Leadership in advanced practice nursing

Leadership in Nursing

Excellence in leadership is an inherently innate skill set that over time emerges in the attitude, commitment and performance of subordinates. It is also reflected in how a given business unit or department coordinate, collaborates and trusts each other (Cohen, 2013). Compounding these factors are the often complex, highly intricate and often challenging aspects of managing and leading a nursing department (Swearingen, Liberman, 2004). The stresses and requirements of nursing leadership serve as a catalyst that accelerates leadership skills in nurse leaders. The challenges of orchestrating and leading a department are in many ways a crucible that leads to stronger nurse leaders capable of overcoming challenges and continually growing over time (Wong, Cummings, 2009). The most effective transformational leaders know how and when to rely on individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence (Rao, 2013). Taken together these are the attributes that are essential for a graduate-level nurse to successfully transition into a leadership position in a healthcare organization.

Analysis Of Leadership Style

Based on the spectrum of experiences I've had managing and assisting others, it's apparent that my dominant leadership style is participative. My beliefs with regard to leadership support and strengthen this perspective as well, as I believe everyone has a right to have their opinion heard on challenges facing a department. The creation and continual fueling of trust, which is the catalyst of all successful communication and collaboration throughout a healthcare organization, is galvanized through excellent participative leadership. The attributes of leadership that is essential for this type of leadership to succeed include the ability to actively and assertively listen, which includes asking questions to further gain insights into what subordinates, peers and superiors what to communicate (Cohen, 2013). An excellent participative leader also has the ability to generate a very high degree of individualized consideration and gives each subordinate an opportunity to take ownership of their specific area of the department (Rao, 2013). One of the most innate needs of any subordinate is to also have a strong sense that they are needed and their contributions count. Creating a culture of achievement and inspired motivation is also critically important. These leadership attributes show how critical it is to blend the hard and soft skills of leadership (Rao, 2013).

Conclusion