preview

The Leadership Style Of Leadership

Decent Essays

When one thinks of successful leadership, words like power, authority, and control often come to mind. Examining leadership in detail reveals that many different leadership styles exist. Some leaders may be authoritarian, where their rules are law and enforced in a utilitarian fashion. Others may prefer to lead in a more democratic manor, where employees help make decisions and feel involved in workplace happenings. Robert Greenleaf, who at the time was an executive at AT&T, developed another style, servant leadership (Marquis, 2014). Though the terms “servant” and “leader” may seem paradoxical when paired together, his style of leadership focuses on the idea that leaders should serve those who work for them. This does not mean catering to …show more content…

In one of the lessons, the characteristics of good leaders are discussed. Honest and trustworthy, good role model, caring, committed, good listener, able to hold people accountable, respectful, encouraging, positive, enthusiastic, and appreciative are all agreed upon attributes (Hunter, 1998). While all of these qualities are important, trustworthiness, respectfulness, and appreciation for others are essential for nurses to possess in order to be servant leaders. Trustworthiness Trustworthiness encompasses veracity, one of the principles of ethical reasoning (Marquis, 2014). The ability to tell the truth is key in interacting with both patients and coworkers. Being viewed as someone who is trustworthy helps to establish effective leadership. Employees who view a leader as honest are more likely to be honest in return, while patients who trust their caregivers can be confident in their treatment (Marquis, 2014). Advocating for a patient further shows trustworthiness by assuring him or her that the nurse values the patient, and is working to attain the best possible outcome. Being trustworthy also means showing humility in certain instances, like being able to admit when mistakes have been made or a situation could have been handled differently.
Respect
The second quality, respect, is a fundamental element in all relationships. Being

Get Access