Emotional leaders identify with their employees on a personal level, displaying qualities very fitting to a nurse's training. In using this management style, you're choosing to develop employee satisfaction and relationship building as a foundation to the provision of patient care and task completion. This approach is vastly different from that of a task leader, who may be perceived as a micromanager, providing direction not only on the job to be done, but the steps staff must take to complete the task. The emotional approach emphasizes the value of personal relationships, resulting in the maximization of empowerment and performance.

Step by step

How can you creatively harness emotion?

1. Use emotion for team building. Identify and emphasize similarities among team members.

2. Promote self-exploration through testing. Give staff the opportunity to take the SELF Personality Profile.

3. Choose topics or projects that resonate with you.

4. Assign and delegate tasks based on your staff's emotional quotient and strengths. Consider assignments that will help your team members grow their weaker areas and tender success.

5. Use the skills you developed at the bedside to keep your cool when dealing with patient or staff complaints.

6. Provide growth for your staff, by your staff.

7. Share positive emotions through communication. A biweekly interdepartmental newsletter can serve to celebrate accomplishments and work updates.

Integrating personal skills will help you forge a successful relationship with your staff. In turn, their support and understanding will help develop a cohesive and effective team-providing a solid foundation for patient care.