Description of Key Insights
There are several formal leadership theories, including transformational, democratic, laissez-faire, autocratic, and servant. Targeted leadership development in nursing will ensure that future health workers will be well prepared to meet the challenges of an overburdened health care system (den Breejen-de Hooge et al., 2021). Among the many types of leadership, transformational leadership is probably one of the most desirable (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Leaders of this type inspire change and create an environment characterized by trust and innovation (Broome & Marshall, 2021). In nursing, leadership helps to build a friendly and healthy-promoting environment (Furunes et al., 2018). How effective the leader’s actions largely determine the quality of the treatment (Sfantou et al., 2017). The importance of this phenomenon for health care settings should be underestimated.
Description of Leader/ Situation and Examples
When I interned at the clinic, my mentor seemed like an example of an effective transformational leader. She used different techniques to keep her staff motivated. Her talent was in distributing tasks in such a way that all employees were satisfied. In situations where difficult decisions had to be made, she used critical thinking skills. For example, when she once had difficulty diagnosing a patient, she checked a large number of sources, then discussed with more experienced colleagues, and only then shared her conclusion.
Effectiveness and Impact on Workplace
Leadership is what increases employee performance and has a positive impact on the workforce. The team is much more effective in achieving its goals if it is the leader who develops the methods and means for accomplishing them. This function can include immediately identifying steps and developing long-range plans for activities. Leadership increases staff productivity and creates a culture of caring (Furunes et al., 2018). Good leaders keep employees motivated, prevent turnover, and easily achieve long-term goals (Sfantou et al., 2017). With good leadership, tremendous results can be achieved in a short time.
References
den Breejen-de Hooge, L. E., van Os-Medendorp, H., & Hafsteinsdóttir, T. B. (2021). Is leadership of nurses associated with nurse-reported quality of care? A cross-sectional survey.Journal of Research in Nursing, 26(1–2), 118–132. Web.
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. Springer.
Furunes, T., Kaltveit, A., & Akerjordet, K. (2018). Health-promoting leadership: A qualitative study from experienced nurses’ perspective.Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(23-24), 4290–4301. Web.
Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: A systematic review.Healthcare, 5(4), 1-17. Web.