Transformational Leadership - Essay Example

 Leadership and management styles have experienced numerous changes over time. Gone are the days when leaders were completely autocrats and their say was final. Gone are the days when leaders were considered to be more superior to their subjects. Leaders are followed by people whereas managers have people who work under them. The two terms might have different meanings, but they go hand in hand. Every field of life requires leaders for a well-structured movement of the daily activities. The vital aim of this paper is to give an in-depth meaning of leadership and management styles in the field of nursing. My personal leadership style Transformational leadership style is the kind of a leader I am. This is a kind of leadership style that believes in building relationships as well as motivating my fellow collogues at work. The motivation works well because we have a vision and mission that we all want to achieve together as a team. Naturally, I am charismatic; I believe that communication is the basis of every relationship that works well. Most of the times I work confidently so that I can inspire my staff, command respect from them in addition to loyalty. Through this, I can show my team that they are very important, and we are all equal no one is above the other. As a leader who believes in transformation style, I always give credit to my staff in a bid to encourage them to keep up a high momentum at work 2010). Examples of implementation of my personal leadership style One vivid memory of a time I was able to implement transformational leadership style is when the hospital had inadequate equipment. Such a situation hinders a conducive working environment for nurses. I wrote to the board of the hospital on the issue and ensured that the equipment was purchased. My staffs were very happy and were able to perform well at work. There was also a time when we had an emergency case, and we had more than thirty patients being brought to the hospital. I was able to coordinate the situation beforehand by assigning each and every nurse their role. It was a difficult job, but we managed thanks to my loyal team who gave their best shot (Nursing, 2011). Identifying one other leadership style and compare characteristics of that leadership style with my personal style As a student nurse, I worked under the strict supervision of a nurse who was an authoritarian. I always dreaded the days I made a mistake or any of other students for that matter. Her kind of leadership involved punishment for those nurses who arrived late to work, those who did not dress properly or those who did not report to their place of duty in time. There were times when she did not pass vital information to us, and we ended up messing then she will blame us still. It was hectic time of my life, and I almost gave up on becoming a nurse. Nevertheless, being authoritarian she was able to enforce new policies at the hospital acted as a shield to the health of the residents. During emergencies, everyone was always on toes to ensure that he or she are no mistakes whatsoever. There was poor communication, the stuff was two-faced, and less teamwork everyone worked on his or her own. Comparing that kind of leadership to mine, I feel I am a better leader than her. My style of leadership has made the working environment conducive to everyone, there is team work in our daily activities, and there is a mutual understanding amongst the staff that is a very positive sign. I value relationships as a transformational leader because it gives room for improvement that is quality in the systems in addition to the process. The optimal setting for the effective implementation of the personal leadership style Having interacted with different kind of personalities, as a leader I know that people look up to me. Therein, I ought not to work alone if my transformational style of leadership is to be effective enough. I need to ensure that I involve my colleagues in decision making. This is because no significant person has been able to make tremendous success on their own. Each one of us needs a team behind him or her for support to achieve their vision and mission. As a leader, I need to lay aside my insecurities issues. As a leader, I need to be confident about my skills and knowledge if I am to inspire my staff. Asking for help from my staff is also a way of creating an optimal environment. This ensures that every one of us participates to enhance team-building. I do not believe I can do everything alone I always call for help whenever the need arise. Having too many plates on my table may make some to fall that is always my principle as person (Harewood, 2013). Comparing my personal leadership characteristics with a nursing theorist The nursing career embraces different viewpoints and as such as a nurse one needs to know the theory that fits her best and apply it in her work. For instance the theory of Virginia Anderson or what is commonly referred to as the Nightingale theory. In this theory, that is about putting the patients need as paramount to help in the healing process. In this theory, the nurse is supposed to help the patient by performing activities that will keep their health intact. Comparing the theory to my style of leadership that is transformational in nature the theory is more of servant leadership (Aligood, 2010). Whereas my style is more of I do they follow to satisfy the needs of a patient, the theory is about following what the patients’ needs are. It is the type of leadership that involves skills such as acceptance, persuasion, awareness, foresight among others. It is putting the needs of a patient before your needs. Discussing the weakness of my personal leadership style and how the weakness can be changed into strengths Transformational leadership style has one major weakness, its slow thus time wasting. For instance, if I want to make a decision I need to consult every team member personally or call for a meeting. Whereas as an authoritarian they do not need to consult anyone they simply make policies and enforce them. Nevertheless, it is critical to note that while consulting my team members I will able to seek different opinions and theorem make an informed decision, and thus I can gain trust with my staff members as well as loyalty. Discuss the application of leadership theory to staff members with varying levels of experience and age gaps There are four generations that work together currently. It is therefore very vital that you know each group and their characteristics as well. There is the silent generation, baby boomers, generation X and finally the millennium generation. As leader who is a nurse as well identify the characteristics of every generation and focus on how you are going to forge a relationship with each group. Know their weaknesses as well as strengths. It is advisable that you share each characteristic with every team. Create awareness among the staff on the importance of understanding each other and blending (Harewood, 2013). This mutual understanding will create a peaceful co-existence at work as every staff will know how to relate with their colleagues overlooking the generational gap trait. Discuss the flow of leadership from positions of power in the work setting out into the community or vice-versa A conducive working environment for the nurse’s in turn creates a safe environment for the patients. For this to be witnessed the leadership management ought to be practicing the transformational leadership style. It is not just about the physical transformation but also the mindsets and beliefs of the working staff. For successful implementation and effectiveness of change initiatives in a working setting the following five principles are important. He management of change, involving the workers in work designing and decision making, creating rapport between the management and the workers, making an organization a learning place using the management skills and finally, creating a balance tension between the safety of the workers and their production efficiency. This will ensure that the community is well served, and their needs are well attended to. The community is also required to provide an efficient environment by cooperating with health care organizations correcting where they think needs to be adjusted that is why there are suggestion boxes in every organization. For an institution to be successful, it needs to work hand in hand their leadership management, the staff as well as the community. That is an effective transformational kind of leadership that will bear positive results (Marquis, 2009). One evidence-based practice article concerning leadership Studies show that leadership in any organization play a major role in shaping the perceptions of the staff, their acceptance to innovations and how they respond to new changes introduced to the organization. Evidence-based practice have been used in trying to understand the relationship between adolescents and their parents. Mental health services may also benefit well from transformational leadership. How leadership influences change and change theory Change is constant in our day today activities, and for success to occur change is a must. Any organization is responsible for change and not its employees. The employees are supposed to work on the policies created by the management. Change cannot be forced on people, if such a case is witnessed, change will not take place rater, and failure will be witnessed. Therefore, an organization that would like to have change should have their leadership system communicate to their employs on the same in an effective manner. If they impose policies, they are likely to have a rough time (Child, 2004). What should be done is surveying, involvement of the people through training and workshops. Having said so, the Nudge Theory of change that was developed by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, is a change methodology that is based on independent thinking. It can be well defined as Heuristics. People are supposed to think independently putting aside their rationalizations and logics. Heuristic is the method of change because it about making decisions as fast as possible, nevertheless can be harmful if not use in an appropriate way (John, 2011). Heuristics is about understood the human behavior, their thoughts, decision making and using them to bring about change in the society How leadership influences quality improvement in the work place As a nurse who is also a leader, you realize that you either influence your team positively or negatively. It would be very ideal for you to borrow characteristics from various types of leadership styles. This means you need to be flexible enough. Always act with integrity, be efficient with communication methods, have realistic goals that are time bound as well as measurable, give credit where necessary, always encourage and inspire your team, in addition, make it your priority to provide for their needs that are work based. The only way to gauge you as a successful leader is by looking at the outcome of your team. A leader who is competent will result to smooth flow of work and Quality services offered by other nurses. In case there are conflicts they will be solved in a peaceful manner and no work will be disrupted. Industrial action by staff will also be less or none. How leadership manages conflict and conflict resolution Conflict in a working environment is a synonymous situation. As a leader, this is an acid test of your leadership skills that you possess. There are leaders who want to protect their reputation or save friendships and, therefore, act as if everything is fine whenever a conflict arises. Well, this is vulnerability, and some people will take advantage of it. As a leader, one needs to separate emotions and conflicts and approach the conflict in a sober way. This means that you find the cause of the conflict and solve it amicably. If it is a conflict between two staff, it’s advisable that you play the role of a mediator. Conflicts should always be solved as they arise. This prevents them from becoming complex and hard to handle (Harewood, 2013). In conclusion, leadership and management styles for nurses are variety and highly depend on an individual. Nevertheless, the individuals can learn from other leadership traits and use them for the betterment of their healthcare organizations. Team work is important, behind every successful leader and manager there is an active working team. References Alligood, M. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work (7th Ed.). Maryland Heights, Mo.: Mosby/Elsevier. Bond, M., & Holland, S. (2010). Skills of clinical supervision for nurses a practical guide for supervisees, supervisors, and managers (2nd Ed.). Maidenhead: McGraw Hill Child, A. (2004). Keeping patients safe transforming the work environment of nurses. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press Harewood, E. (2013). Leaders' behavior and workers' social identity alternative ways of leading and being in organizations. John, P. (2011). Nudge, nudge, think, think: Experimenting with ways to change civic behavior. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Marquis, B., & Huston, C. (2009). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (6th Ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Nursing, A. (2011). The future of nursing leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press Read More