Discussion 1: Leadership Theories in Practice.
Leadership is an important element in nursing and healthcare. Nurse leaders utilize their knowledge and skills to influence the decisions and actions of their followers. Leaders adopt different leadership styles and theories in their practice. They include transformational, democratic, autocratic, and translational leadership styles among others. Therefore, this essay examines the key insights learned from selected scholarly articles, a description of a leader I have witnessed using such skills and behaviors, and their effectiveness.
Key Insights from the Scholarly Resources
The articles by Ferreira et al. (2020) and Wei et al. (2020) were reviewed to learn more about leadership in nursing. Wei et al. (2020) investigated the impact of nurse leadership styles on nurse burnout. Ferreira et al. (2020) investigated challenges and strategies of transformational leadership in nursing practice. The articles provided crucial insights about nursing leadership. One of them is the role of empowerment in nursing leadership. Effective nurse leaders empower those they lead. They help them to identify their strengths and opportunities they can explore to achieve their desired competencies(Ferreira et al., 2020). Nurse leaders also empower those they lead through actions such as mentorship, which helps them to develop the desired knowledge and skills in their diverse areas of practice.
The second insight I acquired from the article is the influence of work environment on nursing leadership. Effective nurse leaders create a work environment that supports their followers. They strive to promote honesty, respect, and openness in their practice. The leaders also promote culture of safety and quality. They recognize the roles that each staff plays in promoting excellence in the delivery of healthcare services(Wei et al., 2020). They also engage in continuous self-analysis to identify ways of promoting excellence among those they lead.
Leader
I worked in a medical unit with a leader who utilized empowerment and creation of safe work environment to encourage excellence in service delivery. The leader focused on assisting others to become their best versions. She adopted strategies such as delegation of roles, mentorship, leading by example, and open communication to empower others. She also gave constructive feedback to her staff, with the aim of improving their performance and competencies. Decision-making prioritized the needs of the staff in the unit. For example, she sought input of the nursing staff on the upcoming changes in the unit before making a decision. The leader was also an advocate of her followers. She was active in ensuring the adopted interventions aligned with the needs and expectations of the nursing staff(Hofmeyer& Taylor, 2021). She also ensured the interventions protected their rights and helped them to achieve their potentials.
Effectiveness and Impact of the Skills in the Workplace
The nurse leader’s actions were effective. The staff was highly motivated and dedicated to deliver high-quality care to their patients. Cases absenteeism, lateness, and safety issues in the department were also minimal. The staff was also actively involved in the translation of evidence-based strategies into their service delivery(Robbins &Davidhizar, 2020). There was also a high level of dedication towards the promotion of safety and quality outcomes in the facility for patients, families, and other healthcare providers.
Conclusion
In summary, the selected articles provide insights about nursing leadership. The two key concepts that relate to nursing leadership I learnt from the articles are empowerment and influence of work environment on nursing leadership. I have worked with a nurse who incorporated the concepts into her leadership. The use of effective leadership styles and strategies has positive impact on other staff and organizational outcomes.
References
Ferreira, V. B., Amestoy, S. C., Silva, G. T. R. da, Trindade, L. de L., Santos, I. A. R. dos, &Varanda, P. A. G. (2020). Transformational leadership in nursing practice: Challenges and strategies. RevistaBrasileira de Enfermagem, 73, e20190364. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0364
Hofmeyer, A., & Taylor, R. (2021).Strategies and resources for nurse leaders to use to lead with empathy and prudence so they understand and address sources of anxiety among nurses practising in the era of COVID-19.Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(1–2), 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15520
Robbins, B., &Davidhizar, R. (2020).Transformational Leadership in Health Care Today.The Health Care Manager, 39(3), 117. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCM.0000000000000296
Wei, H., King, A., Jiang, Y., Sewell, K. A., & Lake, D. M. (2020). The Impact of Nurse Leadership Styles on Nurse Burnout: A Systematic Literature Review. Nurse Leader, 18(5), 439–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2020.04.002
ORDER YOUR CUSTOM DISCUSSION ESSAY HERE
Nurse leadership behaviors have an influence on the development of a healthy workplace environment for nurses. The two critical insights that I have recognized from the articles and course textbook include leaders being essential for the future of nursing and healthcare reforms through transformational leadership, and possession of emotional intelligence. The reforms in healthcare that will define the future of the sector implore leaders to have a transformational approach that aligns closely with emotional intelligence (Marshall & Broome, 2017). Leaders must be emotionally intelligent to appreciate their feelings and emotions together with those of others and regulate them positively, especially when making critical decisions (Raghubir, 2018). Emotional intelligence facilitates a positive and interactive work environment that motivates nurses to offer quality care to patients and enhance outcomes.
A situation where I have experienced the use of leadership skills and behaviors that create a healthy work environment is in our practice where the nurse manager deals with shift nurses in an encouraging and positive way despite mistakes and errors that one makes. The manager implored on the nurses to ensure that they follow the laid down protocols when dealing with medication administration to avoid potential errors. The manager never criticizes the errors but implores nurses to follow processes while also committing to enhancing care. The manager listens and reasons with the workers to ensure that all make the right decisions irrespective of the situation and urgency.
Intentional learning, experience, insight and coaching as well as mastery of wisdom are critical to the development of leadership skills. The leadership skills that the nurse manager applied were significantly effective in enabling her to understand the issues and concerns that nurses have which may increase their susceptibility to errors (Suratno et al., 2018). The leader’s skills in open communication and active listening motivated the nurses and had a substantial effect leading to change in their behaviors. These approaches established a better and positive workplace culture for the nurses and other healthcare professionals.
References
Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Raghubir, A.E. (2018). Emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice: A concept review
using Rodgers’s evolutionary analysis approach. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2018.03
Suratno, K., Kusrini, K., & Ariyanti, S. (2018). The Relationship between Transformational
Leadership and Quality of Nursing Work Life in Hospital. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(3), 1416-1420.
A walk through the Business section of any bookstore or a quick Internet search on the topic will reveal a seemingly endless supply of writings on leadership. The formal research literature is also teeming with volumes on the subject.
However, your own observation and experiences may suggest these theories are not always so easily found in practice. Not that the potential isn’t there; current evidence suggests that leadership factors such as emotional intelligence and transformational leadership behaviors, for example, can be highly effective for leading nurses and organizations.
Yet, how well are these theories put to practice? In this Discussion, you will examine formal leadership theories. You will compare these theories to behaviors you have observed firsthand and discuss their effectiveness in impacting your organization.