The Institute of Medicine's report, The Future of Nursing-Leading Change, Advancing Health, specifically calls for nurses to embrace leadership roles at all levels and on all fronts. This includes collaborative improvement efforts and directing positive healthcare changes by nurses in their facilities and beyond. Being an effective leader is a crucial skill in today's healthcare environment. Nurse leaders who have a vision and can inspire staff and coworkers to be on board with that vision can really affect patient care and improve outcomes.
According to Sherman and Pross (2010), healthy work environments have a positive impact on staff satisfaction, retention, improved patient outcomes, and organizational performance. Strong nursing leadership at all levels of the organization, but especially at the unit level where most frontline staff work and patient care is delivered, is required to establish these healthy work environments.
What constitutes a healthy work environment? The Nursing Organizations Alliance, a coalition of major nursing organizations throughout the United States, including NAON, issued a joint position statement that identified the following nine key elements that support the development of healthy work environments:
* A collaborative practice culture
* A communication-rich culture
* A culture of accountability
* The presence of adequate numbers of qualified nurses
* The presence of expert, competent, credible, visible leadership
* Shared decision making at all levels
* The encouragement of professional practice and continued growth and development
* Recognition of the value of nursing's contribution
* Recognition by nurses for their meaningful contributions to practice
Some organizations are taking significant steps to improve their work environments. Sherman and Pross (2010) note that achievement of Magnet recognition through the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program is considered in nursing to be the gold standard for hospitals seeking to build professional practice environments that are healthy and support the work of nurses. Transformational leadership is one of the five Magnet components.
Smith (2011) reports that transformational leadership, a theory developed by James McGregor Burns in 1978, fits well in nursing as it encourages adaptation to change and helps to recognize where change is needed. The transformational leader gets buy-in from followers, which creates a sense of commitment for all involved to embrace the needed change. The transformational leadership style inspires others to develop and implement effective leadership characteristics. The ultimate goal is for the leader and the follower to discover meaning and purpose in relation to their work.
Years ago, it was common for RNs who were good staff nurses to automatically be offered the "next step" of becoming a manager. Sometimes great staff nurses were thrown into the role of manager without the educational background needed to be successful. Nurses in these unit-level roles and the nurse manager role need growth and mentoring to cultivate the leadership skills needed to support the development of healthy workplaces. The transformational style of leadership allows leaders to enhance the motivation, morale, and performance of their follower groups, shifting away from a command-and-control style of staff supervision.
So what qualities do transformational leaders exhibit? Transformational leaders portray trustworthiness and possess a positive, encouraging, optimistic outlook. They promote teamwork among the staff, motivating them to function at a high level of performance. Smith (2011) notes several important characteristics of the transformational leader, including being an effective communicator, possessing inspirational traits, having a trustworthy character, and promoting teamwork. Effective communicators allow for the free flow of ideas among members of the team. Inspirational traits include optimism, passion, and honesty. The inspirational leader possesses a solid vision of where the organization is going. Trustworthiness is a crucial trait and transformational leaders display integrity, courage, and stability. Promoting teamwork will build a collaborative environment, encouraging open communication and shared vision.
Leadership is both an art and a science. Leadership skills begin with understanding one's self, and there are many tools out there to help you with self-discovery, self-improvement, reflection, and renewal. There is a leader inside each and every one of us. I encourage you to grow and nurture the leader within you!
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