RUNNING HEAD: NURSING LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY 1

Nursing Leadership Philosophy

Amy Angell

10/2/18

Nur 400 Nursing Leadership

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Nursing Leadership Philosophy

Nurse leaders do not need to hold the highest management position in the organization or

even be a charge nurse on a unit. A nurse leader can be anyone who seeks to advocate for their

patients, empowers patients to take part in their healthcare, who seeks to inspire other nurses and

educate their patients to promote healthy changes. These are informal leaders. I see myself as an

informal leader but a leader all the same one who can make a difference. Leaders are skilled in

empowering others, creating meaning and facilitating learning, developing knowledge, thinking

reflectively, communicating, solving problems, making decisions, and working with others.

Leaders generate excitement; they clearly define their purpose and mission (Finkelman, 2016). I

will attempt to define my role as a nurse leader, the leadership theory I relate to and how I plan

to develop that in my practice and further my leadership abilities. I also will review my

leadership style and how I plan to incorporate this into my leadership abilities and further

develop into a nurse leader.

As I researched leadership theories, I related most to Drucker‘s theory on leadership. He

was considered the father of modern management. He felt that staff should participate in the

planning and establishment of goal and decision making. The theory was about promoting staff

involvement and seeking ideas from staff for changes. Leaders have a vision, empower others,

and create a learning environment that welcomes free thought in their sphere of influence. He
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believed staff leaders were not born but nurtured to gain greater leadership competency

(Finkelman, 2016). It is essential to have a collaborative partnership between leadership and

staff developed by the feeling of mutual obligation support, encourage mutual trust devotion and

commitment. The front-line employees are the ones with the real power to transform an

organization, and leadership guides them. This something that has no always been embraced by

leadership but it today’s every changing field of healthcare it is necessary to give quality care to

our patients. (McGuire, & Kennerly, 2006).

Health care today faces many challenges. Relying on a few experienced leaders at the

top of the organization to make changes may have worked in the past; it does not today

(McGuire, & Kennerly, 2006). There is just too much data for a small group of individuals to

sort through in order to adjust and adapt their organization quickly enough to remain in best

practice (Cherry & Ghans, 2018). It takes many people from all areas of the organization to share

ideas and put into action needed changes. In, the article" Global Healthcare Leadership

Development trends", it discusses how to better think of management concerning "we" instead of

the old way of thinking concerning only "I."As, a leader it is not about just you managing people

but being a team player leading an inspiring other to acts and become better leaders themselves.

(Macphee, Chang, Lee, & Spiri, 2013). This brings me to not only looking at Drucker‘s theory of

leadership but defining a leadership style of being that transformational leadership. These leaders

can inspire and motivate nurses to perform beyond basic expectations and can create a sense of

team spirit across the nursing unit on all shifts (Papathanasio, Fradelos, Kleisiaris, Tsaras,

Kalota, & Kourkouta, 2014). Being a transformational leader encourages followers and
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commitment to a better working environment. It is a leadership style that can inspire positive

changes. Transformational leaders are not just concerned and involved in processes; they are also

focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well. (McGuire, & Kennerly,2006).

My role as a nurse leader has been an informal role. Incorporated into my daily practice

advocating for my patients inspiring them to take control of their health care and encouraging

other nurses. As a nurse leader, I have encouraged those patients I cared for to improve their

health status and educated them on making informed decisions. I have been an advocate for my

patient's care and the treatments needed. Communication is critical when being a leader. I have

to have the skills to communicate which is a two-way process that is used to convey a message

or ideas. It is essential to have clear communication between staff, leadership, and physicians.

This includes listening to others concerns and getting the whole picture to be able to make

recommendations and be an effective leader. I hope to identify and further develop my

leadership skills as a nurse with furthering my education. Taking part in leadership committees

and sharing my knowledge with another nurse through mentoring. As, I am completing my

bachelor's degree and hope to further my education and gain more leadership skills in my chosen

capacity as an educator, nurse practitioner, or continue in staff nursing I have to continue to seek

how to be that nursing leader. I have further gained leadership skill on how that can be achieved

by looking at how a transformational leader is positive and energetic is willing to encourage and

inspire others (Finkelman, 2016). Regardless of my job title, I can be a change agent to promote

effective process changes and advocate for my patients. The nursing profession is constantly

changing and is it my responsibility to keep up with the changes and be that leader. I hope to be
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able to make that difference in my patient's lives and encourage another nurse by being a nurse

leader. Leadership could be defined as the process of influencing the actions and behaviors of

individuals so they can involuntarily and spontaneously work together to achieve their goals

(Papathanasio, & et al, 2014). This can be in many ways not just as a formal manager or in an

upper management position. This is taking part in professional nurse counsels, mentoring new

nurses, following evidence-based practices to make the safety of our patients a priority. Peter

Drucker was quoted to say that” managers are people who do things the right way; leaders are

people who do the right things”, I want to be that leader who is making a difference every day in

the life of the patients I care for by applying the skills I have learned on communication and

leadership theory I can better care for the patients I serve.

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References

Cherry, K., & Gans, S. (2018). How do transformational leaders inspire and motivate followers?
Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-transformational-leadership-
2795313?print

Finkelman, A. (2016). Leadership and Management for Nurses: Core competencies for
quality care (3rd Ed.). Pearson.

Macphee, M., Chang, L., Lee, D., & Spiri, W. (2013). Global health care leadership
development: Trends to consider. Journal of Healthcare Leadership,21-29.
doi:10.2147/jhl.s23010

McGuire, E., & Kennerly, S. (2006). Nurse managers as transformational and transactional
leaders. Nursing Economics, 24(4).

Papathanasiou, I. V., Fradelos, E. C., Kleisiaris, C. F., Tsaras, K., Kalota, M. A., & Kourkouta,
L. (2014). Motivation, leadership, empowerment and confidence: Their relation with
nurses’ burnout. Materia Socio-Medica, 26(6), 405–410.
http://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2014.26.405-410