D. G Transformational Leadership

Leadership is not a word that is uncommon in today’s society. We hear this term in the media, on TV shows, and in our everyday lives. However, the idea of leadership and the different definitions of types of leaders are less understood. In this paper, an examination of transformational leadership is discussed. This paper also delves into transformational leadership in nursing and how learning about leadership has supported personal growth for me now and in future practice.

In today’s healthcare system, effective leadership is essential to improving and reaching organizational outcomes. A leader is someone with the ability to influence others but, an effective leader uses positive strategies to inspire employees to work towards the same goal. Leadership in nursing requires a constant effort to motivate others to become part of the organizational transformation. This can be achieved using a transformational leadership style with a focus on communication, motivation, and empowerment.

Every day, a set team of nurses and nursing managers set out to ensure the health and well-being of their patients. To achieve this goal, a nurse manager must adhere to a specific style of nursing leadership. There are many different styles of leadership in the healthcare field. Bass and Barnes (1985) stated that the two most common are transformational and transactional (as cited in Frankel, 2008, p.24). This paper will define leadership, the two different styles, how each are executed, as well as pros and cons of each.

I always act as a positive role model and encourage others to be the best nurse they can be. It’s always nice to hear compliments and praise, which leads to being motivated and increased self-esteem, and giving higher levels of care. As it says in Chapter 4, it creates an empowered environment “where nurses feel they make a difference” (Grossman and Valiga, 2013, p. 74). When there is higher moral on the units, patients also sense difference, and it shows with a positive patient outcomes. Acting as a transformational leader, people will look up to you as a role model and trust you judgments and decisions. I feel as though when people work together and praise one another, more gets accomplished and goals are reached faster. Since we all spend many hours at work, it’s important to like what we do for job satisfaction, and transformational leadership definitely promotes this

Leading a health care organization comes with immense responsibility and is not an easy task. Transformational leadership has proven to be an effective leadership style in the nursing profession, demonstrating a clear mission, a commitment to excellence, and the ability to motivate and lead others to higher levels of achievement (Schwartz, Spencer, Wilson, & Wood, 2001). Characteristics and qualities of an effective leader include

When one thinks of leaders, they think of those who hold a high profile position or someone who is highly visible in the public eye. A leader, regardless of prestige is someone who can easily influence and inspire the actions and goals of others. The definition of a leader in Nursing Leadership and Management in Nursing states, “leadership is commonly defined as a process of influence in which the leader influences others towards goal achievement (Kelly, 2012 p.2). Leaders are needed at all levels and nurses take a leadership role by being advocates for their patients. There are many leadership theories and styles in nursing but this paper will focus on transformational leadership and its application to nursing. Transformational leadership is important in nursing, due to its ever changing and ever evolving healthcare methods and technology.

As we know the healthcare system is constantly changing, therefore requiring effective leadership among nurses. With that said leadership that promotes positive change is necessary in a health care setting. Transformational leadership was developed by leadership expert James MacGregor Burns in the late 1970’s. Transformational leadership is considered a contemporary leadership theory. Contemporary theories of leadership place emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, and is built around the premise of change. “Transformational leadership is a process that motivates followers by appealing to the higher ideas and moral values where the leader has a deep set of internal values and ideas and is persuasive at motivating followers to act in a way that sustains the greater good rather than their own interests” (Burns, 1978 as cited in Owen Doody & Catriona Doody, 2012, p.1212). Therefore, when it comes to implementing transformational leadership in a healthcare setting the nurse leader must takes on various

Throughout the nursing industry, both managers and bedside nurses utilize their strengths and skills as transformational leaders to develop a strong sense of camaraderie that bases its success through teamwork and development of personal attributes. As the role of the nursing manager, individuals must inspire their employees to share the same vision as they do on behalf of the organizational goals. Givens (2008) explains how transformational leadership is shown when leaders encourage followers to think outside of the box, thus motivating them to perform at higher levels by becoming more involved in their work and developing a sense of commitment to the organization (p. 11). This not only pertains to the nurse manager but to lower level employees as well. Even though lower level employees, such as a certified nursing assistant, do not own a title that gives them authority, each employee can still practice leadership skills

I started my career in nursing as an LVN and in that early process; I was exposed to a great leadership that helped me to be who I am today, a leader. The Director of Nursing at the facility, who is now my mentor, has most of the characteristics that a leader should have. I consider him as a transformational leader who serves as a guide and a mentor to everyone at the facility. What I appreciate about him is that he values the opinion of others; it does not matter if you’re a CNA, a housekeeper, or a nurse. He believes that everyone in the group is important, and every opinion of the staff must be considered. As defined by Grossman and Valiga (2013), transformational leaders are “individuals who follow through with getting people to act, assist

A transformational leadership style along with good communication skills can be used to manage the multiples issues Hartland Memorial faces. “Transformational leadership involves anticipating future trends, inspiring followers to understand and embrace a new vision of possibilities, developing others to be leaders, and reward learners” (Hellriegal & Slocum, 2009, p. 301). Elizabeth and her associates should have the necessary qualities of a transformational leader; integrity, accountability, and motivation, so the staff can identify with them. The nurse manager could give nurses opportunities to demonstrate and experience leadership in their profession on a regular basis. Effective leadership is critical in delivering high quality care; equally

Transformational leadership. Burns (1978) is recognized as one of the earliest theorist on transformational leadership, who introduced transformational leadership over 30 years ago. Transformational leaders are perceived as leaders who uplift their employee morale, subsequently uplifting the entire organizational. Transformational leaders are known by their capacity to inspire followers to forgo self-interests in achieving superior results for the organization (Clawson, 2006). Avolio and Yammarino (2002) shared Bass’s explanation of transformational leadership as leaders who act as agents of change that stimulate, and transform followers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivate from lower to higher level of arousal.

44) There are four characteristics of transformational leadership which include: being an effective communicator, possessing inspirational traits, having a trustworthy character, and promoting teamwork. Taking examples from the clinical research policies, procedures and daily workflow processes can help evaluate how this theory might be implemented and assist in making nursing administrative changes to benefit the

This paper summarizes the article written by Cam Caldwell, Rolf D. Dixon, Larry A. Floyd, Joe Chaudoin, Johnathan Post, and Gaynor Cheokas regarding the need for a new type of leadership in today’s social work environment, defined as Transformative leadership. The article itself varies in the definition, however in a broad sense Transformative leadership is maintaining good moral standing and sound business ethics among employees and individuals inside and outside the workplace. However, in order to reach this theoretical level of business related moral and ethical leadership known as

The main focus of the theory is motivation, inspiration and empowerment to create changes. It is based on the idea of empowering others to facilitate overall goal. Bennis and Nanus (1985) describe this new leader as a leader who “commits people to action, who converts leaders into leaders, and who converts leaders into agents of change” (p.3).177. According to processes to engage and motivate staff article “Transformational leadership is important for high quality care delivery, and behaviors that nurse leaders inspire, role model and reinforce are instrumental in creating work practice that deliver optimum care”.

Transformational leadership is an emerging type of leadership that is more adaptable the changing environment within healthcare and has the ability to guide and empower staff to embrace the changes (Finkelman, 2012). This type of leadership is especially important today with many nurses felling unsatisfied, or unappreciated. In order to have a successful organization, it must first have the ability to retain nurses through job satisfaction. Transformational leaders have the ability to encourage staff members to embrace the changes to come, by promoting such things as team work, and recognition of hard work done by staff members (Smith, 2011). Having the ability to recognize staffing needs along with the compassion to try and meet those needs while maintaining the functionality of the organization, is the key to future