Introduction
Leadership is arguable the most challenging aspect of management in all spheres of life. Theories of leadership have been evolving over time. From the 1930s trait theory to the 1960s contingency and mutational theory, nursing students have had a robust lifeline on which to explore the faculty’s leadership structure. The developments of transactional and transformational theories are some of the concepts that have made nursing leadership blossom in stature (Abualrub & Alghamdi, 2012). Transformational and transactional leadership theories offer the framework for students in the faculty to develop their leadership abilities as they model the students to produce the best leaders.
The kind of leader I was
Having gained some of the most important ideas on leadership, I can optimally assume that vision is the foundation stone that guarantees good leadership. My vision of leadership entails a broad spectrum of things that must be realized within a given period. One of the things I cherish in leadership is keeping my followers utilized while presenting them with challenges that do not necessarily overburden them. In essence, the challenges I have to pose are those that strengthen my followers thinking skills. Above all, I seek to inject a culture of innovation within the bloodstream of my followers. The basis of my leadership is one that is founded on understanding, commitment, and service delivery. I seek to share my personal vision with my followers such that it would be easy to effect the necessary changes that shape the organization’s paradigms. Under these considerations, I believe it would be easy to have in place a viable organization that concentrates on nothing but the quest for better results. I have come to learn that effective leaders are those with the capacity to balance transactional and transformational leadership behaviors. The result of these two combinations, as McGuire and Kennerly (2006) note, creates leadership styles that match the demands of nursing managerial needs. I have come to realize that people with these qualities have the capacity to help their followers realize immense individual and organizational growth. Graduate-level nurses particularly, feel more involved and confident while at the same time nurturing a sense of belonging while working under effective leadership structures. As McGuire and Kennerly (2006) observe, transactional and transformational leadership styles enable followers to nurture a common sense of direction, hence transforming them into committed and loyal employees. Usually, there is a high degree of commitment among employees. Under these leadership styles, employees are easy to transform into a single unit as they find it necessary to cultivate a strong feeling of acceptance and value to incorporate the organization’s objectives in their assignments (Negussie & Demissie, 2013).
How does this fit into my beliefs about your leadership style?
Nursing leadership, as Weberg (2010) observes, demands critical thinking skills because it is action and advocacy-oriented. Unlike other leadership orientations, nursing leadership is broad, and it encompasses all the roles and domains entrenched in nursing theory and practice. In this regard, the leadership structure demanded by the nursing fraternity must aim to play a pivotal role in the management with a steady structure of visionary and robust principles. According to Vesterinen, Suhonen, Isola, and Paasivaara (2012), ideal leaders within nursing must be those that are credible with the capacity to inspire others without necessarily stumping their authority to get things done. Strong acceptance of the value of the organization and its objectives reflects the degree of commitment among graduate-level nurses. With effective leadership, graduate-level nurses will be willing to expend considerable effort on an organization’s objectives. Whereas leadership styles are recognized through self-assessment and not my observations, little could be idealized from the relationship between the nurses and their organizational commitment. Studies show strong indications that suggest that an environment affects the abilities of nurse managers in exercising transformational traits of leadership successfully. Normally, this is so because healthcare establishments and hospitals tend to be somewhat bureaucratic in fostering transformational leadership to work well for graduate-level nurses (Suliman, 2009).
The attributes of leadership that may be needed for graduate-level nurses
Leadership research expert and renowned historian, James MacGregor Burns is the brainchild of the idea of transformational leadership that continues to transform the world over the years (Northouse, 2001) Transformational leadership, as Northouse (2001) notes, occurs when leaders and their followers make one another an entity of self-transformation capable of advancing greater levels of morale and interpersonal motivation. By virtue of the strength of their expectations and characters, transformational leaders have the capacity to inspire their followers to change perceptions, as well as expectations while motivating them to work towards a shared destiny. Having this in mind, I have always endeavored to be an effective leader by influencing my followers in a manner aimed at transforming them, and at the same time reaching out to the goals and objectives of the firm.
To employ a transformational leadership approach, individuals venturing herein must understand what transformational leadership entails and calls for in its pursuit of effective governance. In some way, I have noted that transformational leadership is a gradual leadership process that seeks to bring forth changes capable of transforming individuals into success stories. Precisely, my duty as a transformational leader has always been to get followers to develop under my watch to achieve the desired change, make their expectations a reality, and ensure that my followers gain more from my leadership. I have always employed several elements of transformational leadership to facilitate capacity building. These include idealizing my influence, insisting on inspirational motivation, nurturing intellectual stimulation, and enhancing individual consideration in my leadership roles.
Personal leadership attributes I feel I have that will help me in my graduate nursing role
Already I have to nurture several attributes that I feel I may need to develop in my graduate nursing role. Research on leadership is broad. Generally, success in nursing leadership offers challenging tasks that aim to meet the demands of the developmental paradigms of management. Ideally, behavior change-oriented tasks are very necessary in this regard. While findings show that there are weaknesses in most of the behavioral leadership studies, research conducted in recent years validates a strong sense of purpose to nurture behavior change in the scope of leadership (Austin, 2013). Whilst scrutinizing the efficacy of leadership styles that would guarantee effective nursing leadership, Zaccaro and Klimoski (2002) note that there is an urgent need among the people tasked with leadership roles to nurture their behaviors, as well as behaviors of those they lead to make them resonate to the organizational objectives. Moreover, leadership research continues to advocate for a more open leadership style to demystify the offices. Followers feel more at ease with those leaders that are friendly than with those that are strict and somewhat unapproachable.
Attributes that I feel I may need to develop in my graduate nursing role
I contend that effective leadership thrives under the pursuit of behavioral consistency, which is appropriate to a situation and mirrors the greater organizational obligations. Leader-follower relationships are necessary factors to consider in an attempt to nurture a working environment for graduate-level nurses. Research on nursing leadership, according to Suliman (2009), now more than ever focuses on the evaluation of complexities, rather than the analysis of inferences, which denies leaders the capacity to deliver. These considerations reflect more on effective leadership models that advocate for a thorough revision of the theories and styles of leadership. As I continue to idealize influence, I gain much trust and respect from my followers. This has helped me to make good decisions for them – the organization and myself. In addition, by asserting inspirational motivation, I seek to motivate my followers to commit to nothing less than what the organization aspires to achieve in its vision. Moreover, nurturing intellectual stimulation is a boost to innovation and creativity as an element of transformational leadership. Through this approach, I promote critical thinking and nurture a problem-solving formula for my followers to help them realize organizational objectives. Finally, individual consideration enables me to act both as a trainer and as a consultant to my followers. Notably, I have been able to encourage my followers to pursue the objectives pertinent to them and the organization through this tactic.
Conclusion
Effective transformational leadership is a menu for the direct accomplishment of organizational prospects. To realize the potentiality of a transformational leadership approach, I have always involved myself in assessing my followers’ ambitions, always seeking to satisfy their needs, and negating their fears, while analyzing them properly. Through these practices, I have always believed I could make any company more successful than when I found it. According to Weberg (2010, p. 246), “… transformational leadership is significantly related to increased satisfaction, increased staff well-being, decreased burnout, and decreased overall stress in staff nurses.”
References
Abualrub, F., & Alghamdi, G. (2012). The impact of leadership styles on nurses’ satisfaction and intention to stay among Saudi nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 20(6), 668–678.
McGuire, E., & Kennerly, M. (2006). Nurse Managers as transformational and transactional leaders. Nurse Economics, 24(4), 179-185.
Negussie, N., & Demissie, A. (2013). Relationship between leadership styles of nurse managers and nurses’ job satisfaction in Jimma University specialised hospital. Ethiopian Journal of Health Science, 23(1), 49-57.
Northouse, G. (2001). Leadership theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Suliman, A. (2009). Leadership styles of nurse managers in a multinational environment. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 33(4), 301–309.
Vesterinen, S., Suhonen, M., Isola, A., & Paasivaara, L. (2012). Nurse managers’ leadership styles in Finland. Nursing Research and Practice, 20(12), 1-8.
Weberg, D. (2010). Transformational leadership and staff retention: An evidence review with implications for healthcare systems. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 34(3), 246-258.