The Definition Of Leadership And The Importance Of Leadership

“Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal” (Kruse, 2003). Being a leader is not only about having followers and finishing set goals but also about working well with others while inspiring them. Effective leaders are essential to guide others to success, whether it’s about inspiring others, having a vision or making a change. In order to attempt to develop a personal philosophy of leadership, I believe it is significant to examine what is essential to me as a leader. Throughout my nursing career I have encountered all types of leaderships from authoritarian to laissez-faire styles. I recently switched jobs and unknowingly I embarked in the search for leadership balance. What do I mean by this? I was searching for a place where I would be able to voice my concerns, where effective communication is present at all times, where my vision and passion for my nursing care will be taking into consideration and rewarded. The purpose of this paper is to define my nursing philosophy of leadership.

Leaders are the ones we turn to when life gets to be too much. Good leaders set examples and provide guidance through education (Huber, 2014). As a new nurse I can understand how important it is to have a leader you turn to when you are unsure. Furthermore, in the business of health care we are managing people 's lives and one wrong move can be deadly. Therefore, it is important to collaborate with other health care professionals to ensure a safe competent method of delivery. Ideally, the role of a leader in health care is one that is knowledgable, firm, and confident, with the ability to deviate from the plan to assist with an emergency. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to reveal three key behaviors successful leaders exhibit, assess my personal leadership style, referencing theories, while determining an optimal work environment based upon the aforementioned.

Leadership has been defined in a number of ways, but the concept is still indefinable (Barr and Dowding 2016). Buchanan and Huczynski (2010, p. 596) define leadership as “a process of influencing the activities of an organised group in its efforts towards goal-setting and goal achievement”. In clinical practice, leadership translates to an ability to direct other to achieve evidence-based practice that supports enhanced patient outcomes (Kelly-Hiedenthal 2004). Like any other industries and organisations, an effective leadership skill is vital in the healthcare sector to improve the standards of the care and to achieve organisational goals (Bach and Ellis 2015). Sullivan and Decker (2004) stated that nurses often step up to the

Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.

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

Leadership is a difficult task, by which a person impacts others to accomplish an objective. While this is a challenging situation in any field, it is of extreme significance in the healthcare setting, where quality of service, trust, and ultimately people's lives are dependant. In addition, leadership-- whether it be positive or

Leadership and management are essential to any health care organization, balancing patient care, employees, physicians, and the organization. Nursing is founded on interpersonal relationships. As a people-oriented profession, nursing leadership styles are influenced by humanism. The mission, attitude, and behaviors of a health care organization begins with its leadership, which creates the direction and purpose of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to differentiate between leadership and management, describe views of leadership, and explain the

As a student nurse we are challenged throughout the course of our education to become leaders among our peers, in the workplace, and within the community. According to the Institute of Medicine (2011) leadership skills are learned and mastered over time, and it is important to obtain a basic understanding of these skills beginning in school. Leadership can occur at any level within an organization and can be defined as a person that possesses qualities such as courage, innovation, trust, commitment, teamwork, communication, values relationships, and who engages others to share in their dedication (Porter O-Grady & Malloch, 2016). Leaders and managers differ because managers are usually in an authoritative role and produce orderliness and consistency, while leaders tend to generate change and movement through creativity (Porter O-Grady & Malloch, 2016). A clinical leader identified in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) is my preceptor. She was recognized as a nurse leader, because she strives to promote innovative changes on the unit, through knowledge, teamwork, and advocacy. According to Kumar, Kumar, Deshmukh, and Adhish (2015), an effective leader makes an active effort to improve their skills and knowledge, stay current in their field, and promote creativeness and collaboration among their peers.

A leader does not simply have a basic definition, but instead, can be described in various ways that have various roles. According to the author Bessie Marquis, in the book, “Leadership roles and Management Functions in Nursing”, in simpler terms, a leader is the inspiration and director of the action. A leader has various roles such as making decisions, acting as a communicator, evaluator, a mentor, a critical thinker, a teacher, a visionary, and many more of which can make up a leader. In order to have leadership qualities, a person would need to have great communication skills as well as critical thinking skills. It is important in the

Leaders are an integral part of society, as they are the ones that are tasked with motivating, improving, observing, and ensuring that jobs are completed in an accurate and effective manner. The same can be said about leaders within the nursing industry. The following research paper will examine the differences between management and leadership within the nursing field, the importance of effective leadership throughout a healthcare organization, leadership theories that contribute to a positive work environment, a personal reflection on leadership type and specific behaviors that shall be developed in order to become a successful leader, including various resources available to assist in leadership development.

Leadership may mean different things to different people, the consensus opinion of experts in this field is that leadership is using power to direct and influence activities of people to achieve set goals or targets. Nursing leadership is all about every nurse providing, facilitating and promoting the best healthcare services to client and to the public. Leadership is a shared responsibility. (CNO 2012). The nursing profession need leaders that can build the capacity of nurses through mentoring, coaching, supporting, developing the expertise and management skills of nurses to make a difference to the quality of patient care at all levels of the profession ( McIntyre & McDonald, 2014 ). At the core of every leadership either political or managerial is power and how the leader uses it. While it is practically impossible to lead without power, how the nurse leader uses this power not only determine the leadership style but also the results or outcomes of what is achieved through the process.

Leadership is a process. The leader uses influence to inspire others toward a common goal. There are different types of leadership such as autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. One leadership theory is transformational leadership. A transformational leader is defined as “a leader who is committed to a vision that empowers others” (Kelly, 2012). A transactional leader is focused on day to day operations and is more task oriented. I will explore what it takes to become a transformational leader and what part they play at the organizational level. I will discuss an ethical issue, which my nurse manager assisted me with as a new registered nurse. I will research the concept of power in relation to nursing leadership. There are certain attributes a transformational leader exhibits and are required to have in order to be a successful leader. A transformational leader has many skills and attributes. They are developed through mentorship and mastered by experience. A transformational leader creates a work environment that empowers others to advance their skills and abilities. This empowerment leads to a successful and highly functioning team, that works toward a common goal for the patients, families, co-workers, and organization as a whole. To be an effective leader it is important to balance both transactional and transformational leadership styles.

Beginning in boot camp and continuing throughout my career, I’ve seen the Coast Guard promote the leadership model to be: “You” influencing “Others” to achieve a “Goal”. With all the different ways leadership can be defined, this simplistic model which has been permanently engrained in my thinking definition still rings true for me. As such, when defining my own personal definition of leadership, I align it to this same model. More specifically, while I support the fact that leadership involves influencing others to achieve a common end I propose that is not the whole story. Leaders must not be stagnant in their vision and must lend themselves to the possibility they may have to adjust their leadership styles depending on the goal. The best leaders are the ones that understand their own personality traits as well as those traits of the people they are trying to lead.

“If you actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” (John Quincy Adams, as cited in Forbes, 2014, p. 1). A leader is mentor, guiding others to their best. In this paper, I will reflect on my personal values and beliefs regarding leadership. Next, I will discuss a leader in my life that personally resonates with me. I will then discuss the attributes of my chosen leader and relate them to theory on leadership, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, group dynamics and peace and power concepts and identify the leadership style that my chosen leader embodies. Finally, I will discuss how my leadership philosophy and the newly acquired theory will impact my future career as a nurse.

Leadership is a difficult word to define and according to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary leadership is the “office or position of a leader” (Miriam-Webster, 2010). This definition is definitely not one that I would ascribe to when discussing leadership. My definition of leadership is “the ability someone has to motivate and empower others to achieve a goal.” Some may add to this definition, others may discard it altogether and have a completely different definition. In the end, leadership takes on many different forms depending on who is doing the defining and we end up asking ourselves, what is leadership and why do we care?