The Interview
Leadership is commonly defined as a process of influence in which a leader inspires others toward a goal or achievement (Kelly, 2012). Influence is an important part of leadership that has a positive effect on the drive and work ethic of others. Leadership can occur in the form of many different entities: whether it be a group, an organization, or an individual. All leaders have the power to guide their team into reaching their highest potential by mentoring, inspiring, engaging others and leading by example (Kelly, 2012). In choosing a nurse manager to interview for this piece I found myself searching for a person I felt could meet all of these important criteria’s. I decided to interview a nurse manager I met on one of
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(2013) expressed, “the attitudes, standards, and performances of a hospital begin with its leadership.” According to Azaare & Gross (2011) findings have revealed that nurses enter nursing leadership either by chance, career pursuit, or simply on a temporary basis. Leadership is said to be accomplished through role modelling, empowerment, and communication at all levels (Kelly, 2012). Nurse managers who had a transformational leadership style experienced scarcer management problems in comparison to other nurse managers with composite leadership styles (Azaare & Gross, 2011). Thus evidencing that the characteristics of a transformational leader are proven to be the most efficient in respect to effective leadership. In regards to what M.A. believes to be the most important characteristics of a nurse leader, she explained “being compassionate, loving, and a good listener.” As revealed by Harris et al. (2014) there are certain characteristics that are associated with the combination of effective leadership and expansion. Such qualities are believed to be indicating characteristics that seek out individuals as leaders, innovators, and effective managers. Additionally, some of those characteristics are: emotional intelligence, empathy, compassion, and charisma. One that exudes qualities of a transformational leader produces an effective leadership style that encourages others to work in unity with values, provides a vision that reflects reciprocal morals, and empowers others to contribute (Kelly,
The authors in this article aimed to discover nurse manager leadership styles and their outcomes. Nurses from hospitals in the Northeastern part of the United States were asked questions. The data was collected in a locked room, alone, so no one would influence the answers of someone else. The results were put into a software program and displayed for analysis. Results showed when choosing a nurse for a managerial leadership role, one should choose someone if they have the basic components of transformational leadership, not transactional leadership. The authors show that transformational leadership had revealed positive patient outcomes, retention, and satisfaction in the nursing staff. Those nurse leaders who have qualities of transformational leadership are encouraged to build on those skills constantly.
They are influenced by their family of origin, their education, their work experience, and the people they interact with. For Ms. Eckert this has all brought her to her current career position and approach to leadership. She holds leadership not only as the challenge and difficult task that many people today see it as. She also views it as an amazing opportunity to influence others. Ms. Eckert also noted the importance of coaching others, both in their nursing development, and in their leadership potential. This is particularly important as we are facing rapid change within the nursing field. There should be a certain amount of mentorship to learn from those who have experience and to develop one’s own skill. For Ms. Eckert some of the main elements she discussed as contributing to a strong leader are the willingness to coach others, emotional intelligence, a sense of spirituality, valuing diversity, and openness to change and innovation. It should then be the hope of future nurses to emulate this idea of leadership and personal growth as members of the healthcare
Clinical Nurse Leaders (CNLs) perform a balancing act that encompasses patient, administration and nurse practitioner interests. They are key executives in contemporary hospital settings. Prospective CNLs must obtain a master’s degree to qualify for this career track. Hospital administrators trust nurse leaders as nursing pool heads. CNLs also monitor and control the caregiving environment. As America’s healthcare needs increase, so will the need for Clinical Nurse Leaders.
According to Yoder-Wise (2011), “Leadership is the use of personal traits to constructible and ethically influence patients, families, and staff through a process in which clinical and organizational outcomes are achieved through collective efforts” (p. 612). The following paragraphs will explain components of leadership of an anonymous healthcare facility.
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
I believe that leadership is not something that you are born with, but that has to be learned over time. You learn to become a leader from watching other leaders, and also from personal experience. People should become leaders; so that they can help others do their best. They should not become leaders for the title and power that may come with leadership. Being a leader does not mean you get to boss people around by telling them what to do. The purpose of a leader is to guide others by encouraging, showing them the way, and by challenging them to do the best that they can do. I learned leadership through personal experience. In high school I played sports and had many class projects to do. My senior year was the first time my school had a soccer program, and I along with two other girls was captains. As we all know, when a group of girls come together, the drama comes too. All three of the captains had to work together and show the girls that if we wanted this program to be a success and grow, they had to work together as well. It was hard at first, but when we encouraged everyone, it worked out better than expected in the end. Also, in my business class, we had a lot of projects that were mostly group projects. During the end of the year, we had a project where we had to make up a new product. My partner and I were both seniors and it was a stressful time with finals, SAT scores, graduation, and trying to become honor graduates. We were tired and just did not want to do another project, but our teacher, Mr. Brace, did not give up on us. He showed us what to do, and encouraged us constantly every day. He would tell us many positive things and would check up on us. He was a great teacher and a great leader. Leadership may be one wo...
Nurse’s can demonstrate leadership by facilitating outstanding care to patients and it is related to how one’s values and behavior affect others. A leader is all about with success and contribution and a successful leader set his/her standards, goals and strategies at high. One can become a leader by assigned or emerged but both will be working towards a common goal of good or bad. In leadership, positive attitude is the key to success and problems and challenge in healthcare industry demand that nurses seek and fill the gap.
Leadership is all about having the right amount of heart and determination to help make a difference in someone’s life. It takes certain qualities to be considered a good leader. A leader should want to help inspire others to make a change and to be the best that they can be. A true leader does not need to feel powerful, instead they empower those around them. Throughout my life I have come across various leaders who have made an impact on my life. It takes a very special person to inspire and touch people’s lives. Leadership is so much deeper than having power and bossing people around.
An organization’s mission, vision, and philosophy determine the goals the company seeks to achieve and describes the structures used to reach objectives. The mission statement speaks to the relationship the organization has with the community by linking its actions to the people it serves. The vision statement gives details of the organization’s purpose and values to employees and customers. The philosophy defines principles and overall beliefs that guide the organization in reaching its goals (Current Nursing, n.d.). For this paper, I will describe the mission and vision statements of my organization, discuss how my role supports the mission, discuss pros and cons of the nursing department’s structure, and give examples of how nursing could
In healthcare it is very important to have strong leaders, especially in the nursing profession. A nurse leader typically uses several styles of leadership depending on the situation presented; this is known as situational leadership. It is important that the professional nurse choose the right style of leadership for any given situation to ensure their employees are performing at their highest potential. Depending on which leadership style a nurse leader uses, it can affect staff retention and the morale of the employees as well as nurse job satisfaction (Azaare & Gross, 2011.) “Nursing leaders have the responsibility to create and maintain a work environment which not only promotes positive patient outcomes but also positively influences teams and individual nurses” (Malloy & Penprase, 2010.) Let’s explore two different leadership styles and discuss how they can enhance or diminish the nursing process.
Leadership is often described as the behavior of an individual when directing the activities of a group of people with a shared goal (Al-Sawai, 2013). It can be difficult to examine leadership in the context of health care, because research and theories of leadership were created in a business environment. These leadership styles are then applied in a health care framework, which has its own unique complexities (Al-Sawai, 2013).
During my interview with Regina Martinez, BS RN and currently an Assistant Director of a home health agency, I discovered her leadership style matched the above quote. Martinez had extensive experience in management prior to joining the medical field. As a single working mother, she worked her way up from waitress to manger of a popular seafood restaurant. However, her dream had always been to become a nurse and she began her medical career as a certified nurse’s aide (CNA), while working through college. She graduated from nursing school with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and has been a Registered Nurse (RN) for more than two decades. She quickly earned the respect of doctors and fellow nurses, becoming a Charge Nurse on the floors she worked. She has worked as Medical Surgery nurse, emergency room, and as Director of Nursing for home health and long-term care facilities where she was responsible for over 150 employees.
Marquis describes a leader as the motivation and the leading of the performance. Leader’s uniqueness and abilities are what make others to need to take after his or her way (2009 p.32). First, a leader must understand the self and others as the beginning in leading. As Kouzes and Posner stated “self-discovery and self-awareness are critical to developing the capacity to lead. And personal reflection and analysis of one’s own leadership behaviors are core components in that process” (2011, p. 13). In health care, the nursing leaders hold a vital role in inspiring, empowering, coaching, and supporting the nursing profession to engage with today 's changes in the healthcare. Importantly, the nursing leader’s priority is to advocate for the patients’ care by role modeling to the team on delivering a safe and quality care. Nursing leader who strives effectiveness in responding to challenges, will assess personal leadership style, personality traits and leadership competencies. Thus, self-reflection on leadership is the base for the
Leadership is defined by Northouse (2013) as a transactional experience between persons whereby one individual influences a group of individuals who have a mutual goal. Leaders may hold authority attributed to them by the group, substantiated by how they are regarded, whether or not they have positional authority. In contrast to management, where the goal is to provide order through control, leadership is concerned with producing change through transformation and practical adjustments (Northouse, 2013). Because of the nature of nursing, its obligation to promoting health and healing of people, nursing leadership concentrates change efforts based on human needs and concurrently ponders the needs of administrations largely because they understand the interrelatedness of the two influences.
In today’s society, leadership is a common yet useful trait used in every aspect of life and how we use this trait depends on our role. What defines leadership is when someone has the capability to lead an organization or a group of people. There are many examples that display a great sense of leadership such being an educator in health, a parent to their child, or even a nurse. In the medical field, leadership is highly used among nurses, doctors, nurse managers, director of nursing, and even the vice president of patient care services. Among the many positions in the nursing field, one who is a nurse manager shows great leadership. The reason why nurse manager plays an important role in patient care is because it is known to be the most difficult position. As a nurse manager, one must deal with many patient care issues, relationships with medical staff, staff concerns, supplies, as well as maintaining work-life balance. Also, a nurse manager represents leadership by being accountable for the many responsibilities he or she holds. Furthermore, this position is a collaborative yet vital role because they provide the connection between nursing staff and higher level superiors, as well as giving direction and organization to accomplish tasks and goals. In addition, nurse managers provide nurse-patient ratios and the amount of workload nursing staff has. It is their responsibility to make sure that nursing staff is productive and well balanced between their work and personal lives.