Leadership entails the ability of an individual to apply his leadership Knowledge and skills to influence his follower’s so as to accomplish the organizational goals. A good leader is one who has high regard for his employees and always sees the best out of their abilities. According to Surllivan (2013) an effective leader is one who has specific knowledge and skills about the about an organizations working condition and is always confident while dispensing his duties. Kershaw (2013) in his submission reiterated that most people have a misconception about what effective leadership is all about. A good leader is not one who gives orders rather; it is about giving inspiration to the followers so as to realize the best out of their abilities.
Another salient aspect of effective leadership is the ability of the leader to understand the needs of the employees, developing effective strategies on how to meet their specific needs. Also, it is imperative for the leader to support all employees and assist them in the reorganization of their effort so as to enhance the organization's output and competitive advantage.
Despite the fact that various people employ styles of leadership to influence the employees to achieve specific goals, the process of guiding a nursing unit in a hospital set up are not an easy task. Healthcare team members rely on the abilities of the nurse leader to guide them through making difficult decisions and uncomfortable tasks so as to enhance the medical outcome and the quality of the care. As noted by Rocky (2013) the three most significant attributes of an effective leader include the ability of the leader to communicate effectively, the ability to motivate nurses and being a role model to other.
Characteristics of an effective leader
Communication
Effective communication is an effective strategy that can help a nurse leader to enhance his connections with other employees, problem-solving and decision making. Effective communication is critical in enhancing the connections and the creation of effective team cooperation. A leader who has developed an open communication infrastructure is always easily accessible by the fellow nurses. Also, communication is of great significance in enhancing teamwork among the nurses. A study by Kershaw (2013) indicates that cooperation among nurses especially during operations or while working in the intensive care unit tends to reduce the occurrence of medical errors a fact that is of help in enhancing the medical outcome. Also, teamwork improves the morale of the nurses thus reducing the tendency of the nurse turnover due to fatigue.
Communication is also critical when it comes to the finding of the problems that are affecting the health organization. A leader who has developed good communication strategies is able to develop correct engagement strategies that will enable them to get in touch with other employees on the ground.Surllivan (2013) reiterates effective leadership entails the ability of individual to identify problems that affect the organization before the conditions worsen. Besides the development of an open communication infrastructure where all employees are free to approach the hospital leadership to air their grievances, it is imperative for the nurse leader to develop other communication strategies like the development of the staff emails and the suggestion boxes where employees can communicate their issues to the hospital management.
In case of disagreements among the nurses, the nurse leader is supposed to develop communication strategies that will give the aggrieved parties an equal chance to express their views. Besides, it is imperative to involve all the warring parties in the finding the solutions to the issue under contention. The inclusion of all the stakeholders in problem solving has an effect on enhancing the acceptability of the agreed solution to the problem.
Involvement of the employees in the decision making is a communication strategy that is pertinent ensuring that all employees have a say in the making of the critical decisions that affects the organization. A study by Anderson (2012) indicates that a nurse leader can use this opportunity to communicate the organization's vision to the employees. Also, employees who are evolved in the formulation of the organization's goals are likely to be committed to the achievement of the objective of the institution since they will develop a sense of ownership. Furthermore, Surllivan (2013) contends that properly engaged employees to tend to be motivated since they feel that the organization management values their input. Effective communication can enhance the coordination among the nurses thus reducing accidents and errors in the hospitals.
Motivation
The second most critical attribute of an effective nurse leader is his ability to motivate his followers. Motivation entails recognition of the efforts of the employees and rewarding them accordingly. According to Kershaw (2013), a nurse leader can use either extrinsic or intrinsic motivation strategies. Extrinsic motivation entails the provision of material rewards to those nurses who performs exemplarily. For instance, the leader can provide salary increment, promotions or provision of other privileges likes day offs.
Intrinsic motivation is a strategy whereby the nurse leader motivates his employees through recognition and praise of the efforts of employees.Anderson (2012) highlights that employees who are properly motivated tend to be committed to their work.
The motivation of the nurses is important since the strategy reduces burnout among the nurses. Nurses who are suffering from burnout are more likely to commit medical errors thus compromising the quality of the care process. Also, motivation tends to reduce absenteeism among the nurses. Absenteeism among the nurses can cause an increase in the workload. Increased workload can make nurses exhausted thus putting them at a risk of committing medical errors and making wrong prescriptions. Motivation is also critical in enhancing teamwork and tension between the staff and the administration.
Anderson (2012) contends that a good leader is one who is committed to role model, and coaches the followers. Mentorship is a salient strategy that effective leaders use to mentor a new crop of leaders that will take over the management of the organization in the event that senior leaders leave the organization. This strategy is critical in enhancing the continuity of the organization. Also, nurses who are mentored adequately are more likely to stay longer in the organization. Continuity which is a product of mentorship and coaching can help in enhancing of the organization's culture.
Leadership Theory
Servant leadership
Servant leadership is a model whereby the manager assumes a supportive and service oriented role in the midst of his followers and the stakeholders (Rocky, 2011).Primarily, the leader serves the organization by developing the skills of his employees, encouraging innovation, removing obstacles and the empowering of the employees when it comes to matters of decision-making and problem solving. Some of the characteristics associated with servant leadership include empathy, stewardship, team building, and commitment to the development of the nurses, collaborative decision making and active listening (Baron, 2010).
The development of the nurses is of great help in enhancing the competency. For instance, training of the employees on the use of informatics in health management is of significance in enhancing evidence-based care. Also, training is important in ensuring that the nurses are updated on the emerging trends in the health care thus making them be more competent while dispensing their duties.
Stewardship as characteristic of servant leadership can enhance medical outcome because other employees learn by seeing what the leader is doing. Empathy and team building is important in building a cohesive team that is committed to the achievement of the organizational goals. Also, servant leadership is a very critical strategy that nurse leaders can use to manage conflicts at the workplace. As noted by Rocky (2011) conflicts among nurses at the hospital can lead to communication breakdown while attending to the patients thus putting the life of the patient at risk.
The model of servant leadership can be used in enhancing change in the medical environment. For instance, training of the nurses on how to use Electronic Health Records in health management can be of help in enhancing safety in hospitals. In addition, the nurse leader can improve communication among the employees through team building. Most of the medical errors occur in the hospital due to fatigue and the breakdown of the communication infrastructure between the caregivers.
Self-Assessment
The American Organization Nurse Executive Competencies is an essential inventory and Mind Tool survey that is patient in determining the effectiveness of a nurse leader. Having worked for three years as a nurse, I continue to experience new work related challenges on a daily basis. Despite the fact that I always strive to adapt to new experiences, some challenges are always beyond my control. This is because nursing is a very demanding profession. However, what drives me is my passion for bringing hope to the sick persons. The process of assessing my abilities to assume a leadership position was challenged since I never considered myself to be a leader before. However, I have realized that I have some leadership qualities after undertaking the Mind Tool survey. Also, there are some areas that need improvement according to the results of the survey.
The results of the Mind Tool survey indicated that I have self-confidence, a good role model, positive attitude and an excellent communicator. From the results, one can deduce that I am an individual who is always committed to excellence and enjoys opportunities that can lead to personal growth. I hold an opinion that what I believe in can be of great help in influencing the employees and the patients. For example, displaying positive attitude can be of significance help in motivating the nurses and giving the patients hope and resilience.
The mind Tool survey result shows that my strongest leadership attributes are in communication. I am always free to communicate any issues and ideas that I think will be of help in enhancing medical outcome. Good communication strategies can help in promoting unity and collaboration among the nurses thus improving the quality of the care. My communication abilities can help in getting all the necessary information from the patient so as to provide a proper diagnosis. Also, good communication requires medical practitioners to serve patients with dignity and honesty. I addition, paying attention to the patient makes him feel that the nurse is caring thus making them open up more about their health condition.
The Mind Tool results indicated that I scored highly in the role model. Most of the leaders who are good role models always regard trustworthy and integrity with the highest esteem (Mind Tool, 2016). One of the most salient competencies that nurses should possess is practicing what they tell other to do. For instance teaching, the community about the importance of hand washing starts with the nurse showing commitment to the hand washing process by being an example for others.
When it comes to resilience, I scored 28.The results of the Personal Resilience Inventory showed that I am a moderately resilient individual (AONE, 2016).This shows that I am fairly confident when it comes to the handling of new and challenging experiences. In life, I always like to be realistic about my abilities by not dwelling so much on things that are beyond my abilities. From the Mind Tool survey, I learned that as a leader, it is not bad to fail .What matters is how one handles the setbacks and creating opportunities out of the bad experiences.
Utilization of theory and Evidence Base Practice
Most of the health care leaders are faced with the challenges related to the compliance with the Evidence Bases practices that have been put in place by the Federal government. According to Kershaw (2013), Evidence Practice requires health institutions to develop strategies that will guarantee the quality of the care and the reduction of the medical cost.
The adoption of the Electronic health Records in the management of the healthcare is of great help in not only enhancing of the medical outcome but also reducing errors in the hospitals. This is because healthcare informatics promotes accurate recording of the patient's data and making of proper diagnosis.
Conclusion
An effective leader is one who has strong interpersonal skills and competencies that lead to empowering the employees. A good leader is one who influences his followers to realize the best out of their abilities. Also, nurse leaders have to adopt strategies that ensure that all the employees are engaged in the decision making. Furthermore, compliance with the evidence-based care is critical in the improvement of the quality of the care.
References
Anderson, L (2012).Difference Between Nurse Leadership Vs Management. Retrieved from http://www.nursetogether.com/difference-between-nurse-leadership-
AONE Nurse Executive Competencies (2016). Retrieved from: http://www.aone.org/resources/nurse-leader-competencies.shtml
Baron, T. (2010).The Art of servant leadership: Designing, your organization for the sake of others. Arizona: Wheatmark, Inc.
Kershaw, B. (2013). Nursing Leadership & ManagementNursing Leadership & Management. Nursing Management, 20(3), 8-8. doi:10.7748/nm2013.06.20.3.8.s11
Mindtools (2016). “How good are your leadership skills” (2016). Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_50.htm
Rocky, W. (2011).Servant leadership: Leaving a legacy. Columbus: R&L Education.
Sullivan, E. (2013). Effective leadership and management in nursing. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
