What does “Nursing Leadership” mean to you, and how did the meaning change (or stay the same) after viewing the module content?
To me, nursing leadership means offering support, guidance, and knowledge to fellow co-workers. Teamwork is essential in nursing to provide the best patient care possible and a nurse leader should support the team and help push them to success. A nurse leader exhibits compassion, honesty, and integrity. After reading the module content, the meaning of leadership to me has stayed the same. I don’t believe a nurse leader should micro manage their team but rather support their team. A nurse leader is a mentor, a teacher, and an educator (Fitzpatrick and Glazer, 2013).
Describe the leadership behaviors you have observed in yourself and /or colleagues. Could a behavior be modified to create a more effective leadership strategy?
I have worked with autocratic and democratic leaders. I have learned the most from the democratic leaders because I was involved in decision making and felt like I was part of a team as opposed to being a follower. When I was a charge nurse in the ICU, I attended the frontline leadership academy which was very beneficial. I learned how to be an effective leader and a mentor for my co-workers. I see myself as a democratic leader in my current role because I do ask my co-workers “how can we make this better?” I feel that including the staff in the decision- making process is important as well as giving them responsibilities (Rigolosi, 2005). In my current nursing role, my job offers a lot of autonomy which makes me feel more confident in my leadership skills. I may not be a manager at my job, but I do try and advocate for my co-workers. If there is an issue in the office, my co-workers tend to tell me about it and we discuss what can be done to solve the problem. I feel honored that they trust me and feel comfortable confiding in me. My current manager is a mix between autocratic and democratic but is approachable. I would say she is more of a manager than a leader however, she is always open to suggestions on how to improve morale and teamwork in the clinic. I do believe a behavior could be modified to create a more effective leadership strategy. I believe if a leader encourages his or her followers, pushes them to achieve their goals, and acknowledges their accomplishments, then behaviors will be modified.
References:
Fitzpatrick, J., Glazer, G. (2013). Nursing Leadership from the Outside In. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/lib/fhsu/reader.action?docID=1179230&ppg=22&tm=1493145792170
Rigolosi, E. (2005). Management and Leadership in Nursing and Health Care: An Experimental Approach, 2nd Edition. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/lib/fhsu/reader.action?docID=423601&ppg=103&tm=1493150376735
I agree teamwork is the only way a nurse can provide effective patient care. A good leader leads by example and sees the value in everyone. You make a good point about not micro managing. This can cause team members to not feel trusted and a leader should be able to feel trust in their followers to allow for independence and autonomy. It does take time to develop as a good mentor and not everyone can do it.
Yes! A leader leads by example! I agree that teamwork is key to effective patient care and if nurses are micro managed and over worked,then teamwork can be difficult to attain.
Completely agree with you that micro management is not a good thing, a leader should be supportive as you mentioned. Personally I don’t work well with managers who want to micro manage, whenever I’m in charge I make sure to let the team know that whenever they have questions or need help to feel free to ask, and I am always showing support.
Its rather difficult to learn and grow in your profession of you are micro managed. It really is a disservice. When I used to precept and be a charge nurse, sure there were times where I wanted to step in and do things myself but you have to stand back and be a mentor. Trust your colleagues and let them grow. My manager is not a nurse so she is usually asking me questions but she micro manages the rest of the office.
I agree with you completely on the characteristics of a leader that you described. It is important to support your team of nurses and not micro manage them as well as be a teacher, mentor, support, advocate, etc… It is important to remember that not all managers are leaders! I think that is a hard concept for me to remember as I think that they should be. Great post!
I always thought managers were supposed to be leaders and lead their team, until I read the module content. Managers are there for support and most of them are not leaders. So yes, I agree, I have to remind myself as well!