Leadership Skills in the Nursing Profession

Leadership Skills in the Nursing Profession

A nurse leader should have a global way of thinking that combines being open and aware of cultural diversity and the ability to apply oneself within cultural differences while adapting to and accepting them. This enables nurses to respond appropriately to health issues and concerns. A nurse should have technical work knowledge, which means the ability to utilize technologies. Decision-making skills based on experience and evidence are also important. The quality of decisions that the leaders make influences their success or failure as leaders. Problem solutions based on practices and facts that have been tested and endorsed have a higher probability of helping to achieve the desired results. Finally, quality and safety prioritization is essential as it is the ability to keep in mind that the healthcare system still faces errors and remains behind in respect of quality.

Moreover, a nurse should possess political acumen, which is the leaders’ ability to understand and be able to intervene appropriately in processes related to politics. It is expected that leaders will keep control of communication in the organization and act if needed. Highly developed skills of collaboration and team building of a leader signify a leader’s ability to prefer the management focused on building partnerships between the leader and their followers to the bureaucratic one. The ability to balance authenticity and expected outcomes, which is a leader’s way to inspire their subordinates. Finally, the foresight and initiative in response to a healthcare system that is defined by change and chaos is a pivotal leadership skill in nursing.

Research on Leadership in Nursing

Additionally, there are many scholars who have conducted their research on what a leader in the nursing field should be like by applying theories from different fields. For one, Leclerc, Kennedy and Campis (2021) have based their study on a constructivist grounded theory by embedding the exploration of human issues through it in the nursing leadership. It is stated that nurses had no other choice but to borrow leadership theories from the world of business since there are no modern corresponding theories in nursing – or, generally, in healthcare (Leclerc et al., 2021). Constructivist grounded theory helped to understand that there is a distinctive leadership style that nurses have, and their leaders employ.

Characteristics of an Effective Nursing Leader

A definition of a leader can include many different characteristics and qualities. According to Leclerc et al. (2021), the participants of their study consider leader to be a person that one would follow anywhere. A leader is someone who couples accountability with caring about themselves and external focus. A leader is also someone who acknowledges humanity in every member of the team. It is leaders who bring the best out of their team members through training and mentoring. Moreover, leaders are always on the brink of change, comprehending the disorder and innovation, while remembering to provide safe borders for the team’s members to reach their goals. Human-centered leadership is something between the theory and the philosophy, but essentially, it is a movement to unite nursing around a common vision.

Collaboration in Nursing Leadership

It is stated in Issues and Trends in Nursing (2017) that collaboration is highlighted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) in its professional standards, which relate to the expected productivity and behavior of a professional nurse. Collaboration as a professional standard requires that a nurse cooperate with all healthcare team members, including users of health services and other professionals, to promote positive results of patient treatment and care of the highest quality. Collaboration includes leveraging effective group dynamics and conflict resolution to create successful healthcare clusters.

Nurses work with other professionals in healthcare to ensure that the patient receives the highest quality of care. According to Issues and Trends in Nursing (2017), collaboration “promotes autonomy, professionalism, self-confidence, and improved patient outcomes” (p. 163). Nurses who work as leaders of the team can make better outcomes due to sharing information with other professionals. Nurses who are involved in collaboration and problem-solving can use the knowledge gained to improve and provide great customer care.