The Current Primary Leader

The role of a nurse leader is invaluable to the performance and ultimate success of an entire nursing team whose goal is to provide excellent patient care. There are a few key characteristics that define a nursing leader. The first characteristic is one who communicates effectively and is accountable on all levels, from the patient and their family to the interdisciplinary members and senior staff. Effective communication and accountability are characteristics of an individual who

The superior act of living an effective life lies in the pursuit of excellent vision, to move from where we are to where we ought to be, either as a person or as an organization. A health care leader must motivate the organizational team, find how to work with the associates to effectively dedicate their time and energy to achieve the identified goals and objectives through the established vision. The team members need to buy into the vision, where they are currently doing what the leader envisions, the leader must encourage them, keep them on track and set standards for the team by setting goals and objective, flowing from the vision. This will enable the leader to move the health care organization to the expected performance level within the set time period. The leader must ensure that individual responsibilities of the associates are identified, motivated and resources provided to achieve the identified goals. To pursue the vision, I will lead the development of the health care organization’s strategic alignment of clear goals and objectives, to preserve the core mission and encourage progress toward the envisioned future state. Also, I will encourage and provide the direction for the organization without hindering the development of the goals that we expect to accomplish.

The next question posed to Rene inquired about essential characteristics of a leader. After giving the question some thought she responded by saying that a leader must be able to remain objective and prioritize. “Prioritizing in my job is essential,” Rene stated, “with so many issues to deal with some nights it can be difficult to determine which to tackle first. However, remaining calm and objective in your decision making can help a leader prioritize properly, which can improve patient outcomes.” Additionally, Rene emphasized that the best leaders lead by example. By displaying desired attitudes and behaviors, a nursing leader may inspire their staff to act in a similar manner. Another area Rene stressed when posed this question was a leader’s ability to support learning. She went on to state that “it is necessary to focus on learning, not chastising. Placing the blame on someone rather than stepping back and looking at the details of a problem, deters the team from achieving the overall goal. Incident reports remain vital to the process of learning.” Rene continued to emphasis that by filling out incident reports individuals can analyze a situation or process and determine where the flaws or errors remain present. Without incident reports and learning from mistakes, growth remains difficult. Diana S. Contino (2011), author of “Leadership Competencies: Knowledge, Skills, and Aptitudes Nurses Need to Lead Organizations Effectively,” believes that organizational and

so he knows how to lead but although he has the confidence to lead he

A sign of a great leader is having confidence in himself and the people with him.

In healthcare it is very important to have strong leaders, especially in the nursing profession. A nurse leader typically uses several styles of leadership depending on the situation presented; this is known as situational leadership. It is important that the professional nurse choose the right style of leadership for any given situation to ensure their employees are performing at their highest potential. Depending on which leadership style a nurse leader uses, it can affect staff retention and the morale of the employees as well as nurse job satisfaction (Azaare & Gross, 2011.) “Nursing leaders have the responsibility to create and maintain a work environment which not only promotes positive patient outcomes but also

In today’s rapid changing world, leaders are very pertinent, especially in the field of nursing. Good nursing leaders have the ability to provide direction, facilitate structure to reach goals, and cohesiveness throughout team members. Leader by definition is “someone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish specific goals” (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 329). On the other hand a manager is different. Their goal is geared toward being responsible and accountable for the goals of the organization. Below is the summary of an interview with L.A. Patient Care Manager of Endoscopy/ Special

Effective nurse leaders are often flexible and are able to change style of leadership to suit changing circumstances. They ensure that their people are regularly being challenged to grow and learn. Nurses show leadership by giving feedback and empowering others to bring out their best and the opportunity to grow. I believe that good leaders help people to see that what they do makes a difference. Nurse further their education to expand and gain knowledge so they can render excellent quality care that patients deserve. Also, the leaders would also help other nurses to work as a team to help the facility run to deliver high-quality care. A leader, “should think and talk about future trends that will affect the team's work, and make sure you communicate your vision to your team regularly” (Pearce, 2007, p. 25). I vision a leader as someone who can move others in achieving their goals and mission. For instance, our nurse supervisor addresses the

A leader can be defined as a person who has the ability to influence people to achieve certain goals. According to Marcus & Huston (2015), it is very important to understand that a job title does not make a person a leader. Only a person’s behavior can tell us if he/she holds leadership role (p 34). To be a leader, a person must be able to be in front of everybody, taking risks, inspiring other’s actions, advocating for others. The next interview will underline how the manager on medical-surgical floor is working to achieve a better quality of work on her unit, and also, how she is leading her staff in maintaining a safety environment for the patients and for the staff, too. It is well known that teamwork brings the most satisfying results. Therefore, in order to implement a plan, a leader must have a united and dedicated team.

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

Anderson (2012) suggests leaders acquire power and focus on empowering others, as well as motivating and inspiring others. Leaders are influential, sincere, and take risks. Managers are given a formal role and are assigned specific duties with definite responsibilities. Managers plan, organize, coordinate, and control (Kelly & Crawford, 2008). Clearly there is a significant amount of overlap between leaders and managers. In order to effectively lead and manage this new facility, it is my ambition to incorporate the best characteristics of both. Effective application of both skill sets may assist me to provide a balanced and productive work environment.

A leader can help the staffing ratio issue by creating a vision. With this vision, they are able to create a plan that incorporates new ideas to find solutions. Leaders are risk takers and like to challenge others to formulate ways of doing things better. Leaders like to build relationships and promote those around them and help them develop so they as well as the company can grow. (Coonan 2007) Since leaders are not always in manager roles, they often are the ones who are working at the bedside and can help staffing ratios because they can base them on the individual needs while taking into account the training and experience of the nurse taking care of those patients. They are trying to look out for the best solution for everyone involved. Leaders act as guides to those around them rather than try and control others. Leaders are the ones who stand up for others. These kinds of leaders are able to inspire and motivate people to achieve solutions to problems.

Leadership intervention to monitor or prevent failure from occurring. The hospital needs to figure out how they can stay with contract longer and be in one contract on time. Also, it needs to keep updating their policies and procedures’ manual.

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

An effective leader can create a working environment that satisfactorily supports the staff members so he or she can productively perform in his or hers’ assignments. The top three characteristics of an effective leader are the ability to communicate well, fairness to everyone on the team and are knowledgeable in his or hers’ field of practice. An effective leader must be able to communicate well with others to maintain and promote open communication among the team. When leaders deal with employee conflict, an effective leader is fair. These leaders motivate their nursing staff to work toward a greater good in creating a positive change (Dunham & Klafehn, 1990). An effective leader should be knowledgeable about his or her leadership role as well as those he or she is supervising.