Leadership Styles and Traits
A majority of the leaders in healthcare institutions should have trust. Patients and other healthcare professionals should trust that a particular healthcare expert can be trusted to advocate for their rights. Such trust results to empowerment, the courage to engage in innovative ideas, taking risks, and going beyond the ordinary in search for success. Trust is founded on self- orientation, intimacy, reliability, and credibility.
Effective leaders in the healthcare sector are usually emphatic towards the colleagues at the workplace. There is a need to note the facial expressions on other workers and ask them to open up and share. It is worth noting that emotional intelligence is an essential leadership quality. However, it is important to avoid being too transparent as far as emotions are concerned. Healthcare professionals should have the feeling that nurse leaders care for them (Ferguson, 2001).
Nurse leaders should possess the ability to mentor other experts. No matter how talented employees are, there is always a need for a guiding hand and a person who can teach them novel rules of the game. Employees require regular mentoring so as to gain a better understanding of the direction the institution should follow.
Informal and formal power and leadership
Formal power and leadership is usually easy to identify and comprehend. Formal leaders possess the authority and title to influence fellow employees and attain the desired objectives and goals. In addition, these leaders possess immense ability to motivate employees towards achievement of organizational goals. Formal leaders are usually assessed by the level of achievement at an institution (Whitehead, Weiss & Tappen, 2009).
An informal leader is usually very complicated. Such a leader does not possess formal authority or title. However, employees perceive that such an individual should be followed. This is attributed to his mastery of skills, experience in the subject matter, the length of time he has served in the company, and previous success identified by the team.
Significance of political action awareness
Political action awareness is extremely vital in healthcare institutions. It assists in guarding nursing practice as well as the scope involved. Through political action, the nurses’ environment is also protected. There is a need to involve nurses in the creation of policies that influence healthcare. Moreover, the values discussed, nursing expertise, and knowledge should be a key concern for politicians. This concern should be evident in the legislation, which promotes cost- effective healthcare. Nurses should participate actively in developing the public policy. This is attributed to the fact that their active participation is extremely important (Ferguson, 2001).
Using professional organizations
Nurses should not remain dormant and wait to see how the legislation influences the nursing profession. On the contrary, they should participate actively since they possess power over their career. It is also worth noting that the healthcare profession suffers significantly as a result of nurses’ lack of participation in creating public policies. Public policies impact significantly on patients. Lack of nurses’ participation not only affects the healthcare sector. Nurses possess all the information, mandate, and scope, which entail social issues that may be reformed. Therefore, nurses need to participate solidly and actively in various societal causes (Whitehead, Weiss & Tappen, 2009).This ensures that the welfare and health of patients is protected globally. Issues that mostly affect nurses in regard to political action include sexism, structural, socialization, power distribution, social norms, blocked opportunities, and tokenism public perception.
References
Ferguson, S. L. (2001). An activist looks at nursing’s role in health policy development. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 30(5), 546-551.
Whitehead, D. K., Weiss, S. A. & Tappen, R. M. (2009). Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management (5th ed.).New York: F.A. Davis Company.