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Nursing Leadership Philosophy

Melissa D. Utterback

Delaware Technical and Community College

NUR 400: Nursing Leadership

Dr. Jackie Henaghan

February 21, 2021

Nursing Leadership Philosophy

Having a theory that I most align with can help guide my leadership journey and help to

enhance my nursing practice and skills. The theory that I most relate to is the transformational

leadership theory. The transformational leadership theory was first introduced by James Burns

in 1978. Burns described this leadership style as “as leadership that occurs when the leader

engages with followers in a way that raises their level of performance and motivation. Those

influenced by transformational leaders find meaning and value in their work, are able to make

significant contributions to their organizations and are more likely to become leaders

themselves” (Sherman & Habel, 2012).

Transformational leaders are leaders which display creativity, are innovative, can

interactively communicate and are able to see the larger picture or goal. Transformational leaders

exhibit critical thinking, passion, the ability to inspire others and are able to give and share power

and knowledge with others. Skills that a transformational leader have include integrity, the

compassion to listen to ideas and needs of others and the strength to make difficult decisions

when necessary (Jackson, 2009). A transformational nurse leader is not one that simply gives

directions and expects others to complete said tasks. A transformational nurse leader helps to

equip their peers and employees with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make decisions

and take charge on their own when appropriate (Transformational Nurse Leadership, 2021).

A transformational leader is one that has a vision for change in the future. This vision is

helpful to help guide leaders and colleagues to their goal for change within their organization

(Finkelman, 2015). In a rapidly changing environment such as in the medical profession, being

able to quickly adapt to change, as well as being a leader and inspiring that change as frequently
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as it may be needed is an important leadership quality that I feel is best explored through

transformational leadership.

A transformational nurse leader is one that motivates nurses to function at their best and

encourages change and participation to reach desired goals. A transformational nurse leader

inspires others to become more involved with change and improving practices within their unit.

Good transformational leadership qualities can result in a positive work environment where

teamwork is plentiful (Smith, 2011).

My seven-year career as a bedside nurse in an acute care hospital has given me several

opportunities to fulfil a leadership role. My time as a nurse leader usually comes in the form of

precepting new graduate nurses and nurses new to our unit. I enjoy precepting and feel it gives

me a great opportunity to guide and support new nurses. It gives me an opportunity to

incorporate my passion, experience and knowledge to help nurses learn their skillset as an acute

care bedside nurse. I enjoy my bedside nurse position. Possible future endeavors for me include

nursing education in the form of hospital-based nursing education or to become a clinical nurse

leader within a specific hospital unit. I can see myself being a positive and effective leader

within a nursing education position or as a clinical nurse leader. My goals as a nurse leader

include inspiring passion and confidence, effectively communicating with fellow colleagues,

improving the nursing work environment, improving patient safety and encourage teamwork and

collaboration within the acute care setting. A career in nursing and continued education can

equip nurses with opportunities to build upon their skillset, fine tune their critical thinking and

develop the ability to discover and reflect upon themselves. Nurses can learn and build upon
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their leadership skills through peer relationships and mentoring (Roussel et al., n.d.). As a strong

nurse leader, I would have the ability to impact the delivery of health care in a positive way.

As a transformational nurse leader, I hope to use effective communication with my

colleagues. Respecting and listening to others’ concerns is an important quality of being an

effective transformational leader. I hope to be able to use past and future experiences to enhance

my communication skills as a nurse leader while also applying new skills learned while

continuing my education (Smith, 2011). Poor communication in the health care setting can create

many problems. A strong leader is able to communicate effectively. Things that are important to

communicate as a leader include the nature and reasons for upcoming changes, goals, expected

roles and duties of peers as well as the ongoing evaluation of these changes. Good

communication between leaders and their colleagues increases nurse satisfaction and patient

safety (Institute of Medicine, 2004). I plan on building my communication skills while

precepting new nurses, as well as through discussions with peers, patients and other health care

providers. With effective communication skills I hope to inspire and encourage change within

the unit-based nursing environment.

In a rapidly changing work environment, having a positive leader to help guide nurses

through various changes and challenges is essential. As a leader I plan on having an actual

presence on the nursing units and being someone to inspire and help guide other nurses. Being

able to work well as a team is something that is important when it comes to being a

transformational nurse leader. This type of leadership aims to achieve a common goal, not

separate individualized goals (Institute of Medicine, 2004). Therefore, the ability to work

together as a team is essential. I feel that I have great skills in teamwork, however not so much in
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the position of motivating multiple people at once. On my journey to become a nurse leader I

plan on practicing and enacting upon my ability to encourage goals and changes to be met as a

collaborative effort on my hospital unit

As a transformational leader I hope to use my clinical experience to motivate others as an

agent of change. This change can be in the form of working towards a unit or hospital-based

goal, improving patient safety or nursing flow of care practices. As a leader I want to be a great

role model who inspires change, confidence and excitement. I want my coworkers to trust me as

a leader. Leadership takes experience and practice to become an effective leader, which I know I

will acquire with time and experience.

The use of evidence-based practice is a gold standard in the healthcare profession.

Systematic research is done to provide evidence on practices that positively impact the way we

care for our patients (Institute of Medicine, 2004). Practice that is ever changing due to evidence-

based practice impact and change our standards of care for the better (Institute of Medicine,

2004). As research and evidence continue to change and develop, nurse leaders must continue to

keep up with evidence-based practice which ensure the best care for patients and environments

for nurses. A transformational leader is one that will always explore new knowledge. And has a

strong vision for change and success. As a nurse with a leadership goal, I plan to commit to

lifelong learning not only to better myself but also to better my peers and my patients. Through

continued education I plan to keep up with the most up to date evidence-based practice and use

these resources to guide my nursing practice, as well as the way I lead my peers.

Nurses at all levels can and should be advocates for their patients and their safety. As a

nurse leader, advocating for patients and patient safety can be even more influential. The use of
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evidence-based practice to guide best practices at the bedside is something the nurse leader can

model and encourage. Goals of care and collaboration among unit peers can improve the safety

of patients within that unit. Some goals may even require the collaboration of physicians,

pharmacists and various other health care providers to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.

In my future as a nurse leader, I hope to inspire an innovative a collaborative team

environment. As a transformational nurse leader, I hope to inspire positive changes in coworkers

and help my team grow. A leader can have a huge impact on others’ attitudes and their work

environment. Being a role model that other nurses can look up to and confide in, I hope to

stimulate intellect and creativity and bring about positive changes in the bedside nurse work

environment for both nurses and patients. With my learned leadership skills, I will guide others

with my expertise and knowledge, while also continuing to learn myself. I hope to inspire fellow

nurses to voice their concerns and ideas about changes to patient care and nursing practices. With

a transformational leadership style being in use, units in my bedside nurse setting can share a

vision for growth and change.

Almost every nurse will have the opportunity to become a nurse leader during their

career. Whether that leadership comes in the form of a nurse manager or director, a board

member, a team leader, a preceptor or even as a nurse educator, being a nurse leader is

something nurses should be ready for should the opportunity arise.

As a strong transformational nurse leader, I would have the ability to impact the delivery

of health care in a positive way. My plans to improve my communication skills, continue my

education while always researching and being guided by evidence-based practice will benefit me

on my journey to becoming a nurse leader. My continued experiences as a bedside nurse and

preceptor, as well as continuing my nursing education will help me build upon my leadership

skills and help me become an effective and influential transformational nurse leader.
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References

Finkelman, A. (2015). Operational and strategic planning: change, innovation and decision

making. In Leadership and Management for Nurses: Core Competencies for Quality

Care (3rd ed., pp. 70-73).

Govier, I., & Nash, S. (2009). Examining transformation approaches to effective leadership in

healthcare settings. Nursing Times; 105:18.

https://www.nursingtimes.net/archive/examining-transformational-approaches-to-

effective-leadership-in-healthcare-settings-07-05-2009/

Institute of Medicine. (2004). Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of

Nurses. https://doi.org/10.17226/10851.

Jackson, J.R., Clements, P.T., Averill, J.B., & Zimbro, K. (2009). Patterns of knowing:

proposing a theory for nursing leadership. Nursing Economics, 27(3), 149–159.

Roussel, L., Thomas, P. L., & Ratcliffe, C. (n.d.). Leadership theory and application for nurse

leaders. https://samples.jbpub.com/9781284067620/Sample_CH02_Roussel7e.pdf

Sherman, R. O., & Habel, M. (2012 January 19). Becoming a transformational nurse leader.

https://www.emergingrnleader.com/transformational-nurse-leader/

Smith, M.A. (2011 September). Specialty Focus- Magnet Hospital: Are you a transformational

leader? Nursing Management; 42:9. https://www.nursingcenter.com/static?

pageid=1236971

Transformational Leadership in Nursing. (2021). Retrieved February 17, 2021 from

https://online.maryville.edu/blog/transformational-leadership-in-nursing/