Leadership Theories in Practice

POST 1

 People come from all walks of life. Life being the key term as people's experiences may guide their nursing practice. I find being emotionally fluent is a significant factor in a workplace outcome. Leadership is an entirely different ballgame. Many people a leader interacts with from management, other nurses, techs, patients, and so on. I believe that it is essential and a factor in being a well-rounded leader in understanding emotional intelligence. When situations in the workplace get heated, they can appropriately move through them.

            According to Joseph M Lindell, "Complexity, chaos, high rates of change, serious safety and quality issues, and workforce shortages in health care are some of the reasons why clinical leadership is important. (Lindell,2015)" I agree with this information. While working in the field, I have experienced many different leaders who possess their styles. I work in the emergency room, and with people's lives on the line, seconds matter. For example, there is a code running. A doctor is ordering and present, many nurses and other staff are also assisting; what would happen if the house supervisor comes in and starts to discuss why the phone went unanswered at the charge desk. Provided is a valid concern that the house supervisor has; however, had they thought about the right time for the conversation, it may create a better outcome. When someone is in a code, there is no time for outside distraction. I believe that the house supervisor was able to use leadership communication skills was minimal. A leader should approach a situation with as much possible information, understanding, and the right time.

             The difference between a great leader and a leader who makes a difference while creating a positive environment is their ability to utilize skills and behaviors beneficial for leading. According to Goh, leadership can maximize employee abilities, generate better outcomes, and influence those around them to become leaders themselves (Goh, 2018)." There was a time when I was in school for nursing, and the teacher was a leadership teacher. It was somewhat confusing to me. This teacher showed me that you could know all the leading information; however, the action is where the magic happens. This professor attempted to control the class, assigning material outside of the syllabus multiple times throughout the quarter while impacting many students and their ability to thrive. The leadership styles work both ways. I have seen them lift individuals past a point the person ever thought they could be and the other side of the coin, tearing individuals down further than they have ever gone. Although the information is easily accessible, leadership is never easy and should be considered a great responsibility.           

            A true leader will continue to grow. Even while leading, they will learn from mistakes and are human, just like everyone else. They, too, deserve grace and understanding as they grow in leadership. It takes a village, and although a leader can help those around them grow or not, the team is only as strong as their weakest link.

References:

Goh AMJ, Ang SY, Della PR. Leadership style of nurse managers as perceived by registered nurses: A cross-sectional survey. Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare. 2018;27(3):205-210. doi: 10.1177/2010105817751742

Joseph, M. L., & Huber, D. L. (2015). Clinical leadership development and education for nurses: prospects and opportunities. Journal of healthcare leadership, 7, 55–64.  https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S68071

Manning, Jennifer DNS, APRN, CNS, CNE The Influence of Nurse Manager Leadership Style on Staff Nurse Work Engagement, JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration: September 2016 - Volume 46 - Issue 9 - p 438-443 DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000372

POST 2

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Leadership Theories in Practice

A healthy work environment is a work setting in which policies, procedures, and systems are designed so that employees can meet organizational objectives and achieve personal satisfaction in their work (Marshall & Broome, 2020). The first insight that I learned from Asiri et al. (2016) is that unique stressors facing organizations throughout society today call for a leadership model such as authentic leadership which aims at restoring basic confidence, hope, optimism, resiliency, and meaningfulness. The second insight is that through personal identification with followers and social identification with the organization, authentic leaders can enhance the engagement, motivation, commitment, satisfaction, and involvement required from followers to constantly improve their work and performance outcomes (De Zulueta, 2016). Authentic leadership integrates engagement which is a key element in the long-term solution to chronic stress and burnout in the workplace (De Zulueta, 2016). Leaders who engage employees contribute positive emotions, attitudes, and behaviors to the workplace, which may result in a sustainable healthy work environment.

 Describe a Leader or Situation which uses the above behaviors and skills used in practice

In my organization, the leader that comes close to exhibiting the traits of authentic leadership is our supervisor. For example, she always encourages independent thought processes and subsequent sharing of forthcoming ideas. Furthermore, she is tolerant of our mistakes and advises us to use them as a motivational platform to improve our service delivery. The supervisor believes that mistakes are essential for the growth and improvement of the organization and thus prefers engaging the staff to correct them as opposed to insulting one.

Effectiveness of leadership attributes

The above leadership behaviors and skills effectively impact staff morale and job satisfaction. For example, the supervisor communicating and engaging members consistently on organizational decisions, and being able to connect with them emotionally, enables her to understand their mistakes. In essence, employees are usually made to feel part of the organization and thus experience greater job satisfaction. This aspect often leads to members working with great enthusiasm and energy to improve their performance and avoid disappointing her. In essence, members respond by feelings of trust, loyalty, and respect for the supervisor and thus perform better.

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References

Asiri, S. A., Rohrer, W. W., Al-Surimi, K., Da’ar, O. O., & Ahmed, A. (2016). The association of leadership styles and empowerment with nurses’ organizational commitment in an acute health care setting: a cross-sectional study. BMC nursing, 15(1), 1-10.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-016-0161-7

De Zulueta P. C. (2016). Developing compassionate leadership in health care: an integrative review. Journal of healthcare leadership, 8, 1–10.  https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S93724

Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2020). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

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