Analysis of Leadership Traits
Quality and effective leadership is required if a health organization is to succeed financially and at the same time provide quality healthcare services. This is because the quality of leadership determines the way in which services are provided which in turn influences patient satisfaction. Effective leadership also improves staff satisfaction and staff retention which reduces staff turnover.
For one to be an effective leader in this sector, certain traits must be inherent in the individual since success is not easy to achieve accidentally especially in a sensitive sector such as healthcare. In these modern times for one to achieve success in healthcare one has to be business oriented, have a positive attitude, have impressive sales skills and also have an excellent personality. Hitherto, serving in healthcare has been considered as a calling but due to changing times, many have been forced to change their minds to being business oriented. Even though healthcare providers receive little or no leadership and business education while in training, it has forced them to go out of their way to seek information from other sources such as business courses and getting mentors. This empowers them with the necessary skills to run their businesses.
Positive attitude refers to the manner in which someone views daily events in the world. Developing a “half-full-glass” attitude helps many healthcare providers to overcome challenges inherent in this field. Stiff competition and government regulations are some of the challenges many providers experience. Successful leaders are those who believe that the challenges in this sector are surmountable.
Schyve (2009) argued that to be a good leader, one must earn the respect of his subjects. Some leaders earn this respect through intimidation while others earn respect by showing a good example to their subjects. Earning respecting by intimidating staff may work in the short run but it may have adverse effects in the long run in form of high staff turnover.
Formal power refers to positions that are outlined on the corporate ladder, job function table or corporate structure of an organization. This is clear in areas where there are job titles, functions are clearly outlined and there is interdepartmental interaction. Informal power on the other hand refers to the influence that a person has to get something done in an organization. The person may not necessarily be the manager but may get things done through influence. Leadership therefore can be defined as the process by which one person designates tasks and influences the efforts of others in order to achieve specific goals.
According to Amber (2012), organizational identification plays a significant role as mediator of the existing relationship between transformational leadership and the culture of the organization. By studying a sample of 128 employees in a given firm, Amber established that though the culture of the firm was not determined by the transformational leadership exhibited in the firm, the relation was not related to the identity of the firm. However, free hand leadership plays a significant role in the success of the firm in terms of its identity.
Importance of Political Awareness to Nurses
According to Abood (2007), political awareness is significant to nurses even though they may not be politicians. This is due to their commitment to provide high quality healthcare and support to patients. It is due to this commitment that they must be aware of political action and legislation that affect this sector. These are mainly legislative bills passed to influence conduct of healthcare providers and to regulate activities in the sector.
References
Abbod, S. (2007). Influencing Health Care in the Legislative Arena: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Washington DC : American Nurses Association.
Amber, H. (2012). Transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behaviors: The role of organizational identification. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 15(4), 247-268
Gunderman, Richard. (2009). Leadership in Healthcare. London: Springer.
John, B., & Jean, H. (2010). Leadership for Healthcare. London: The Policy Press.
Mansour, J., & Melanie, J. (2005). Healthcare Leadership. Malden: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Schyve, Paul. (2009). Leadership in Healthcare Organizations. San Diego: The Governance Institute.