and aggressive patients requiring physical restraints, and lives could be in danger if your team cannot support this process. Leaders are needed in these situations to identify the imminent needs of patients and staff by delegating or de-escalating after identifying safety concerns.
An experience I had to witness the servant leadership style in practice was with a house supervisor responding to a code on a unit with an acutely psychotic and aggressive patient. This was after the patient had just near-fatally assaulted a staff member, causing a fracture on their skull. This leader came running onto the unit while simultaneously calling 911 after seeing the assault happen while watching the unit cameras. The leader immediately created a plan to restrain the patient until the police and ambulances showed up while delegating roles to the team members to decrease further injuries. After all imminent threats were resolved, she conducted a huddle with all members involved to address what could have gone differently, i.e., stronger medication, improved therapeutic communication, timeliness of calling code, and code response. She also encouraged the conversation of what the team members did well with. When staff members voiced concerns about inadequate staffing ratios on the night shift, the house supervisor relayed this information to her immediate supervisors and up the chain of command to receive a better response. She displayed servant leadership by working alongside her colleagues to de-escalate a dangerous situation, as well as by advocating for their safety by increasing staffing matrixes based on acuity levels on the units.

Leadership Impact on Workplace

Within this situation presented above, the servant leadership style played a significant role in the employee and team’s well-being and trust in the leadership team and organization. The skills she used included an open, non-judgmental conversation about areas of improvement and focused on strengths to increase the chances of better outcomes in future codes. She participated in the code as a team member, not in a managerial role, prioritizing her coworker’s safety over her role as the boss. By using these servant leadership qualities, workplace satisfaction was increased as team members knew their concerns were being addressed and had a leader among them who stressed the importance of safety throughout the hospital. This house supervisor emulated important professional and personal traits that encouraged coworkers and peers to strive for success and improvement within the workforce. She was an excellent role model to other house supervisors who believed their role was only as a manager and not as active members of the care team.

References

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). Springer.

Canavesi, A. & Minelli, E. (2022). Servant Leadership: A systematic literature review and network analysis. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 34(3), 267-289. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10672-021-09381-3Links to an external site.

der Kinderen, S., Valk, A., Khapova, S. N., & Tims, M. (2020). Facilitating eudaimonic well-being in mental health care organizations: The role of Servant Leadership and Workplace Civility Climate. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), 1173. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041173Links to an external site. 

Initial Post.

In simple words, leadership is guiding, directing, motivating, and inspiring individuals or groups toward achieving a common goal agreed upon by all. Early management theories developed during the industrial revolution and were more geared toward the process. Processes were made rigid, and people needed to follow, which gave rise to bureaucratic and autocratic leadership styles and hierarchal power structures.  Leadership theories moved from process to worker style theories to leader trait theories (Broome, Marshall, (2020). The focus lately has moved from the process to the worker to the leader. As the leadership theories started to look at human behavior and then theories moved from trait theories to situational and constituent interaction theories. Leadership is seen through the lens of emotional intelligence to servant leadership theory (Broome & Marshall,2020).

It is clear from the historical perspective that the current methodology to improve human behavior is directly related to the behavior of the leaders. In any work environment, productivity increases if people feel listened to and the decision-making is consensus-based. The difference between the high-capacity and low-capacity health departments seems to be based on the behavior of nursing administration if decisions are made collectively or were forced on the staff, and the staff is provided additional educational opportunities by the administration (Duggan & et al., 2015). One of the behaviors that seem to be very important is humility. Humility improves the subordinates’ self-worth, which increases autonomy, possibly via psychological empowerment, and thus makes staff more productive. Organizational measures for cultivating humble leadership among nurse managers are vital to enhancing nurses’ psychological empowerment, which ultimately promotes nurses’ proactive behavior (El-Gazer & et at., 2022). As described by nurse managers in self-reported interviews, authentic leadership has self-awareness of the leader, balanced processing, transparency, and moral leadership is the main pillars of such leadership (Alexander & Lopez 2018).

In my experience at my hospital, most of the problems seem to stem from a lack of transparency and humility in our leadership. Our current turnover ratio is about 8-10%  per year, and the hospital is bleeding nurses at a higher rate than are being recruited. Nurses feel paralyzed in the face of a constant threat that they may be reassigned to a different unit if they make a mistake. Nurse managers rarely tour hospital wards to make nurses feel included; thus, rumors float more often due to a lack of transparency. In my opinion, if nurses are more proactive and feel empowered that their mistakes will be tolerated with humility, then the quality of care shall improve. Now nurses act based on what they learned a long time ago, and there is no deliberate effort from the management to provide quality ongoing education. My hospital has a perfect opportunity to improve patient care through educating leadership with newer techniques.

References:

Alexander, C., & Lopez, R. P. (2018). A thematic analysis of self-described authentic leadership

behaviors among experienced nurse executives. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(1), 38-43.

Broome, M. E., & Marshall, E. S. (2020). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician

to influential leader (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Tabak, R. G., Smith, C., Erwin, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2015). Implementing

administrative evidence-based practices: Lessons from the field in six local health departments across the united states. BMC Health Services Research, 15(1).                                        https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3Links to an external site.

El‐Gazar, H. E., Zoromba, M. A., Zakaria, A., Abualruz, H., & Abousoliman, A. D. (2022). Effect of

humble leadership on proactive work behaviour: The mediating role of psychological empowerment among nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7), 2689–2698.                      https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13692Links to an external site.

                                                      Leadership Theories in Practice-Initial Discussion

           The pandemic has brought new stressors on the healthcare world. There are budget constraints, nurses and other healthcare providers left the profession in droves leaving bare bones staffing with an increasing number of very sick patients. Nursing leaders must find a way to make sure that staff are happy and not burning out, patients are receiving the best care possible all while staying within budgetary constraints of this new world. More leaders are leaning into a caring leadership style and to meet the demands of the new world. Erickson caritive model is a natural process in which nursing leadership focuses on “guidance, direction, respect, and human love and compassion for employees” (Zhang et al., 2022). In my facility I observed our upper leadership team make sure we all felt safe and secure in our jobs. Our C-suite team walked beside us through the entire initial pandemic. They were helping hands in the ICU, passed out masks at doors, acted as sitters on the floors and made sure when life slowed down that we all kept our jobs and our hours. The leadership team within my facility definitely could have had a more business model focus in their leadership but chose caring instead. This has created some of the lowest turnover rates in our region and nationwide for our organization.

            I was a nurse manager during the pandemic and ultimately decided to step down and chose another path in nursing. I was able to help chose my replacement nurse manage. The top candidate had only five years of nursing experience. I had eighteen at the tie and the other nurses on my units trumped my years by a minimum of ten years. It was difficult to get the team to agree that she was going to do a great job. We got the support from upper leadership and hired our, very enthusiastic not jaded in nursing, nurse manager, Lindsay. It took her a solid year to break through all of the walls the “mature” nurses had set. Within Parse’s nursing theory the Human Becoming Theory, there is something she calls “creative élan—a force and vigor that taps into innovation and facilitates marked contributions to healthcare” (Donohue-Porter, 2014). Lindsay did just that. She is very inventive with her staffing. She has brought two units who used to not care to much for each other together and they now share staffing. She has brought all of the other floors leadership together and created a team approach. Another benefit of having a fresh set of eyes created was an avenue for nursing student as patient care techs within the float pool. Theu are able to see all aspects of the hospital and gain experience needed to determine where to go after nursing school. We are very lucky to have the c-suite team and Lindsay utilizing these nursing theories.

                                                                             References

Donohue-Porter, P. (2014). The creative élan of nursing theory. Nursing Science Quarterly, 27(4), 330–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318414546413Links to an external site.

Zhang, F., Peng, X., Huang, L., Liu, Y., Xu, J., He, J., Guan, C., Chang, H., & Chen, Y. (2022). A caring leadership model in nursing: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(4), 981–992. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13600Links to an external site.

Main Post

Leadership in Healthcare

Leadership is essential in any organization and being a good leader that is respected among those that you lead is important for morale and productivity.  In order to be a good nurse leader, you have to lead by example and provide “advance effective healthcare for society” (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Being a leader is hard work and can take an emotional and physical toll on the nurse.

When reading scholarly articles about nurse leaders, I found it interesting that higher-level healthcare facilities were “more likely to have strong leadership, partnerships, financial flexibility, workforce development activities, and an organizational culture supportive of evidence-based decision making” (Duggan et al, 2021). This is not to say that rural facilities do not have great nurse leadership, but the odds of a higher-level healthcare facility having better nurse leadership is greater. I have found that being a great leader in several different careers, including nursing, has been challenging. It is important to have both a good relationship and have fun at times with those you lead while commanding respect and trust when needed. When a leader has a “relational leadership style in which followers have trust and respect for the leader [they] are motivated to do more than is formally expected of them to achieve organizational goals” (Boamah, et al, 2018). In the mental health facility I work, at there are multiple leaders that lead by example and are respected by fellow coworkers and patients. These leaders allow their coworkers to make good decisions and, if needed, they offer constructive criticism in order to help their team members learn and grow. One thing that is important is to back up your fellow nurse or psych tech’s decisions.  A good leader will not use their authority to overthrow the decision that was made, but rather help explain why it was made.  It is important for me to know that my charge nurse has my back, that my decisions are supported, and that my mistakes are corrected without judgment or disrespect.

Boamah, S.A., Spence Laschinger, H.K., Won, C. and Clarke, S. (2018), “Effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction and patient safety outcomes”, Nursing Outlook, Vol. 66 No. 2, pp. 180–189, doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2017.10.004 

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Duggan, K., Aisaka, K., Tabak, R. G., Smith, C., Erwin, P., & Brownson, R. C. (2015). Implementing administrative evidence-based practices: Lessons from the field in six local health departments across the United States. BMC Health Services Research, 15 Links to an external site.(1). doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3. Retrieved from https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-015-0891-3Links to an external site.

Main Post

The part played by the activities of leadership in the creation of good working environments

Nurses need to work in an atmosphere that is not just healthy but also fun, empowering, and safe for them to be able to provide patients with safe and good care. The acts of leaders have an effect on the development of a favorable working environment for nurses. The articles enlightened me on two important points, the first of which is that leaders play an essential part in establishing the work settings that shape employee experiences and, as a result, health and outcomes connected to the workplace. According to Sili et al. (2014), a good and genuine leader who is characterized by honesty, self-awareness, clarity, behavioral integrity, and empathy for workers is able to generate a pleasant working environment in which people feel empowered. This is because a good and genuine leader is characterized by honesty, self-awareness, clarity, and behavioral integrity.

Effective leadership can help avoid bad things like burnout, dissatisfaction, and people leaving their jobs. According to Mudallal et al. (2017), leadership behavior that enables nurses to use their abilities, actions, and knowledge to govern their work has the potential to improve job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and the quality of care. Furthermore, this type of behavior may also increase the likelihood that nurses will continue to work in the field. The Application of Leadership Theories in Nursing (Nursing Discussion 1) (NURS 6053). Activities that empower nurses, such as educating and exhibiting concern and care for patients, alleviate feelings of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion in nurses by creating faith in the organization and its leader. In particular, transformational leadership practices contribute to the creation of a positive environment at work, one in which nurses feel they have agency and are engaged in their job.

Behaviors associated with leadership have the ability to assist employees in realizing their potential and encouraging them to make adjustments that are realistic. According to Suranto et al. (2018), leaders that encourage collaboration, engage workers in decision-making, recognize outstanding performance, and inspire motivation may raise employee satisfaction and improve the quality of their work-life balance. The followers of a transformative leader, for instance, are motivated to stay loyal to the organization and to participate in the achievement of the group’s common purpose. A transformational leader is one who helps employees progress beyond professional and personal concerns by providing advice and making use of the power that has been entrusted to them.

An instance in which one has seen the skills and behaviors associated with effective leadership in action.

In my experience, a nurse manager of a medical-surgical unit who died alongside a nurse who frequently slept off the job exhibited leadership behaviors and skills that fostered a healthy work environment. These behaviors and abilities were used by the nurse manager. The nurse manager conversed with the nurse and successfully convinced him to give his job a higher priority. During the talk, the manager did not criticize the nurse but instead reassured her that he trusted and valued her. However, he did warn her that if she recognized that he was disregarding his duties, it may have an effect on the results for the patients. The manager paid close attention to the employee as he talked about his ideas and points of view so that he could better understand the employee’s worries and needs. To get the nurse to care more about the unit, the leader gave her support and encouragement. The nurse got more invested in his work, stopped dozing off throughout his shift, improved his performance, and was ultimately successful in meeting the goals set forth by the company.

The efficiency of the talents, as well as how their use impacted the working environment

In this particular instance, the nurse manager’s leadership talents proved to be highly beneficial, as they made it possible for the nurse to see his mistake and assisted him in altering both her and his behavior. . The nurse’s attitude toward behavior change was significantly impacted by the leader’s capacity for open communication and attentive listening, which served as a source of inspiration and motivation for the nurse. The trust between the leader and the nurse was formed when the leader listened to the nurse’s wishes and concerns without passing judgment on him. The leader gained the nurse’s confidence by communicating with him in a manner that was honest, fair, and open and by encouraging the nurse to make the choice to alter his behavior on his own. The nurse’s qualities as a leader created a pleasant place to work. This made it easier for the employee to contribute to the organization’s goals and kept the nurse from punishing the patient for his mistake. Because of these skills, the nurse was able to make him feel appreciated and important at work, which made him like his job more and make him more committed to the company.

Transformational Leadership in Nursing Practice

     Transformational leadership in nursing can have an incredibly positive impact on the workplace. Broome and Marshall (2021) stated that this leadership style encourages nurses to take ownership of their roles and strive for excellence in their work. Commenting on the same, Alzahrani (2019) mentioned that transformational leadership provides an environment where nurses work collaboratively to achieve goals and solve problems. Moreover, this leadership style encourages nurses to be proactive, think outside the box, take the initiative, and be creative in their approach to care. According to Collins et al. (2020), this ultimately leads to increased job satisfaction, improved patient outcomes, and better communication between nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals.

     I have seen a leader in my current nursing role use transformational behaviors and skills to create a positive work environment. She always considered the needs of her staff and worked to find creative solutions to problems. For example, when our department was short-staffed due to illness, she encouraged team members to take extra shifts to ensure that patient care was not compromised. She was also eager to support us when we had questions or issues. Furthermore, she was always willing to listen to ideas from her staff and was open to new ways of doing things. Doing this showed that she valued her team’s input and was willing to make changes to improve the organization.

    This leadership style is often beneficial because it encourages collaboration and creativity and culminates in improved results in healthcare settings (Apore & Asamoah, 2019). She was clear about expectations and provided regular feedback on our progress. All in all, she created a positive work environment where everyone felt appreciated and respected.

References

Alzahrani, S. (2019). Transformational leadership style on nursing job satisfaction amongst nurses in hospital settings: Findings from systematic review. Global Journal of Health Science, 11(6), 1-25.

Apore, G. N., & Asamoah, E. S. (2019). Emotional intelligence, gender and transformational leadership among nurses in emerging economies. Leadership in Health Services.

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Collins, E., Owen, P., Digan, J., & Dunn, F. (2020). Applying transformational leadership in nursing practice. Nurs Stand, 35(5), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2019.e11408Links to an external site.