Being a Leader in Change 1

Being a Leader in Change

Candice Hoffecker

Delaware Technical and Community College

4/20/2021
Being a Leader in Change 2

Abstract

Nurses face many challenges in the healthcare field today. So how do we change these

challenges into opportunities? Nursing leaders have the ability to see the vision and embrace change in

order to provide optimal patient outcomes and workplace enhancement. They use adaptive and flexible

leadership to adjust to the constant changes in healthcare. This type of leadership is described as

transformational leadership. Transformational leadership helps create healthy work environments,

improving job satisfaction, and reducing staff turnover rates.

Being a Leader in Change 3

Transformational leadership is defined as leadership that applies change in the individuals and

social systems (Langston University, n.d.). The end goal is to incorporate the ideas of the individuals in

hopes to turn followers into leaders (Langston University, n.d.) Transformational leadership enhances

the motivation, morale, and performance of individuals by connecting the follower's sense of character

and self to the mission and the collective identity of the organization (Langston University, n.d.). The

transformational leader is a role model for followers that inspires them. By doing so this encourages

individuals to take greater ownership for their work, and helps leadership and management to

understanding their strengths and weaknesses so the leader can assign tasks that optimize their

performance (Langston University, n.d.).

The transformational style leadership is embraced by many areas in the nursing field. According

to World Applied Sciences Journal, there is a significant link between leadership and job satisfaction

(Long et al., 2014). In a multifactorial leadership questionnaire, the results showed a statistically

significant positive relationship existing between transformational leadership and job satisfaction (Long

et al., 2014). The regression analysis results showed that job success is more dependent on

transformational leadership whereas transformational leadership was closely related to career

satisfaction (Long et al., 2014). The study also discovered that transformational leadership components

were positively related to job satisfaction during organizational change. I believe this is due to

relationship and staff input (Long et al., 2014). ‘

Throughout my career in the medical field, I have worked with leadership styles from laissez-

faire to autocratic (Boogaard, n.d.). All leadership styles have their place. I find myself aspiring to follow

the transformational leadership style because they work great as a team and listen to advice from other

staff members (Boogaard, n.d.). From my own personal experience, I have seen leadership that often

does not involve staff in changes and when the changes are presented they asked for little to no input
Being a Leader in Change 4

from the staff. I think it makes for a difficult working environment because staff become resentful and or

resistant to the change.

The role of the nurse as a transitional leader requires employees to first have trust. No one is

going to take advice or direction from someone they don’t trust. The employees must also have

admiration, loyalty and respect for the leader (Langston University, n.d.). If the nurse leader has these

traits, employees will often thrive as a valuable team member and hard worker. The individual will feel

inspired to go above and beyond because they are given the ability to see the vision while achieving a

sense of identity (Langston University, n.d.). This leader encourages individuals to think outside the box

and challenge the status quo. By challenging the status quo, the team can identify better ways to

improve performance on the unit or the organization as a whole. On the other hand, challenging the

status quo may not always mean changes in regard to the current topic but may cause people to think

outside the box and lead to other beneficial changes.

In order to implement the role as a transformational leader, I will maintain a professional

persona and will hold myself to high ethical and moral standards. By implementing these behaviors, I

will gain trust and respect. I will also assess the individuals needs and concerns. I will actively listen and

consider the concerns or ideas that are presented and offer helpful advice. I think it’s important to

assess the goals of the individuals and encourage ideas for performance improvement. I will make sure

that the employees feel supported and create open communication. I would next assess the task risks

and see what benefits could come from changing the current policy or procedure. In this step I would

solicit the advice of the employees. This step may also provide a lot of learning for the leader while

working through day-to-day processes. Finally, I would use motivational inspiration to inspire others to

see the vision. When discussing future goals, I will provide a clear vision that provides enthusiasm and

optimism in order to encourage others. I think its important to clearly outline the goals set forth.
Being a Leader in Change 5

In the medical field many positions require a certain level of education to maintain a leadership

role. However, transformational leadership focuses on the idea of encouraging individuals to see the

vision and inspire leadership in themselves. Continued education provides nurses at all levels the ability

to provide better care management, performance improvement methods and better navigators of

change (NCBI, 2011).

As nurses the primary goals in education is to provide them with the knowledge to meet patient

needs, function as leaders, and use science to guide practice (NCBI, 2011). The role and responsibilities

of nursing in health care is constantly changing due to the increasing complexity of patient’s health

status (NCBI, 2011). I think its important for nurses to see the value in continuing education to provide

an increased knowledge base to support them when making critical thinking decisions and leadership

roles.

As a transformational nursing leader, nurses have the ability to collaborate in decision making

and management as a team (NCBI, 2011). This dynamic allows nurses to advocate for there patients and

changes they believe may be beneficial in providing care. One of the biggest reasons I admire this model

of leadership is because it involves everyone from the bedside to the boardroom. It involves everyone in

the decision-making process and for a valuable reason. Everyone brings something different. Nurses that

are working at the bedside can see areas that need change and can represent the needs of the patients.

Nurses are all leaders and should help hold each other responsible.
Being a Leader in Change 6

Resources:

Long, C., Yusof, W., Kowang, T., & Heng, (2014). The Impact of Transformational Leadership Style on Job
Satisfaction. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Choi-Sang-
Long/publication/289580477_The_impact_of_transformational_leadership_style_on_job_satisfaction/li
nks/59e6ad544585151e545ce679/The-impact-of-transformational-leadership-style-on-job-
satisfaction.pdf

Langston University. (n.d). Transformational Leadership.

https://www.langston.edu/sites/default/files/basic-content-files/TransformationalLeadership.pdf

Boogaard, K., (n.d.). What Kind of Leader Are You? 8 Common Leadership Styles (and Their Pros

and Cons). https://www.themuse.com/advice/common-leadership-styles-with-pros-and-cons

Abdul Rahman, H., Jarrar, M., & Don, M. S. (2015). Nurse Level of Education, Quality of Care and Patient
Safety in the Medical and Surgical Wards in Malaysian Private Hospitals: A Cross-sectional Study. Global
journal of health science, 7(6), 331–337. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v7n6p331
Being a Leader in Change 7

NCBI. (2011). Transforming Education. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209885/